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 and is a great way to get back to movement while making new mama friends along the way. While it might not be as relaxing as a general yoga class, it still has a ton of benefits for new mums both physically and mentally. These are a few of our favourites:
Focus on Pelvic Floor One of the main benefits of postnatal yoga is that it helps to strengthen (or restrengthen) your pelvic floor muscles gently. These muscles are key in supporting your bladder, bowel and uterus, and vital for pain free movement, a healthy sex life and maintaining continence. Due to the weight of the baby and strain during labour they can be weakened during pregnancy and childbirth. 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. 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 with a strong focus on deep engagement. The deep belly breathing used in yoga is a fantastic place to start if doing planks and sit ups still feels a million miles away! 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 and is incredibly common during pregnancy, 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 Due to hormonal changes post partum, it's important to focus on closing this separation early on with the first 6 months of rehabilitation being key. Stretching Out Tight Muscles Postnatal yoga is 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. You'll also learn simple sequences and poses to take home with you meaning that your muscles won't get as tight in between classes. 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! 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, and friends without kids are often still working 9 -5. Postnatal yoga classes offer a perfect opportunity to meet other mums and chat while you fine time to exercise as well. 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! If you’re interested in trying postnatal yoga, these classes are gentle and slow-paced - 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!
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AuthorOur team of Brisbane based pre and postnatal health and wellness professionals love being able to share their top tips about conception, birth and all things bub and motherhood! Archives
January 2023
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