It is not easy for a new mothers to get to a yoga class each week, mothers find themselves tired and stressed, with the extra burden of not only organizing themselves but also the baby, pram, blanket, and everything else they might need. To put in the extra effort and find the discipline to come each week pays off in the long run, stretching out aches and pains, finding some space to relax and taking some time out to connect with your baby at each point in their development is very important (Babies after all, don’t stay babies for long). For all of these reasons mothers are encouraged to come every week and get the maximum benefit out of the yoga classes However, we don’t mandate this as it would only add pressure on the mothers and has the opposite effect of what we are trying to achieve.

There are many things that prepare parents for the birth of the child, often giving them the false illusion that the birth of the baby is an end point in this journey. But what happens after the birth where do mothers go from here? Yoga classes provide a way of dealing with the period of time after birth and give an opportunity to connect with others who are going through similar things and may have the answers to questions the only another mother could provide.

Time and length:

The classes are held at the Jika Jika Community Centre and run for one hour, but the room will be open to the mothers and babies to stay for longer if they wish and have a cup of tea and chat with other mothers. This extra time provides support and the opportunity for networking which may be especially helpful for first time mothers.

Two classes are run each week and are held in the afternoon on Wednesday 1:00 – 2:00 for the babies who can not move around, (new born to sitting), and Wednesday 2:15 – 3:15 which is for babies that are crawling and walking around. Classes are split like this not only because the babies are at different development ages but also because we were finding that once babies got mobile they want to play with the other babies in the class and the mothers spend most of the yoga class keeping the older ones away from the younger ones who were not as able to defend themselves!

Gathering information:

Classes are designed to suit the needs of the individuals that come to them, they aim at not only being a time in which you can relax and spend some time with your baby but also giving you some postures and fun activities that you can try at home. A form is given to new students on arrival which they are required to complete which details facts about the birth and anything that the student would like to work on in continuing classes.
Students, especially newcomers would be encouraged to discuss any issues with the teacher.

The teacher’s direct contact details are given to the students in case they think of things outside of class or have issues they aren’t comfortable discussing in front of others. Alternatively, you can find the teachers contact details on this web site. After attending a class for the first time a few documents containing tips about yoga and babies is posted to the mother, helping to facilitate contact outside of class and encouraging mothers to begin a home practice with their babies.

Program Detail:

In a time of upheaval for the mother it is important to develop a routine for the mother and her baby, something stable with very clear starting and ending structure, helping them to move as quickly into “yoga space” as possible.

I run each class to this structure….

Pranayama

a breathing exercise to signal to both the mother and that baby that the class is beginning. The aim is relax them and form a connection not only with the yoga class but also with each other. Using an ujji breath here would be very effective, it can be taught to the mother to use as a way to sooth and calm the baby.

Affirmation

maybe along with the Pranayama, taking a little time to thank and congratulate themselves for taking the time out to get to class or taking the time to recognize that they are mothers to the best of their ability or even taking a little time out just simply to connect with their baby..

Warm ups

some general loosening and opening poses also giving a chance to assess the mothers to see where their limitations might be. These might include some simple joint rotations, movement of the spine in different directions or a sukasana series. The warm up will depend on the theme for the class but can be a great place to introduce the idea of engaging the belly muscles for some core strength or beginning to find the pelvic floor muscles.

Asana for the mother

postures for the mother around whatever the theme of the class was, probably aiming at getting through as many poses as possible before the babies begin to get restless and with a focus on giving them at least one solid thing they can take away with them if they choose to.

Asana for the baby

a combination of poses and massage for the baby and poses that the mother can do with her baby that will benefit both her and the baby.

An optional activity

maybe some dance or movement around the room.

Relaxation at the end

a very simple relaxation in any position that
suits the mother and baby preferably lying down with the baby but otherwise sitting or if baby is really restless walking around holding the baby in a relaxed manner.

Classes would stay away from:

Too many purely stretching poses as some mothers will still have a fair amount of relaxen in their bodies. Hip opening poses will be avoided in the first class as women who have just given birth are very stretched in that area and the yoga class should work on compacting and strengthening the lower torso with things like hero pose and supported twisted triangle. Class would also stay away from two many back bends as these will be very difficult for the caesarian births due to the scar tissue healing, and any back bends on the tummy are slightly uncomfortable to mothers who are breast feeding.

As the weeks progress: Begin to work on building strength and adding in a few more standing poses. Any poses that are done with the baby experience a weight increase as the baby grows, each week the pose is stepped up and becomes slightly harder. Doing the pose with the increased weight is good as it develops the strength required to hold and carry a growing baby in day to day situations. Adding in a few back bends especially soft ones as muscles and scars begin to heal help to keep things mobile.

Baby poses would depend on the baby’s age so as the baby gets older maybe adding in some more inversions, some baby bridges and some baby tree poses and downward facing dog poses.