A TCC Dream

Three pregnant women dropped by one of my classes several months ago and asked to attend. They’d been looking for the prenatal yoga class but couldn’t locate it. Watching a T’ai Chi Chih class, they’d been intrigued. Their presence added an upbeat energy and at the end of class, they said they’d enjoyed the experience.

My TCC class was sponsored by a health maintenance organization (HMO), however, and when notified, an HMO representative said that pregnant students would need medical release forms specific to TCC before they could attend my class on a regular basis.

Teaching prenatal TCC is a dream I want to bring into reality. There’s no research, though, that would put a medical practitioner unfamiliar with TCC at ease in recommending it to pregnant women. Both testimonials about, and measured outcomes of, prenatal TCC experiences are needed for us to interest obstetricians and HMOs.

If any pregnant women are attending your class, or if you’d like to attract them to future classes, please consider the following ideas:

Being pregnant with a first child may be a time of uncertainty for many women. They’re frequently unprepared to deal with a changing body shape and issues like nausea, constipation, balance changes and back pain.

Being pregnant may make some women more receptive to learning things that are seen as healthy for themselves and their developing baby.

Individuals who learn TCC while pregnant may be more likely to continue with TCC as they adjust to life with a new baby and getting their body back in shape.

If you or someone you know practiced TCC during pregnancy, please share your experiences. Publish these personal stories, as they will help get the word out about the many benefits of doing TCC while pregnant.

I’d like to network with anyone currently teaching a prenatal TCC class. Please submit an article for publication in The Vital Force and also send it to me so that I may collect stories to include in promotional materials about prenatal TCC. If enough TCC teachers are interested, I’ll create a Facebook page where we can share ideas.

If you work with pregnant women, medically or professionally, do you know of a physician who would either support a TCC class in his or her office or refer women to you for a class? Physicians and HMOs quite commonly recommend prenatal yoga and aqua exercises. It’s up to us to make people aware that TCC is another great option for pregnant women.

I invite the TCC community to share this dream. I’m willing to collate and research information, maintain a library, and serve as a networking communicator for prenatal TCC. Please email me and write “Prenatal TCC ” in the email subject line.