Hi, I’m Al – Alexandra, but you can call me Al (just like the Paul Simon song).
I am a physician assistant, yoga teacher and, most importantly to me, a mama (of a human and a fur baby). I feel so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother and I have learned so much throughout my personal experiences during my pregnancy and the birth of my daughter. Watching her grow and interact with my husband and our dog, Brick, has been joyous beyond words. The pace at which she changes is so magical and I love watching her blossom daily. But, the brisk changes are certainly not without their challenges. Keeping up with all that we are “supposed to do” while still reserving energy to take it all in can feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t have the right resources to help.
Throughout this race, I have found a passion for making food for my daughter, amongst the other things that come with the new mom territory. We are vegetarians in this household with a new passion for organic eating. My husband and I slowly transitioned to vegetarianism for the environmental and personal health benefits sparked by our passion for traveling and the hopes to preserve the world for our daughter to see one day as well. Creating diverse, fresh options for my daughter at the beginning of her solids journey and now recipes that the whole family can enjoy has been so gratifying.
The day I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to nickname the baby so that we could really form a strong bond from the start. With a quick internet search of our estimated due date, the fun fact that accompanied it was that the current size of the fetus was a poppy seed. “Poppy” it was – and it stuck immediately. Not only did my husband and I call the baby Poppy but as did, very affectionately, all of our family and friends. She was born in February 2020 and it was the best day of our lives. Each day after has come with joy, but also with doubt, fear, anxiety and so many unknowns. Through lots of research, collaboration with my mom community, and my own personal experiences, I learned so much – and quite frankly continue to learn each day. I’d love to share what I’ve learned with you in hopes that you become part of my mom community too! There are so many decisions to make and so much information to take in. My goal is to establish a supportive space to sift through all of this information while keeping a smile on our faces! Thanks for being here and I hope to see you again.
Staying present with ourselves can be incredibly challenging as pregnant women and new mothers. Yoga has been a big part of my life for several years but practicing yoga during my pregnancy drew me closer to my body and mind than I had ever felt before. Feelings of an unsettled body and mind initially led me into the doors of One Point One Yoga in Pittsburgh, PA which, as cliche as it may sound, changed my life. Yoga felt like the physical movement that I knew I needed accompanied with joy, ease and mindfulness which I didn’t fully realize she was missing. Shortly after making the commitment to deepen my yoga practice and enroll in teacher training at One Point One Yoga, I discovered I was expecting! I contribute so much of my positive pregnancy, delivery and postpartum experiences to my yoga practice. I became an RYT200 in Jan 2020 in the 34th week of my pregnancy. Inspired by my journey, I am currently completing a 85-hr prenatal yoga training with Carole Westerman of Evolve to Harmony Studio. You can find me teaching perinatal yoga classes at One Point One Yoga both in the studio and for virtual replay for anyone who can’t physically be in the studio.
A final thanks is more than necessary to my family for being the inspiration for this space. My husband, Matt, is the most supportive and loving person that I know and I would not have been able to create this space (conceptually or technically) without him. I love you all.