Pregnancy Yoga Classes in 2020

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Hope you had a fabulous Xmas and New Year Break ! We’re excited to return in 2020 with a new range of Pregnancy Yoga Classes in East London starting this week. This year, we’re providing smaller group classes to aid your experience and learning and are pleased to offer 2 new additional classes, on different days, times and at distinct locations which will also provide greater options and ease travel to class. Why should I join pregnancy yoga? Keeping active in pregnancy is important. Pregnancy Yoga is very gentle stretching, strengthening and flowing movement asanas which help to promote body…

Practice, Practice and all is coming

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On this wonderful Bank Holiday weekend, a gentle reminder to keep up your yoga practice. One of my favourite quotes on the infamous question “What is Yoga?”   There are usually many experiential replies. Yoga is certainly a journey, that begins with a step and understanding develops with life and practice. Whilst yoga can be found in a posture, it’s not defined by ‘a yoga posture’ (my view). I feel blessed to share my love of yoga as a Yogi and a Yoga Instructor and strive to empower and encourage experienced students towards regular self-practice, with gentle asana and pranayama…

Pregnancy Yoga Yogalime

Maternal Mental Health Matters

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Today is World Maternal Mental Health Day. More than 1 in 10 women develop a mental illness during pregnancy or soon after giving birth.  Perinatal mental health refers to a woman’s mental health in pregnancy and in the 1st year after birth. It includes mental illnesses that existed before pregnancy, as well as illnesses that develop for the first time, or are greatly exacerbated in the perinatal period. Even though this is experienced by many women, they often find it difficult to speak about and share, 7 in 10 women will hide or underplay the severity of their perinatal mental…

Words and the Wonder Cervix

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Words are sound intrinsically connected with breath, an exhalation, a release and carry their own energetic vibrations. Using sound to open the throat supports the marvellous cervix to open.  Yes, there’s a connection between the throat and the awesome cervix and not just in name. The word ‘cervix’ is derived from Latin meaning ‘neck’ and forms the lower part of the womb.  Its cylindrical shape about an inch in length protrudes into the opening of the birth canal. During the menstrual cycle, the cervix changes, as it does in pregnancy and in labour and birth. In early labour the cervix…

What does a Birth Partner do?

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Birth Partners play a valuable role in childbirth, in making you comfortable and supporting you.  Here I share 6 things your Partner can do to nurture your birth experience. 1.   Protect your Privacy & Birth Space Your birth space matters – it’s important you feel safe, comfortable and secure wherever you birth baby and that you’ve privacy.  Your Partner can help create your birth space in early labour, protect your privacy and ensure you’re comfortable and have all you need.  You may like electric candles, aromatherapy and soft music in the background.  Discuss how you’d like your birth space to be…

Deciding your Birth Preferences

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Recently I suggested in our Pregnancy Yoga Class for women to consider writing their birth preferences, one expectant mum who was full-term asked “how do I do this, when my midwife and NHS antenatal classes have not mentioned it?”  I was surprised to hear this. Birth is unpredictable and no one can say with certainty exactly what type of birth you will have. However you have a number of choices.  For you to be able to make an informed decision and give consent, you need to have an understanding of what’s involved, the pros and cons etc..  It is then for…

The Importance of Dignity in Birth

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Whether or not you have a good or bad birth experience isn’t all down to whether you have your ‘ideal’ birth – it’s also about how you are made to feel throughout labour and birth.  Your relationship and experience with your maternity care-givers matters. The White Ribbon Alliance, a global organisation which demands the right to a safe birth for every woman highlights the importance of this relationship – Women’s experiences with caregivers can empower and comfort or inflict lasting damage and emotional trauma. Either way, women’s memories of their childbearing experiences stay with them for a lifetime and are often shared with other…

Birthing without Judgment

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I really enjoy sharing Pregnancy Yoga with expecting Mums-to-Be. I encourage women to start classes early in their Pregnancy and continue throughout their Pregnancy, so that the practice becomes natural to them and they make it their own. Overtime, it has become apparent by some of the questions asked and the way in which comments are often made about birth – that women can hold much judgment about birth and anxiety about the ‘proper way’ to do it. Set yourself an Intention if you so wish. Try to let go of judgment of yourself and others. Let go of expectation….