MamaFit™: Mum & Baby Yoga
When: Wednesday’s 10 am -11 am
Suitable form 4 weeks post birth (depending on how your recovery is going)
Babies do the class with you, or they can sleep while you enjoy class
A yoga class all about Mum and Baby! This is a fantastic class to help you build strength, recover from labour and bond with baby. Special focus is given to the pelvic floor and breathing to heal from the inside while working through yoga poses. It’s fun, we have a good laugh and talk about life as we work through our Yoga.
I am a big advocate of looking after mum’s mental health as well as her physical health. Too often mums doubt themselves, feel down, feel anger (this was how my anxiety started!), overwhelmed with this new mum life…whether it is your first or fifth baby. I came to yoga to help me learn to manage my overwhelm and anxiety post-natal, and I really would love all mums to have a go. Even if you have never done yoga, or reckon it’s not your thing, take from it what you need; movement, breathing, relaxation, learning a new trick to manage your “mum brain”, an hour out of the house (plus a coffee afterwards), hanging with new mums both in the studio and online…this is the BEST place to start again after labour.
After 9 months of growing your little human inside your tummy, birth and the early weeks are a huge adjustment for mum – physically and mentally. If your labour was hard, long or traumatic, you will need some time to process that. For 9 months, your love was directed at your body and your tummy for growing your baby. When labour is over a lot of mums really struggle to reconnect with their bodies again (especially if your pregnancy or labour was difficult) and find it hard to look at and accept their post partum body. The changes in hormones can make you feel sad, angry, frustrated all in the blink of an eye, but society will have us believe this is not appropriate for a mum to think/talk about….I call bullshit! With all of this going on, plus actually trying to care of baby(ies) is it any wonder mums feel a bit lost in the early days. Taking time to connect with your body and send it some love I believe can really truly help mums to heal from the inside out.
Yoga really brings a sense of community with other mums, where you can feel comfortable and supported, knowing you are not alone. Plus any class with Lesley is a whole fun and laughs!
Benefits:
Correct posture after pregnancy:
Realign the pelvis to its neutral position to improve pelvic floor function
Realign the rib cage to allow the diaphragm and core to strengthen and work efficiently
Decrease neck, shoulder and back pain caused by lots of feeding, changing (and snuggling!) baby
Learning to breathe properly has many positives:
Improve function and strength of pelvic floor and core muscles
Physiologically decrease any pain experienced after birth
Promote healing of all tissues (vaginal and C- section
Decrease stress and anxiety (and anger!) that often comes along with a new
Rehabilitate and strength the core abdominal muscles
Research shows that the abdominals will heal better by them selves up to 8 weeks post partum. After this, working the rectus 6-pack, obliques and lower abdominals will help to tone the abdomen, decreased abdominal separation and overall strengthen your core.
Create balance and stability in the body
Build overall strength to help with life as a new mum and in preparing for returning to exercise and sport
Understand how pregnancy and labour change the body, and how to spot signs of dysfunction in the post natal period
Understand how hormones play a bit part in recovery
Help mum get to know yourself and baby in a baby-friendly environment. Taking an hour to just be with your baby and connect to them. If baby is asleep, you can take an hour for yourself!
Understand the importance of relaxation and self-care and develop good habits towards looking after yourself
Start to learn to listen to your own needs, not just baby’s.