pre natal yoga invites you to a journey into motherhood

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By: Louise Avery

find out why this type of class is so special


Once you discover that you are pregnant, whether it was planned or not, your world shifts into a new direction where you don’t really know how its going to unfold until it happens. Those first few weeks of pregnancy in the first trimester can be a roller coaster of surprises and changes that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, excited, apprehensive maybe exhausted or nauseated, yet poised to navigate the journey heralded by the endless voices of advice and their inherent contradictions.

Women have been giving birth for millions of years and in all those years there have always been women who have been in that earlier space offering a pathway to guide them. Our lives start with a birth and new life, but as individuals the journey into motherhood is a unique and personal journey done in their own inimitable way. Women each have their own stories of what motherhood for them is and it becomes something new and different for each pregnancy, no matter how many children they may have had before. Prenatal Yoga helps women listen to their inner voice and wisdom and the whispers of the baby that is growing inside her.

After the first twelve weeks most women find that any morning sickness or fatigue they may have experienced has settled down and they are getting in touch with the changing rhythms in their body. The second trimester may also be a time when you feel a new burst of energy and this is the ideal time to feel the pull to get moving again, which is when I see most women start to come to Prenatal Yoga classes. Women at this stage are bursting with life and I am always overjoyed to see their enthusiasm, their energy and their beauty shine during these few months.

During the second trimester, women often feel as though they have hit their stride enjoying moving and being with their pregnancy. Prenatal Yoga offers a supportive and profoundly nurturing way to experience Yoga without feeling as though the body has been put through the ringer. Ultimately a good prenatal yoga class will leave women feeling relaxed, stretched and refreshed and for some, can ease them into a rare good night’s sleep.

When you get pregnant that one friend who is pregnant at the same time becomes your greatest ally, your Prenatal Yoga class becomes that second community home and gives you the opportunity to hang out with other women sharing the journey. The camaraderie of practicing yoga in a space where everyone in the class is having a similar experience is one most women look forward to. It is the opportunity to laugh and share that lessens the inevitable apprehension you may feel and also help you to manage the weird and wonderful aspects of pregnancy.

When you are looking for a prenatal class some key things to look for are breath work, relaxation and mediation and an awareness of the hips and pelvis as well as an understanding of the process of preparation for childbirth. Some classes use imagery and sound and offer wisdom support in the tradition of spirutal midwifery, which can give women an opportunity to take their experience into a more personal soul searching journey.

By third trimester you are starting to slow down and find a softer approach to your pregnancy. Women in the third trimester are usually starting to feel the heaviness of carrying around this new life and physically their body is preparing for labour. In this time, a good class will offer you supportive options to prepare for birth and focus on developing strong breath awareness. Breathing is the key to maintaining your focus and calm during labour and prenatal yoga will help your body to not only breathe easily but be more physically ready for labour.

Prenatal Yoga teachers are the support to help you prepare for this part of your journey to becoming a mother. They help you to understand the breath and your body and be physically able to open up into labour in as safe and relaxed a way as possible. They are just another part of the support team offering you help to bring this new life into the world a Prenatal Yoga teacher is there as a voice of calm in this eventful step of the journey.

If you need to get your head and heart moving into pregnancy. as well as the body, then Prenatal Yoga offers you something special that should be as much a part of your preparation for birth as baby showers, scans, cot shopping and reading lists of names.

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