postnatal yoga
post natal yoga
Postnatal yoga for mums and babies from birth to one year old
'Until the age of seven years, the mother is the guru of the child. She is responsible for the development of all the desired qualities, such as love, compassion and intelligence. Just as the gardener looks after a small plant, she too provides for the total care and nutrition of the child. The compost and the manure are derived from her blood and bone marrow. She is like the farmer who gives urea to the plant when it is growing. Once the plant is fully grown, urea is no longer useful. In the same way, giving nutrition to a baby is the mother's responsibility, and that nutrition does not mean only feeding, it is all inclusive.'
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
What classes are like
These sessions are different from any other yoga class you will go to! Classes genuinely are for mums and babies together, and so it really is fine if your baby needs feeding, winding, nappy changing or to cry or sleep. We practise as much yoga as we can - some weeks you can do more than others – with the primary focus on your postnatal recovery, working particularly with pelvic floor and abdominal strength, pelvic stability, and practices which help to keep the chest open. We involve the babies as much as possible by singing and other sounded practices, practising lifts and carries, some baby yoga, and a relaxation for you both to enjoy at the end.
The relaxation is an important part of the class, although it isn’t necessarily quiet! We are learning to be with baby without interacting – a chance for us to stop ‘minding’ our babies, and so to rest. It is a rare treat for babies to be in the presence of relaxed adults, and a skill well worth practising.
Where classes are taught from my home, we have a cup of tea and snack after the class has finished, which all are welcome to stay for.
Classes are small and friendly and numbers are limited.
What to bring
There’s no need to bring any yoga equipment. Just bring anything you need for changing and feeding your baby.
What experience do I need to attend and when can I start?
No previous yoga experience is needed. The postnatal period is a wonderful time to start yoga – we tend naturally to be very open at this time, which makes us particularly good students.
You can start these classes as soon after the birth as you feel ready. This varies from woman to woman, depending on your birth experience, your baby, other family commitments, and even the time of year. If you have had a caesarean birth, come once you have had your postnatal check up. The class is appropriate for mums with babies from birth up to one year old.
SPARK article Aug-Nov 2006
Yoga for mums and babies - Nick Stonex
This class is designed for new mums who are feeling like moving again; for those who may feel isolated or for those who simply want to embrace and celebrate their new baby. The aim of the class is to help women recover postnatally. Sessions include strengthening yoga postures, rhymes that babies love and the chance to relax in a friendly and supportive space.
Each week we’d start by saying how we felt, how our week had been, with plenty of space for everyone to really listen and be supportive, and sometimes to offer advice. Then we’d have about an hour of yoga. This included breathing and pelvic floor exercises and stretches. We worked in a circle, with an inner circle of cushions for our babies to sit or lie on.
The yoga is for the mums, not the babies, the babies are there because you are, but the beauty of the sessions is finding way to involve your baby in the process.
Some of my favourite bits involved using rhymes and singing. One exercise had us clicking our fingers, another playing “Row, row, row your boat” with my baby. One great exercise is where we sat in a circle, with one knee raised, with our babies on that raised knee – they are all facing each other in the circle and we sing a song about jumping beans. Each baby in turn gets to be the biggest jumping bean and gets lifted high into the air – much fun and laughter! And other exercise involve holding the babies so they can look at each other as well as mums.
At the end we’d do relaxation and winding down exercises for about ten minutes, and Frankie would offer to take the baby if it was crying and you really needed to chill.
Although the yoga is definitely for the grown ups we were encouraged to watch our babies and look at how they move – how flexible they are and draw a bit of inspiration from them. A wonderful meeting of little bodies and big personalities!
