Brilliant benefits of Mum & Baby postnatal yoga
Coming along to a pregnancy yoga class when you are pregnant is a really great way to work with your amazing pregnant body - to strengthen and ease niggles, to prepare both body and mind for labour and birth, and also to meet other local mums-to-be. But once the baby is born it can be easy to lose the connection with other new mums, and with such a huge change in your life and hormones and emotions running wild many women can feel disheartened and confused about the physical, mental and emotional effects that childbirth can have on you.
That’s why coming along to a Mum & Baby postnatal yoga class can really help mums on so many levels – physical, mental and emotional. Postnatal yoga uses movement, breath and relaxation to allow you to reconnect with your body after pregnancy and birth. These yoga classes are not an typical ‘exercise’ class as such, and is certainly not a ‘boot camp’, we are not trying to be some perfect instagramable, “look at me, I’m back in my pre-pregnancy jeans” type class. In the Yoga For Modern Life classes, yes you will start to strengthen and gently work the muscles of your core, your lower back and the pelvic floor. But there is so much more too. The classes are designed for mums come some along with their babies, and so I try to include the little ones into the practice wherever I can. We use the yoga postures in ways that keep the babies entertained, or we may be holding the babies as part of the yoga itself. Although it doesn’t matter if your baby happen to sleep through the entire class either!!
The class is designed to nurture new mums and provide a safe environment for them to heal, nurture and reconnect with their bodies, to give them new ways to enjoy and bond with their babys, to meet and connect with other news mums.
There are many benefits to attending a postnatal yoga class, physical, metal and emotional. Here’s just a few of the brilliant benefits:
eases tightness, tension, aches and niggles in the post natal body
helps build up strength and stamina in the body too
provides time to rest and relax
starts to strengthen the deep abdominal muscles to ‘close the body’ after birth. Without any high intensity exercise that can actually hinder the your postnatal recovery.
relieves stiffness in the shoulders, neck and upper back
helps to strengthens pelvic floor muscles
strengthens abdominal and back muscles for core strength
helps to expand your breathing and calms the mind
maintains flexibility in your body
helps you to feel a sense of reclaiming your body
gives you time each week to nurture yourself
renews energy levels
quietening the mind
can aid bonding between mother and baby
creates positivity around your postnatal body
gives you relaxed time to connect with and chat to other new mums
gets you out of the house in a friendly, non judgemental, supportive environment
time to drink tea, eat biscuits and chat!
My classes give you a freedom to do whatever you need to. Many women initially worry that their will be too noisy, will cry, will need to feed, will poo. Yes they will, but that is TOTALLY FINE. Everyone in the class is in the same boat, and they are there to support you. Sometimes babies feed all class long, but again that’s all part of the process of learning to be with your baby and letting ourselves go to ever changing patterns of parenthood. You will still benefit from breathing, from relaxing, from connecting to your pelvis floor, from chatting and drinking tea (definitely!!) even if you baby does feed for an entire class! It’s totally OK. It may be an old cliché but if you have a happy mummy, you have a happy baby, and it is also really amazing to watch how the babies in the class become lively when the energy is alive, and calm down during periods of rest.
You should always check with your GP or midwife when it is appropriate to start attending a postnatal Mum & Baby yoga class. I usually advise after your 6 week check, maybe a little longer for a caesarean birth. But there is no rush, its when it feels right for you.
And you really don't have to have done any yoga before. I provide really simple, straightforward instructions in plain english. Because of course your main focus is your baby, and you don;t want to be overwhelmed with loads of complicated instructions to follow whilst caring for your baby. So my classes are clear and easy to follow, with a real emphasis on doing what feels right for you in each moment and not 'trying to be perfect' in any damn way.
Weekly Mum & Baby Yoga Classes
So if you like the sound of all of that, and you'd like to meet with like-minded new Mums in a chilled and relaxed setting, spending a little time easing into your new post natal body with your baby by your side then do come along. All the details of my Mum & Baby Postnatal Yoga Classes in York are here. Having a baby can be a daunting and lonely place, a regular friendly weekly class is a great way to get out of the house and meet new people having the same or very similar experiences as you. You'll be very warmly welcomed.
Susan xx
