Yoga for and during pregnancy
The nine months of pregnancy bring dynamic changes as our baby grows inside us. Being pregnant can be one of the most joyous times in a woman's life, it can also be stressful. A constantly changing body, morning sickness, tiredness, anxiety regarding our baby's well being, worries around the birth and impending motherhood can bring with them a myriad of emotions and feelings - all of them natural.
Gentle yoga helps support a woman through her pregnancy, into labour and beyond. It offers relief for many of pregnancy's symptoms - nausea, backache, heartburn, tiredness and can alleviate high blood pressure, fluid retention and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Classes especially adapted for pregnancy are great whether you have done yoga before or not.
Yoga postures designed for the pregnant body open and soften, increasing suppleness and strength. The meditative quality of Yoga allows a woman to listen to her body and trust in her ability to birth her baby. She discovers her strength as a mother as she connects more consciously with her baby.
During classes, women practice movements and positions helpful in labour and when giving birth, special breathing techniques and relaxation.
This type of class becomes a positive support and is a good way to meet and share with other pregnant mums.
YOGA for mothers and toddlers
Becoming a mother is magical and amazing and is also full on and relentless.
Yoga after birth is a wonderful way to anchor and balance ourselves. It is gentle and respectful, unravelling everyday tension brought on by the challenges of motherhood and life in general. It soothes an aching back, tired shoulders, tight neck, strengthens our bodies and calms our minds. It helps us access the very essence of who we are. We feel nourished and held.
As mothers we surrender our needs to those of our child, and finding time for ourselves is normally last on the list. Yoga can be brought into our life as it is, with our children. It can be both relaxing and fun.
It is a lovely way for mothers and toddlers to have time together. A special Mother and Toddler Yoga Group can offer a safe haven where mothers can relax, refuel and unwind with their little ones.
As sessions progress and women relax, so do the children. To begin with the children play together or alongside each other sharing toys, experiences and snacks. They enjoy the opportunity for exploration that yoga postures create - a bridge to crawl under, an interesting shape to climb over. They join in with the yoga spontaneously, imitating the postures they see around them. As yoga becomes more familiar, children will initiate postures themselves. Lots of the postures lend themselves to fun games that mothers and toddlers can do together. It is a great way to meet other mums in a non-judgemental setting and have quality time with your child.
Article written for Winter 2008 issue by
Ruth Polden
Mother, Yoga Teacher and Active Birth Teacher
T: 07966 095928
E:
Classes are held in Forest Row
