Last week I was asked to write a guest blog for the Better Birth, Better Motherhood Project about my experience with post-natal yoga and my upcoming Post-natal yoga classes. I was thrilled and honoured to write this post. Even though I began dabbling in yoga 15 years ago, it wasn't until I started ante-natal and post-natal yoga that I truly became hooked. So, I thought I'd share my guest blog here as well for you to read. Also, if you do get a chance, go to Chloe's blog and check it out. bbbmproject.co.uk I began my yoga journey almost 15 years ago. However, it wasn’t until I fell pregnant with my first-born, Sophie, that I truly began to see the therapeutic benefits of yoga. I started ante-natal (pregnancy) yoga at the beginning of my third trimester with Sophie. Even just a few short weeks of the practice helped me have an amazing delivery. Naturally, when I fell pregnant with my second, I couldn’t wait to start another ante-natal yoga class. The instructor I found ran her popular class on the Isle of Dogs. But, what was better was that she also ran a post-natal class there as well. So, having practised yoga diligently for 26 weeks (I never missed a week- even when my husband locked himself out of the flat, my phone was turned off!), I was itching to continue post-birth. At 6 weeks old, Charlie and I started attending weekly classes. Her classes were small, so pre-booking was essential. The small size meant more space for mums and babies. I was happy to see familiar faces week in and week out, and watch the other babies develop alongside my own. Post-natal yoga was my weekly sanctuary. It was great to meet up with mums who had babies similar in age to my own, and it was comforting to see that those mums had rough days as well. I’m not going to lie and tell you that having a second was so much easier. In fact, it wasn’t. Some weeks I wondered why I was bothering to go as Charlie was so fussy; I didn’t feel as if I was getting much yoga for myself. However, post-natal yoga is just as much for the baby as it is for mum. Part of the class is aimed at mums bonding with their newborns through gentle exercise, carrying baby in arms and sometimes through the use of familiar nursery rhymes. In hind-sight, I would say that was some of the most beneficial bonding. To this day, I still do Superman-flying with my now seven-year-old ‘baby’, and he still likes to show me some of the yoga poses he picks up. I tried almost everything out there aimed at new mums: Buggy Bootcamp, Aqua babies, baby music, baby massage, etc. But out of all those experiences, post-natal yoga ranked number one for me. I do attribute my close bond with both my children, and their own keen interest in yoga, to my own practise with them. In fact, my older child has been practising weekly for over a year now at the yoga club I run at her school. Now, seven years later, I want to share that same experience with other new mums. So why take up post-natal yoga for yourself, and why do I teach it? Here are my top 5 reasons: 1) Gentle exercise for the pelvic floor helps tighten those muscles (especially if you plan on returning to the gym, going to bootcamp or even running after your baby when they begin to toddle and not having your own ‘accidents’). 2) Asanas (poses) help strengthen your upper body and legs as well as stretch out tight muscles (hamstrings, hip flexors, backs, calves) from pushing and carrying baby around. 3) You learn routines which may help settle baby as well as encouraging you to have fun together. Occasionally, the instructor would take my fussy one off of me to use as a demo, or just give me some respite. 4) Pranayama (breathing) and meditation help you de-stress. 5) Small classes mean it’s easier to make friends with other new mums and support each other. Post-natal yoga is great from 6 weeks (8 weeks C-section) to toddler. However, you should pre-book your space to avoid disappointment. I had already pre-booked mine before Charlie was even born, just so I knew that I could start. I’m not promising that your baby will become a yogi, but I am saying you will find a warm, welcoming place to de-stress, tone, bond and occasionally get advice (if you want it). Beginning in September, I offer post-natal classes on Tuesdays at A Fine Balance Studio (Upminster) from 1:30-2:30 and Wednesday mornings at Fairkytes (Hornchurch) from 10:45-11:45. Comments are closed.
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