A Free Guide to Yoga in Pregnancy

“It is not just the child that is born but the mother also. She never existed before”. Osho

Never is there a better time to commit to a yoga practice than during pregnancy. As you step into the unknown it’s so important to carve out some time to prepare physically, mentally and spiritually for the changes that lie ahead.

In our modern age pregnancy is an insanely noisy time as you are bombarded with information and opinion about pregnancy and birthing. With so many experts, blogs, podcasts and advice on demand it’s easy to doubt yourself and your inner knowing.

Your body is perfectly designed to have a baby and there is an innate wisdom that resides within you that will guide you there if you pause to listen.

Regular yoga practice provides a refuge to step back from the busy mind and information overload so that you can drop into a quieter space within. From here you can connect to your baby and access the quieter voice of your body that’s patiently waiting for you to connect and listen.

A prenatal yoga class with Sarah will cover breathing, physical movement and mindfulness meditation. Learning how to breathe deeply and fully is vital during pregnancy at a time of heightened emotions, anxiety and fluctuating energy levels.

Good breathing can play a vital role in managing the massive physical, emotional, mental and spiritual changes going on in your life as well as optimising energy levels, boosting immunity and helping you to focus.

The physical practice will help build strength and stamina along with embedding awareness of the pelvic floor by introducing exercises to build elasticity.

Classes are sequenced so that all of the postures are in some way a preparation for birth whether it be to ease the sensations of contractions or poses to engage your baby's head. As your practice becomes more familiar you can explore intuitively how your body likes to move and learn how to use the breath in postures to help you in labour.

Learning mindfulness and meditation techniques will be useful to soothe and prepare you emotionally at a time when sleep is erratic and fatigue takes over some days.

Resources

You can download a FREE shareable PDF of this and many other resources here and enjoy a full pregnancy yoga class with Sarah here.

Daily activities to help you in pregnancy can be found here and some info on mindfulness and birthing here.

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Sarah has been practising yoga for thirty years and teaching full time since 2011. Over this time she has developed a warm and compassionate style of teaching incorporating the therapeutic benefits of asana along with mindfulness practice. Her teachers are many and varied which is evident in her style. Sarah’s true passion in teaching is in the area of pregnancy and beyond as it makes her so happy to witness the powerful transformation of women at this time as they step into their role of motherhood.

Expect to have a lot of fun in her classes and be gently challenged with yogic philosophy and poetry woven throughout. Classes are welcoming for all trimesters.

https://www.sarahrushyoga.com

What I've Learnt... From The First Days Of Being A Mum

The first days of being a mum. 

I gave birth to my first son in 2013 and like most new parents I was excited, nervous, full of wonder! I remember returning home from hospital, my son shrinking down in the car seat and me, not quite knowing what to do. Where were the grown ups? I had given birth, but I didn't quite feel like a mum.

The day after we returned home, members of our families came to visit. They understandably couldn't wait to see & squeeze the new addition. I sat awkwardly on the sofa as my baby was passed around cuddle for cuddle, sniffed, cooed at and showered with love. I felt traumatised. My baby, who I had carried for 9 months, who I had shared every movement, breath and heart beat with for so long, was no longer attached to me. Not only was he not attached to me, we weren't even touching. After a few hours everyone left and we went off to bed. I snuggled him into my chest and cried. He didn't smell the same. It might sound crazy but those first moments of sharing him left me shaken. I felt so raw, open & vulnerable. I wasn't ready to share him, but I didn't feel like I could make the decision not to.

It's a odd place, those first days. You're a parent but somehow it takes a little while to step into the shoes. To feel like it's ok to make decisions for the little life you created. 

I gave birth to my second son just a couple of months ago and I knew from the moment we got pregnant that I wouldn't be ready to share him for at least a week. I needed that time to be with him before anyone else was, and now I'm mum enough to give myself that space. I didn't feel guilty about putting off relatives, or like I was being over protective and thankfully we weren't pressured to open the doors before we were ready. 

There's a lot of pressure in our culture to have guests, to announce births asap and spring back, have visitors & hand baby over for a squeeze, however it isn't the same in all cultures. It used to be traditional in Japan for women to stay inside with their baby for the first 100 days and in Mexico, women have a 40 day period of rest called a cuarentena at home with baby & other female members of family come to support her by taking care of cooking & care for the house.

I learnt from those first days that it's ok to close the curtains and cuddle. To protect your baby bubble & that your needs as a family are the priority. Everything else can wait. It's such a cliche but you don't get those first days back and they are oh so special. So cherish them.