Embracing the Positive Power Yoga In Your Pregnancy and Beyond….
Emily and her prenatal yoga moms connecting with their breath
New York Native Emily Gold is a yoga therapist and teacher, doula and public health specialist residing in Brussels Belgium. She has been practicing yoga since 2003. Here she explains how yoga can have a powerful and positive impact on your journey into motherhood.
Pregnancy is an exciting time, but it can also be uncomfortable, scary and overwhelming. Plus, it comes with a host of mental and physical changes far too long to list here! One of the most beneficial ways to navigate through these changes and prepare for the journey of motherhood is through yoga.
So, how can yoga support you during your pregnancy?
You explore, understand, know and embrace your changing body
Yoga allows you to tune into the changes happening within you and helps you adapt to them with love and acceptance. Changes can often feel overwhelming and the media doesn’t always promote realistic images of what pregnancy looks and feels like. You will learn to listen to your body more, understand its needs, and move in ways that feel good. You will also learn movements to relieve discomfort and enhance energy. Yoga promotes better posture and reduces common pregnancy discomforts like back pain and sciatica.
Another significant benefit of prenatal yoga is that it offers a:
Positive boost to your mood and energy
The combination of gentle physical activity and mindful breathing exercises can significantly lift your spirits, reduce fatigue, and keep you energized. This is particularly helpful during those days when pregnancy fatigue seems overwhelming. A great prenatal yoga class always ends with a long comfortable savasana (rest).
One of the key aspects of prenatal yoga is its ability to:
Prepare your body for birth
The poses and stretches practiced in prenatal yoga help strengthen your muscles in a safe way, which can be incredibly beneficial during labor and delivery. As a doula my prenatal yoga classes always include birth preparation components that utilize mind-body techniques to prepare you for your best birthing experience.
Personally I feel one of the best benefits of prenatal yoga classes is that it:
Connects you with other new parents
Attending prenatal yoga classes gives you a chance to meet and bond with other expecting parents, creating a supportive community that can be very comforting during this significant phase of life. In my prenatal yoga classes we always start with a brief conversation where we can discuss how everyone is fairing in their pregnancy. This is a time to share resources and cana help you feel less alone. For expat parents in particular, this can be a great way to build your village!
Lastly, prenatal yoga is a wonderful tool to help you:
Manage any stress and fear
Let’s be honest, sometimes pregnancy can feel overwhelming! The mindful breathing and meditation techniques taught in prenatal yoga can help calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and promote a sense of peace and relaxation. It helps equip you with the tools to manage the stressors of pregnancy and the anxieties about impending motherhood. Plus chatting with other expectant parents can help reduce uncertainties and let you know you are not alone!
Postnatal Yoga
Becoming a mother is an experience like no other! It comes with lots of amazing moments, but also lots of challenges. Postnatal yoga can be a supportive tool as you evolve after each pregnancy and birth! Postnatal yoga focuses on helping new mothers recover from childbirth, connect with their body and bond with their babies. Here are some of the many reasons I love being able to offer these classes.
Postnatal yoga provides great ways for you to:
Bond with your baby
Postnatal yoga classes often involve your baby. This can provide a wonderful opportunity for you to bond with your little one while doing something beneficial for your own well-being. Even if babies aren’t actively involved they will pick up your energy and enjoy the movements and sounds of yoga. All this said, babies aren’t required to attend, and having some time to yourself is an amazing way to practice self care!
Another key benefit of postnatal yoga is that it encourages you to:
Get to know and embrace your postnatal body
Your body has done amazing work growing and birthing your baby and it has undergone many changes. Yet moms are often held to unrealistic standards of “bouncing back” after pregnancy! Postnatal yoga can help you embrace these changes with love while providing an opportunity to safely strengthen and stretch.
Like prenatal yoga, postnatal yoga can also:
Boost your mood and energy
And rest - savasana
Yogic movements combined with the calming breathing exercises can boost mood and keep you energized as you navigate through the demands of early motherhood. I always keep my classes focused on the needs of students, and sometimes that means lots of movement, and sometimes, when lots of babies (and moms) have had tough nights, it means lots of rest!
Postnatal yoga is also a great way to for you to:
Connect with other new parents
Sharing experiences and challenges with others who are going through the same phase can provide a sense of community and mutual support. Sometimes just knowing you aren’t alone in your current season can change your whole outlook! My postnatal yoga classes always include a moment to share how we are all doing, so we can share resources, support each other and learn we are not alone.
Finally, postnatal yoga can:
Ease any physical discomforts associated with your postpartum recovery.
Targeted yoga poses can help alleviate back pain, improve pelvic floor strength, and aid overall recovery. Sometimes just a few gentle movements can encourage big change for body and mind!
Emily offers Postnatal Yoga Classes on Mondays 12:00-13:00 at Lab62 at 62 Avenue de Tervuren. You can get more information and sign up here. Advance registration required.
Emily Gold
