Key takeaways from my Pregnancy Yoga Training

As COVID 19 took hold and the world slid into lockdown I, like so many of us, spent a lot of time in despair and dwelling over the impact of this on my personal life and business. You can read about this on a more recent blog post, here. I am a self-confessed opportunist, because I believe whole-heartedly that every dark room has a window, where a little bit of light gets in and if you’re willing to do the work you have the chance to, not just let a little in, but maybe even crack that window right open and bask in the glorious sunshine! It was this mentality that got me onto the Bliss Baby Pre and Post-Natal Yoga Teacher Training Program.

This is a 65hr accredited online training, and with three to six hours of study each week day I completed the program in a little over 3 weeks. I’m always hesitant to take an online CPD training, I so prefer to get these important hours in in-person but I needn’t have worried - with a huge range of video lectures, written assignments, online consultations and classes designed for both students and teachers to take part in and observe I lacked nothing!

1. Women are amazing!

   This rang true for me every step of the way. Having a baby means a huge lifestyle change, seemingly overnight. On top of this, pregnant women are working through hormonal fluctuations, pain, anxiety, insecurity and the usual load of daily life stresses; all of which further compounds the physiological and phycological work they are already doing. It’s a LOT! We’re doing it all, keeping it together and coming out on top - even if you feel like you aren’t, girl YOU ARE!

2. Yoga is an essential pre-natal practice.

   It goes without saying that pregnancy is not the time to start trying out a new sport or workout. But this is NOT the case for prenatal yoga; even if you have never done yoga before it is going to hugely improve the quality of this experience for you, prepare you physically and mentally for birth and give you practices that will serve you for the rest of your life. Prenatal yoga is so well tailored to suite your changing body and life that, frankly, I don’t know how women are giving birth without it.

3. Don’t let anyone tell you how much exercise you can and can’t do when you’re pregnant.

   I’ve been doing a lot of reading into exercising when you’re pregnant, and it’s a minefield. There are no real studies around what level of physical exertion is safe and heathy because this is obviously not a study that any woman wants to be a part of. Ultimately, for me, it came down to trusting your own body and moving within your limits. If you’re an athlete and you feel comfortable with a lot of really athletic movements during pregnancy then great, but don’t expect to be keeping fit like the athletes on Instagram if you weren’t this fit before you got pregnant. Your body, your baby, your health. If you find that you are constantly comparing yourself to people like this just get off social media. Here’s a great podcast on staying healthy in your pregnancy and why you should not be feeling pressured into keeping up with influencers.

4. Nothing can guarantee you a perfect pregnancy and easy delivery.

   There is a common misunderstanding that yoga makes for an easy birth, and whilst that is the aim with all the movements and practices that we do it won’t guarantee you have a glorious, happy pregnancy and easy delivery. Nature has the final say, every time, and baby is gonna do pretty much whatever he/she wants to do. What yoga does do is make sure you equipped as best you can be, both physically and mentally, to handle any unexpected surprises that arise in this process.

5. Stop asking women when they are going to have a baby.

   It’s so strange to me how such a personal question has become so normal to ask out in the open. Stop it. Consider the woman who’s been trying to get pregnant for years, with each month bringing an increasing amount of devastation. Consider the woman who miscarried. Consider the woman who lost a child. Consider the woman who can’t get pregnant. Consider the woman who hasn’t had that conversation with their partner yet and is afraid to. Consider the woman who doesn’t want to have a child and feels judged for her decision. I don’t feel like I’m exaggerating when I say 80% of women fall into one of these categories. We know you mean well, but there’s a strong chance you are just doing damage so, unless this is a close friend of yours, just don’t ask.

If you’re pregnant and looking for prenatal yoga then you can join my online Pregnancy Yoga Membership Platform. Already had your baby and need postnatal yoga? Gather a group of 2/3 of your mama friends and I’ll set up a private class just for you; we can start to rebuild your core strength, stabilise your hips, ease back pain from lordosis and breastfeeding and so much more.