Claire’s Forest Babies & Beach Babies

Forest Babies classes were born in Covid times.  And like all babies at that time, things were a little bit different. 

“it’s important to let our babies enjoy the wonders of nature from a very young age” 

At the start of 2020, my infant massage and baby yoga business was 3.5 years old and thriving with a busy timetable of classes in various community centres around Midlothian, Scotland.  We all know what happened to parent and baby classes when Covid hit the UK. 

However, one of the silver linings was online training opportunities and I leapt at the chance to upskill my Birthlight Baby Yoga training.  Having travelled to Belfast in 2019 to complete Level 1, it was time to study Level 2 and complete my Birthlight Baby Yoga diploma as we emerged from the first lockdown.

By late summer 2020, classes were resuming – but not as they once looked.  Tape measures, face masks, spraying everyone with hand sanitiser every 5 seconds, and even taking my classes to the local pub when pubs could open but restrictions meant the community centres could not. New parents were worried.  Was it really safe to take your baby to a hall filled with other potentially germ-ridden people?  But simultaneously a real concern that babies had never seen another baby.  Wellbeing was low.  And for a class provider, keeping everyone safe and happy was a constant challenge. 

This time forced me to think about what parents really needed from a baby class; gorgeous shared movement and joyful communication to support bonding, love and affection with their baby through baby yoga, yes, but also real-life connection, fresh air, exercise and a hefty dose of nature to recharge those batteries.

In September, I took my first Forest Babies class in historic and beautiful Roslin Glen.  Just three baby-wearing parents joined me for a short forest walk; some forest bathing (I’ll come back this); nature art; baby yoga; and relaxation. Word soon spread and classes proved popular – a literal breath of fresh air as we all tried to navigate these challenging times.

January 2021 brought snow and another lockdown, but this time, the Scottish Government said outdoor classes could continue.  So, we wrapped the babies in their snowsuits and did our very best baby yoga wearing wellies and mittens.  I don’t know if it was madness or bravery or necessity, but every week we just kept going (not before a very long conversation with my insurance provider of course!). 

I write this now as my 6^th Forest Babies season has recently come to an end.  Yes, when there are indoor options, outdoor baby classes in the cold Scottish drizzle aren’t quite so appealing and so my outdoor classes run April to September these days.  But they are as popular as ever and I’ve even broadened out to Beach Babies (no restrictions on travelling outside Midlothian to reach the sea anymore!).

So what actually happens in a Forest Babies or Beach Babies class?  Each hour long session is similar but different and always begins with a short walk through the forest or along the beach to a quiet spot with yoga mats set out. In Forest Babies, we “forest bathe”.  This is based on the Japanese Shinrin-yoku in which one tries to soak up as much of nature as possible by being present and mindful amongst the trees.  Sometimes we even give a tree a hug.  There’s research to suggest that spending time with trees relieves feelings of fatigue.  In Roslin Glen, some of the trees are really ancient and it is wonderfully atmospheric. 

In Beach Babies, we can’t forest bathe, but we free our feet from our shoes, feel the sand between our toes, engage those proprio-receptors and feel grounded. Research also shows that walking barefoot stimulates the cardio-vascular system, lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system.  Next up we start collecting bits and pieces for our nature art – sometimes we create a group mandala of concentric circles (then pop each baby at the centre for a quick photo op!); sometimes we make individual creations; and other times we pick up pebbles from the beach or river to write positive affirmations on them and leave for others to find. When Forest Babies coincided with the Coronation, we made the babies nature crowns and I have included a crown-making session every few weeks ever since.

Finally, it’s time for our baby yoga, adapted to the conditions, for example we don’t do walks in the forest as the ground is uneven, and if it’s very wet, we won’t sit down for too long or the damp soaks through our yoga mats! Lifts and swings always feature, and of course, we sing – a lot. I sometimes wonder what the local dog-walkers must think!  The class closes with a few minutes of quiet relaxation, listening to the sound of the babies and the sounds of nature around us. And then we paddle or play pooh sticks because connecting with our inner child is also important!

“Forest babies is my favourite class” 

“something totally different that I wouldn’t normally make time to do”

“very relaxing and soothing”