Mimi Sosa Doula and Prenatal Yoga Instructor
(317) 513-1960
Prenatal Yoga Blog 5
Introduction to prenatal yoga at Home4Birth
Adding a weekly prenatal yoga class to your pregnancy experience is
an excellent choice for your health and wellbeing. Just as having a
natural, mindful birth experience can be centering, grounding, and
powerful, so too can prenatal yoga.
Held Monday evenings from 6:00 to 7:10 p.m., Prenatal Yoga at
Home4Birth includes experience sharing, deep breathing, balance,
pelvic floor and core strengthening, centering, de-stressing, and
flexibility to your physical being. All with an eye toward your holistic
health and the wellbeing of you and your baby.
Yoga means “to yoke” in Sanskrit. In other words, the practice of
yoga ‘yokes together’ or unifies mind, body & spirit. The idea of
unifying mind, body and spirit is especially important when you are
pregnant in order to unite and strengthen mind, body and spirit as you
prepare for giving birth.
Class begins with deep rhythmic breathing. Not only is this calming,
but the deeper intake of oxygen is very beneficial to you (especially
your bones and muscles) and to your growing baby.
After we breathe and warm up muscles, we will do some light
stretching, then shift into gentle yoga, before we cool down in
savasana (final resting pose). Our poses have been adapted so that
you will not too deeply stretch or damage the important supportive
muscles of the abdomen and pelvic region.
You do not need to have prior yoga experience to enjoy prenatal
yoga – and mats and props are provided. Looking forward to seeing
you next Monday for Prenatal Yoga at Home4Birth.
Namaste ~
Lauren Windle
RYT 200 & prenatal certified instructor
Prenatal Yoga Blog 4
Birth is a sacred, spiritual, primal, powerfully female journey to welcome a new being into the world.
Prenatal yoga has a place in that journey to reconnect the mind, body and spirit with our innate intrinsically female wisdom as a part of that journey.
8 ways prenatal yoga helps you experience birth as a sacred journey:
- Trust that you have the inner resources to face whatever each moment brings your way. Yoga shows you that are more powerful than you imagine!
- Embrace pregnancy and birth as a spiritual journey for the mother, father/partner and baby through meditation, relaxation and deep yogic breathing.
- Prepare your mind and your body for birth. Childbirth is possibly the most physically demanding experience you will encounter. A depleted woman will be a depleted mother.
- Yoga puts you in touch with your changing body. Feeling comfortable in your body will ease your childbirth experience.
- We birth the way we live. Spend time in meditation, prayer, yoga, dance, nature, laughing, making love — whatever brings you joy and connects you to your higher self.
- Find your tribe. Mothers need elders, mentors and sisters to navigate motherhood.
- Nurture your connection with your baby while you are pregnant. Even in the middle of a crazy day, you can take a moment to breathe and connect with your baby inside you.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply into your belly. Feel the inhale breath surrounding your baby. Feel the exhale softening your body. Recognize that your child is an active participant in his or her birth. Acknowledge his or her participation in the birth process. Sometimes babies are born the way they need to be, not necessarily the way we want them to, regardless of what you do.
Namaste ~
Lauren
Prenatal Yoga Blog 3
What is your body telling you?
Your mind happily absorbs beliefs based on your biases and your ego.
But your body? It knows better. Especially when you are pregnant. Pregnant bodies are wise and capable.
That’s why prenatal yoga is so right for pregnant mamas. Prenatal yoga helps you find the strength in your body, but doesn’t force flexibility or physical activity.
Prenatal yoga is about releasing and opening gradually. Allowing yourself to do just what feels right in your body at this moment. And nothing more.
Prenatal yoga helps you marvel at the wonderful changing body you own. You are a life-giver, an earth goddess like legions of mothers before you, each giving life to the world.
Let your full gorgeous body guide you in all things from tuning inward to your own wisdom, to helping your hips open and find healthy release.
Take time from your busy schedule to do what feels good in your changing body. Prenatal yoga at Home4Birth. Good for you, good for baby.
Prenatal Yoga Blog 2
Radiant and… glowing?
Have you ever heard a pregnant woman described as radiant & glowing? It’s hardly accurate, especially when you ask someone who’s pregnant.
When asked to describe how she felt, these are the terms most often used by pregnant mamas, according to Google last year:
Excited, worried, fearful, stressed, joyful, anxious, crazy,
constipated, nauseated, tired, clumsy, and gaseous.
Not surprisingly, the word “radiant” didn’t appear at all.
At Home4Birth, we focus on the entire woman’s being during pregnancy. And here are the truths of what to expect:
- It is totally normal to feel ambivalent about being pregnant. Pregnancy can change a lot of things in your life and your emotions may swing from elated to despair.
- Body image changes quickly and can be challenging. The key is to remember that your body is building a baby, and when construction is over, you get your body back.
- Your partner may or may not act as invested in the pregnancy as you are – especially in the early stages. Until he/she can feel the baby kicking, it is a totally abstract experience for the person who is not carrying the baby.
- People can be intrusive and sometimes, insensitive. Be ready for folks that touch your belly without permission, and offer unsolicited advice. Be clear about your personal boundaries and focus on understanding that they are interested in you and your baby.
- Your single and work friends may have mixed feelings about your pregnancy. It means the friendship and work relationship will invariably change. We tend to bond with people who have similar experiences and your pregnancy means you are moving out of their comfort zone. Try not to take it personally.
At Home4Birth, we focus on enjoying all the ups and downs of this amazing period in your life. And, we’re right there with you, understanding, appreciating, supporting and helping you prepare for the birth at home you want, even when you aren’t feeling “radiant.”
Prenatal Yoga Blog 1
Welcome to prenatal yoga at Home4Birth Mondays at 6 PM
We’re so glad you decided to add yoga to your pregnancy experience. We have fun in our prenatal class Monday evenings — adding experience sharing, energy, balance, muscle strength, and flexibility to your prenatal practice.
What to expect: As in traditional yoga, prenatal yoga begins by relaxing and de-stressing through deep rhythmic breathing. Not only is this calming, but the deeper intake of oxygen is very beneficial to you (especially your bones and muscles) and to your growing baby. Deep breathing also helps warm up your muscles before practice.
After we deep breathe and warm up the body, we will do some light stretching, then shift into asanas (yoga poses), before we cool down in savasana (final resting pose).
Many of the asansas we do in prenatal yoga very similar to those poses in basic yoga. Some have been adapted for a rounded belly, and some others, adapted so that you will not too deeply stretch or damage the important supportive muscles of the abdomen and pelvic region.
Prenatal yoga instruction never supersedes your midwife’s recommendations. If you feel uncomfortable, stop what you are doing and let your instructor know right away.
Remember that your prenatal yoga practice is yours alone. I encourage you to come to class, even when you are tired at the end of the day. Breathing through fatigue and doing a light workout you can help invigorate your body, release tension and allow for new muscle expansion. Plus – you always sleep more readily and more deeply after evening yoga practice.
See you next Monday evening.
Namaste ~
Lauren Windle