Our prenatal practice is active and challenging, yet save and supportive, so that mother and baby obtain the maximum benefit from postures without any strain. We guarantee that your pregnancy, birth, and recovery will be improved by a regular yoga practice at Yoga Garden.
- Practice yoga postures (asana) for better health during and after pregnancy
- Learn how to use the breath (pranayama) to reduce stress, increase circulation, prepare for labor and more.
- Connect with other parents who are at all stages of pregnancy and early parenting.
- Become informed and make the best birth choices for you and your baby.
- Improve your postpatum recovery and bring mindfulness to your parenting.
Prenatal Yoga
Our Program
Prenatal yoga links postures (asana) and breathing exercises (pranayama) to create awareness of your own mind, body and spirit, and the spirit of your baby. Yoga is ideal preparation for giving birth. Our prenatal yoga program is taught in a way that will help you access your own intuitive understanding of birth.
Yoga postures during pregnancy will strengthen the uterus and pelvic muscles, improve circulation, aid digestion, exercise the spinal column, relieve fatigue and tension and revitalize the internal organs. Yoga can also alleviate many of the common discomforts of pregnancy such as nausea, constipation, varicose veins, swelling, back pain and sciatica.
Breathing practice during pregnancy opens the chest and helps to improve circulation in both mother and baby, ensuring a better supply of oxygen to the blood. It also calms the nerves and gives the mother greater control of her breathing during labor.
Safety Guidelines
All pregnant women are welcome to attend the class, whether you have a regular practice or want to start yoga during pregnancy. It is very important to inform the teacher of any complications (current or past) or any treatment that you are receiving.
During pregnancy ligaments around the joints become loose and soft. Care should therefore be taken not to overstretch the body. The abdomen should remain relaxed and soft at all times to allow room for the baby.
Pregnancy can make you feel more tired than usual. It is essential to be aware of this and try not to do things to the point of fatigue. If you feel tired after yoga or any other physical exercise, it means that the practice has been faulty or that you have done too much. Signals such as pains, stitches, cramps, nausea, dizziness, headaches and contractions should never be felt during or after yoga practice. Yoga generates energy, rather than dissipating it.
Passes that are purchased during pregnancy can be extended for an extra six weeks after giving birth. We recommend waiting to begin your yoga practice for four weeks after a vaginal birth and for six weeks after a cesarean birth.
Suggested further reading
Yoga: A Gem for Women, Geeta S. Iyengar(Allied Publishers)
Inner Beauty, Inner Light. Yoga for Pregnant Women, Frederick Leboyer (Newmarket Press)
Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Class Schedule
Postnatal Yoga (Mommy and Baby)
Post-natal yoga classes focus on common postpartum discomforts and the therapeutic application of poses and breathing. Classes will help strengthen the entire body and will specifically focus on neck and shoulders, abdominals, low back and pelvis and the nervous system.
Additionally, post-natal practice stimulates the pituitary gland, promoting a healthy supply of breast milk. The class emphasizes a practice that mitigates some of the physical impacts of nursing.
Moms are encouraged to bring their babies to class.
You can begin post-natal classes four weeks after a vaginal birth and six weeks after a Cesarean birth. Please join us for the circle at any of the Pre-natal classes so that we can meet your baby and support you during your early postpartum period.
Students find that the class serves them until such time as their active crawling children preclude the parent’s active participation in the class.
Yoga Garden SF also offers classes in the following programs:
Prenatal Partner Yoga (see Workshop page)
Birth Education (see below)
Prenatal Teacher Training (see Teacher Training page)
Kids’ Yoga (see new weekly classes in 2012 and Teacher Training page)
Teen Yoga (see Teacher Training page)
Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Class Schedule
Birth Education and Support
Consciousness doesn’t stop at the yoga mat. The best births don’t just happen; they come to those who are educated and prepared for the challenges and choices that they will face. Our birth class covers birth options, selecting birthing professionals, preparation for birth and the first stages of early parenting, including lactation consulting.
