Prenatal yoga increases strength and flexibility to alleviate common prenatal ailments, all while helping a woman prepare her body for labor and birth.
Yoga also encourages a woman to connect with her pregnancy and her baby’s growth as a journey into motherhood. Through this journey, a woman can learn to trust herself, and her connection with the Universe, ultimately feeling more deeply connected with her baby. The group setting of prenatal yoga provides a woman with a close-knit community of support, within which resources, questions, concerns and excitements can be shared openly.
Healthy Prenatal Yoga Practice Essentials:
Connecting with the breath for support in pregnancy, labor and birth
Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles with Kegel exercises
Squatting – strengthens gluteus muscles, supporting overall pelvic floor health
Utilizing and strengthening the transverse abdominals
Meditating – quiet time to reduce stress and cultivate a more relaxed state in which to connect with baby
Postnatal yoga is a wonderfully supportive option for a woman to ease back into exercise in general, as well as back into a regular yoga practice.
Following a healthy vaginal delivery, it is usually advised that a woman can begin a postnatal yoga practice six weeks after birth, and eight to twelve weeks following a Cesarean (to allow the incision time to heal).
It is important for a woman to immediately begin strengthening her pelvic floor muscles after birth by continuing to regularly practice Kegels, as she did in prenatal yoga. Belly breathing, focusing on drawing her belly backwards towards her spine on exhalations, also will help a woman engage and strengthen her transverse abdominals.
Even post C-section, gentle belly breathing can be started right away and will help increase circulation around the wound to promote healing. Other benefits of practicing postnatal yoga include the ability to: regain physical strength, support overall health and well being, release tension in the neck and shoulders, alleviate physical discomfort, optimize posture, and much more.
Healthy Postnatal Yoga Practice Essentials:
Kegels - help immediately strengthen weakened pelvic floor muscles
Transverse abdominal work - strengthen core
Upper back openers & strengtheners - ease aching neck and shoulders
Standing poses - strengthen legs, alleviate lower back pain & increase endurance
Restorative poses - fight fatigue
Breath work - aid postpartum ‘blues’
Essentials of Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Training
TBA
17 hour Continuing Education Training for yoga teachers and new moms - includes a 3.5 hour pre-recorded Postnatal Yoga Mini Retreat with Sue. Hours can be counted towards Sue’s next 85 hr Prenatal training which begins TBA (see more info below)
LIVE-STREAMED RECORDED AND IN-PERSON
Join Sue Elkind, E-RYT 500, RPYT, for this special immersion into prenatal & postnatal yoga. During this full weekend she will dive into the essentials of pregnancy and a healthy prenatal yoga practice, along with postpartum recovery and the optimal way to transition back into a postnatal yoga practice.
Sue Elkind’s You Tube videos (through Yoga International):
Standing Prenatal Stretches:
Seated Postures for Pregnancy:
Pelvic Floor Awareness:
Short Kegel Exercise: