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Pre & Postnatal

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See also: Pregnancy Massage · Class schedule & pricing · Prenatal & Postnatal FAQ

Prenatal / Pregnancy Yoga

Yoga, with its emphasis on unity and balance, invites harmony into the body and mind, and supports expectant mothers as they adjust to the constant physical and emotional demands of pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Prenatal yoga classes include instruction, emotional support and the community of other mothers-to-be.

What is Prenatal Yoga?

Yoga is an ideal exercise for all stages of pregnancy. Prenatal yoga classes are taught with an emphasis on increasing body and breath awareness, learning pain management, prenatal bonding, and relaxation techniques to promote the well-being of yourself and your baby. Gentle, safe movements and stretches are designed to strengthen and open the body, allowing you to meet the challenges and transformations of pregnancy with confidence and calm. Postures are presented with variations appropriate for all stages of pregnancy.

The amount of support a woman receives during pregnancy is considered vital for overall health of the mother and baby. Prenatal yoga classes allow women to share their experiences in a safe and supportive environment, providing a sense of community and friendship.

In a typical Prenatal Yoga class you will learn and develop several useful techniques, including:

  • Stretches and exercises designed to relax and rejuvenate the body, calm the mind, and help alleviate common discomforts of pregnancy (sciatica, back pain, water retention, digestive difficulties, insomnia).
  • Helpful positions for labour and delivery to facilitate an easier (and less painful) birth.
  • Breathing and relaxation techniques designed to calm and focus the mind, allowing expectant mothers a chance to connect with their growing baby and form a loving bond even before birth. It’s an opportunity to unwind and leave feeling refreshed.

What are the benefits of Prenatal Yoga?

Help during pregnancy

Improve strength, flexibility and endurance in all the muscles and surrounding tissues, which promotes blood circulation and prepares expectant mothers for the physical demands of labour and childbirth.

Reduce swelling and joint inflammation caused by water retention and poor circulation. Yoga promotes circulation and is effective at preventing and reducing swelling around the ankles, feet and hands.

Prevent and alleviate back pain and sciatica by maintaining proper posture. Yoga teaches you how to become aware of proper body alignment. This can help reduce the degree of pelvic tilt associated with pregnancy and can significantly reduce lower back pain and sciatica. Additionally, there are specific yoga postures that stretch the muscles in the hips and hamstrings, which if tight can place strain on the lower back.

Create optimal health, well-being and confidence. The physical, emotional, and spiritual components of yoga can help reduce pregnancy-related anxiety, allowing expectant mothers to experience the miracle of childbirth and empowerment of pregnancy.

Aids in digestion. As your baby grows, the intestinal tract gets pushed around, which may affect your regularity and cause indigestion. Certain yoga postures can help promote regularity and aid in overall digestive flow.

Babies benefit from yoga too. During yoga, babies receive increased oxygen and endorphins. The movement of yoga postures also gently massages the baby and creates an inner memory of relaxation. Babies will carry this within them for the rest of their lives.

Help during labour

Reduce fear and anxiety. Fear and anxiety cause the secretion of adrenaline, which causes constriction in the muscles, tiring the body. Yoga helps decrease adrenaline and increases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. In early labour, practising simple relaxing postures can help reduce fear and anxiety. During labour, women who practise yoga are more likely to feel comfortable changing positions, which can help with “stalled labour” or plateaus. Certain postures in particular like squatting and child’s pose help tremendously as the baby descends through the birth canal.

Learn to use the tools of breathing and vocalization. When it comes time to ride through the most powerful contractions, Vocal Toning combined with breathing can be a couple of the most valuable tools for the birthing mother. A neuromuscular connection exists between the throat and pelvis. When the throat tightens out of fear or anxiety, this tightness extends all the way down into the pelvis. Vocal Toning teaches you how to keep this neuromuscular connection open, creating more internal space, which in turn allows you to ride the contractions, feel in control of your labour, and manage your pain effectively.

“I had a healthy baby boy on November 21st at 7:45am. He was 11 days overdue and I did everything I could to prevent them from inducing me. On the onset of the contractions, I remembered what you always told us during the pre-natal class, to relax and trust your body will know what to do. I repeated your words in my head several times through the next few hours… After an hour of pushing, I heard my baby’s cry for the first time and discovered it was a boy. My husband and I are overjoyed at how everything went well, and as we had planned (natural birth). I have no doubt the pre-natal yoga class had something to do with it. You were with me Elyse in spirit throughout this experience, giving me the confidence to trust my body, and I am grateful to have been able to benefit from your gift.”

— Adrienne

Use the muscles of the pelvic floor effectively. Squatting combined with kegel exercises during pregnancy can greatly help with your labour. If you are used to working with these muscles, you will find it easier to use them quickly and effectively when it comes time to push. Toning the muscles of the pelvic floor also lessens the chances of tearing, and if there is some tearing, healing will be enhanced.

About the Prenatal Yoga teacher

Elyse Tannenbaum (B.A., B.S.W., RYT) is a certified Prenatal Yoga Instructor who has been teaching since 2003. She has had the privilege of working with several thousand expectant moms and new mothers and has witnessed the beneficial effects of yoga experienced by women during this time of transition. Read more about Elyse →

Elyse is captivated by all the potential of the human body, particularly in the realm of pregnancy and birth, and continues to deepen her focus as a specialist in pre and postnatal care. She is also a Registered Pregnancy Massage Therapist, Postnatal / Mom and Baby Yoga Teacher, Infant Massage Instructor, and has trained as a Doula to assist women during labour and the birth process.

A former social worker, Elyse brings enormous empathy and knowledge to her work with both expectant and new mothers. She has made it her mission to help women see their intrinsic beauty and to honour their bodies at these times of both incredible wonder and equally incredible stress.

Postnatal Mom and Baby Yoga

Why Mom and Baby Yoga?

Congratulations on becoming a new parent! Just as pregnancy is a time of transformation, so is the postnatal period. If you’ve had your baby, you’ll be adjusting to the new role as a mother. How can mothers transition from expecting a child to a balanced life with baby and family while their minds and bodies are affected by hormonal changes, lack of sleep, and physical strain? Postnatal Mom and Baby Yoga is a great way to start.

Mom and Baby Yoga is a gentle way to help your body recover from childbirth while bonding and having fun with your baby. It is also an opportunity to connect with other mothers and share the experience and insights of raising a child.

In these baby-friendly classes, special attention is placed on rebuilding core strength of the back, abdomen, and pelvic floor, as well as relieving tension in the neck and shoulders caused by lifting, carrying and nursing. No previous yoga experience is required.

What Do the Babies Do?

During the class, you are guided through a series of modified yoga poses, either holding your baby in your arms, leaning against your thighs, atop your belly, or resting by your side on a blanket. The babies also enjoy a gentle baby yoga and massage session — allowing them to stay flexible, sleep easier, and relieving common discomforts such as gas, colic and constipation.

What is The Class Like?

The structure of the class varies each week to accommodate the needs of the mothers and children present that day. Some weeks, the moms need lots of shoulder and upper-back stretches, while other weeks may focus on strengthening the abdominals and lower back. Everyone is encouraged to move at their own pace; classes are suitable for beginners as well as experienced yoga students.

When babies sleep through the class, this is an opportunity for mothers to give more attention to their own movements and experiences. Parents should not feel pressured to leave the class when babies cry. You are encouraged to meet their needs — feeding, a fresh diaper, or simply holding your little one and letting them know that you are listening. Part of the experience of Mom and Baby Yoga is to learn to relax around your baby’s normal fussing — therefore all crying is a welcomed opportunity for all moms to practise calmness and focus.

What Will Mom and Baby Yoga Do For Me?

Regular practice of postnatal Mom and Baby Yoga can:

  • Rebuild core strength of the back, abdomen, and pelvic floor
  • Enhance strength, endurance, and overall well-being
  • Ease the emotional hardships by knowing you are not alone
  • Make friends with other mothers and babies
  • Increase calmness, focus and balance
  • Allow a quicker recovery after birth
  • Boost energy, lessen fatigue

When Can I Start?

Staying home for a minimum of 4 weeks is optimum to foster the mother/baby relationship, get breastfeeding off to a good start, and allow your body to recover from pregnancy and birth. 4–6 weeks is a good time to wait before attending class. If you had a C-section, this time should be extended to about 8 weeks, or until you receive the go-ahead from your doctor. The age range for babies is newborn to crawling — around 7–10 months for most babies. You can join a class at any time as movements are simple and easy to learn.

Many moms combine Mom & Baby Yoga with Infant Massage (below) and Postpartum Massage for a complete recovery program. See class schedule and pricing.

Infant Massage — Loving Touch to Grow On

Becoming increasingly popular, Infant Massage is taught by certified instructors to new mothers as a way of promoting strong nurturing bonds with their newborns. Encouraging infant health, Infant Massage incorporates nurturing touch, massage, and Reflexology in a fun, one-on-one interaction. This is a way of conveying love — an essential ingredient for emotional and physical well-being.

Infant massage can help improve circulation in newborns and relieve some common ailments such as gas and colic. Studies performed at the University of Miami on premature infants prove that massage can result in significant weight gain and developmental improvements.

Benefits of Infant Massage

  • Improves sleep — massage allows your baby to relax and release stress, resulting in sounder and longer sleep.
  • Aids neurological development — myelination of nerves is increased, something essential for the development of the brain.
  • Regulates the digestive tract, providing relief from gas, colic, and constipation.
  • Helps relieve chest congestion — some strokes help the immune system fight infection, while others loosen phlegm and drain the lungs.
  • Allows babies to release accumulated tension, and gives your baby a lifetime tool for dealing with stress.
  • A father can become actively involved in the young life of his baby.
  • Empowers parents — parents feel they are taking an active role in understanding their baby better and relieving his or her discomfort. To help your baby grow and develop in such a positive way is rewarding for any parent.

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