PREGNANCY GUIDE

Pregnancy is a time of transformation and self-awareness; it's also a time when you are often bombarded with advice on what you should and shouldn't do. This advice, although well-intentioned, can be overwhelming and inadvertently disempowering.

Rather than instilling fear and imposing restrictions, our approach allows you to tap into your inner wisdom and trust your body's resilience and strength. Yoga provides a safe environment to cultivate this self-trust, encouraging you to listen to your body and make informed individual decisions. This mindset shifts from fear to curiosity and attentiveness, which is crucial for pregnancy.

Your body is an incredible, able, and magical thing. Trust that any movement is good not only for you but also for your baby. Even if you do a completely different class to everyone else in the room - you’re the one in control from here on.

Let your yoga practice be the first (of many) lessons in parenthood, where you make the most informed personal decisions on what's best for you and your little babe. Let's read below.

Suggestions for movement during public Yoga classes

Thumbs up for:

  • Aim to stretch about 70% and focus on building strength instead. Don't let your ego push you to go for the widest stance.

  • Move slower during your practice.

  • Try open twists to explore your body's movement.

  • Think SPACE SPACE SPACE

  • Keep your feet hip-width apart or wider to maintain balance when sitting or standing.

  • Use extra blocks and bolsters to create more space during your practice.

  • Honour every stage of change that your body is going through.

  • Trust your intuition. If a pose feels good, safe and nurturing, go for it. But if it feels restrictive, compressed or painful, stop and do something else that feels better. Even if it means doing something different from what others do in the room.

Try less of:

  • restriction or holding of breath

  • effort/ego

  • Trying to maintain your pre-pregnancy body

  • Comparing yourself to others, you’re the strongest person in the room by growing life

  • Follow exactly what the teacher says.

Suggestions for public classes during Pregnancy

  1. Pregnancy Blocks

  2. Candlelit Chill (not Candlelit Yin, please see below)

  3. Yoga

  4. If you feel healthy and already have a strong daily practice, there is no reason for you not to continue your current practice, like Vinyasa. Your body will tell you when to pause these classes.

We don’t recommend any Yin classes as the increase in the hormone Relaxin can allow students to stretch beyond their normal capacity, leading to instability.

Before attending class, you can inform the instructors that you're pregnant to receive modifications. Annie, Maxie, and Lyndsey are our Pregnancy Yoga Trained Teachers.