Postnatal Yoga: The Benefits for You and Your Baby

Ready to get out of the house and start moving your body again after birth? Look no further than postnatal yoga (or as we call it here Mini & Me or Mums & Bubs Yoga). This form of yoga is tailored specifically for women who have recently given birth - with the best part being that you can bring your bub along with you! It offers many benefits for both you and your baby. In this blog post, we will discuss the many benefits of postnatal yoga, as well as how to get started!

Focus on Pelvic Floor
One of the main benefits of postnatal yoga is that it helps to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles are key in supporting your bladder, bowel and uterus. They can be weakened during pregnancy and childbirth, so postnatal yoga is a great way to help regain strength in this area. Yoga strengthens the pelvic floor by toning the muscles and improving blood circulation with breathing exercise combining kegels and a focus on lifting during different poses. Yoga also focuses on body awareness - key in making sure the right muscles are being activated. Strengthening your pelvic floor can help to improve bladder control, reduce the risk of incontinence and support your organs.

Regaining Abdominal Strength
Another benefit of postnatal yoga is that it helps to strengthen your abdominal muscles. This is especially important if you have had a C-section, as this type of surgery can leave your abdominal muscles feeling weak and stretched out, but of course important no matter what delivery type you had to help re-engage muscles not used for several months. Postnatal yoga can help you regain strength in these muscles and get your body back to its pre-baby state!

Closing Your Diastasis (Abdominal Separation)
Diastasis recti is a condition that can occur during pregnancy when the abdominal muscles stretch and separate. This can happen to anyone, but a larger separation is more common in women who are pregnant with twins or multiples, have had previous pregnancies or are carrying extra weight. Postnatal yoga can help close this separation by toning and strengthening the abdominal muscles. Due to hormonal changes post partum, it's important to focus on closing this seperation early on.

Stretching Out Tight Muscles
Postnatal yoga is also great for stretching out tight muscles, especially those in the shoulders, chest and back from all the nursing and holding your baby! These yoga poses will help to release tension in these areas and give you some much-needed relief.

Connecting With Other Mums
Finally, postnatal yoga is a great way to connect with other mums who are going through the same thing as you! It can be difficult to find time to socialise when you have a new baby, so postnatal yoga classes offer a perfect opportunity to meet other mums and chat while you exercise. Our Mini & Me classes ensure plenty of time for this connection after class, with a coffee, juice or kombucha to encourage other mamas to stay around!

Getting Bub Out of the House
It's no secret to second (or third +) time mamas that babies are often happier outside of the house. All the noise, movement and activity means that bubs are engaged, more settled and often sleep better later as a result! Our Mini & Me classes also include a bit of baby yoga - think better digestion, much needed connection and an overall more pleasant baby to be around!

If you’re interested in trying postnatal yoga, these classes are gentle and slow-paced, so they are perfect for beginners. Our classes also include a check in with one of the brilliant physios at Articulate Physiotherapy to ensure you know exactly how to modify any poses that may not be suitable straight away! You can book for these classes online, or give us a call on 07 3061 5050. We would love to see you and bub in one of our studios soon!