“Give strength to her whole being, her heart, her womb, her bones”
The best way for a woman to learn about birth is through her body, through pregnancy yoga. The movements and the breathing will equip her internally, showing her over time how to soften, how to open, how to attune and become more sensitive to her body, her baby and her breath.
However, birth is a big subject. Besides coping with the physical challenge of labour, women must now deal with all manner of hospital hoops and hurdles and navigate a medical system that shows minimal faith in her ability to give birth without assistance.
Pregnant women and partners alike, are naturally full of questions - “how does labour work?” “what will contractions feel like?”, “when do we know it’s time to go into hospital?” These questions are best answered separately from the yoga, and then in turn, the information becomes the bedrock for the weekly yoga practice itself.
The workshops are designed to provide couples with a complete and realistic picture of birth and a kitbag of practical and emotional resources to deal with it.
. what is an active birth?
. labour’s process and what a woman really needs for it to happen
. creating a helpful birth environment
. what contractions feel like, look like and how to deal with them
. breathing and helpful positions for labour
. what partners can do
. hospital procedure, what to expect etc
. difficult choices (overdue, breech etc)
. welcoming your baby
The importance of sound birth preparation cannot be overstated. All members of my yoga classes, (including those who may have attended NCT courses) are strongly recommended to attend. For details on fees and dates of forthcoming workshops, please see classes and workshops.