Postnatal Yoga
“A mother who is able to nurture herself is able not just to love her baby unconditionally but also to perceive and receive her baby’s love” -unknown
Becoming a mother, no matter if it’s first, second, or more times, is a life changing experience and the first months with a newborn baby can be intense. During this time it’s easy that the mother puts her own wellbeing aside and concentrates 100% to her baby. While there’s no doubt that babies should receive their mother’s undivided attention, love, and care, it’s as important that the mother takes care of herself as well. When the mother feels loved and cared for she will have more energy to take care of her baby as well. If the body is constantly achy, mind is agitated, mother is under stress, or she feels tired all the time she will eventually have less energy to look after her little one. This is why I feel it is so important to offer a welcoming space for women and their babies where they can focus for a moment on their own wellbeing while their little ones are either resting or included in the practice. Postnatal yoga classes are also a great place to meet other mother’s who are in the same life situation, to share and connect with like minded people.
One of the core principles of postnatal yoga is to ‘mother the mother’. This means that the focus in postnatal classes is to help mothers care for their babies with greater ease, to offer mothers simple techniques to get better rest in short periods and to sleep better between night feeds. Postnatal yoga classes help mothers to regain ownership of their bodies after birth and the pregnancy months.
In postnatal yoga classes we use breathing, movement, balance, and relaxation to allow mother’s body to recover from childbirth to its full potential. It’s all about gentle progression – there’s no rush. Slow progress creates long lasting benefits and a strong foundation for physical and mental wellbeing to flourish. There is a reason why hey say:
“Nine months of pregnancy, nine months postnatal.”
Some of the benefits of Postnatal Yoga:
strengthening the basic structure of the body through simple practices and micro-movements
tones the abdominal muscles in depth for ‘closing the body’ after birth
strengthens the pelvic floor muscles
promotes relaxation
supports postnatal hormonal balance
gaining strength and stamina
relieves stiffness in the shoulders
renewal of energy
bonding between mother and baby
positive feelings and interaction
quietening of the mind
