Research consistently shows that when someone feels involved in their birth decisions, they’re more likely to view their experience positively — regardless of how it unfolds. It’s not about achieving a “perfect” birth; it’s about feeling supported, respected, and part of the process.

While an active birth involves the freedom to move and use upright positions, it is more than just positioning.  “An active birth is one in which the birthing mother is in charge of her choices and decisions, thus enabling her to enjoy a productive and mutually respectful partnership with her birth attendants” (Janet Balaskas). 

With this in mind any birth, whether natural or assisted, may be called an active birth.

Ash’s birth story is a powerful reminder that preparation and practice can transform labour. With the help of the Pregnancy Yoga and Active Birth workshop, she had a two-hour active labour, a water birth with no pain relief, and even lifted her daughter out of the water herself.

An Active Birth is one in which the woman gives birth in the best possible, uniquely individual way, for her at that particular moment in her life. She can focus her mind in a relaxed and confident way to engage in the process of birth, creating for herself an altered state of consciousness that will ensure the safest possible birth for her and her baby.

Create a trance-like state where the reality of stress and pain does not reach you. Your aim is to become one with your body, where you are your breath, you are your womb, and no longer head or mind. Ie. visualise waves flowing in and flowing out, breathe in rhythm with the waves.

From 34 weeks onwards, your own postural awareness and habits can potentially encourage your baby to lie with his or her back to your left front/side so that the baby's head engages in the pelvic brim in this position. This will increase the potential for normal and straightforward birth.

My biggest driver for having a natural birth was to improve my chances of breast feeding and I’m pleased to say our little Oscar is thriving, putting on a kilogram in his first month of life with exclusive breastfeeding. It was such a challenging time but you helped us be as prepared as possible. We can’t thank you enough!

Like birth, yoga involves an intricate dance between control and surrender. In the Active Birth workshops, you will work in a gentle and specific way, learning to move the body and access deeper levels of relaxation and release.

Thank you for helping us achieve a positive & empowering birth. Without attending the Calm birth course & going to your Active Birth yoga classes, our experience may not have been the same. My husband & I can honestly say we felt so prepared & ready, which gave us the beautiful & calm birth that we’d hoped for. 

This birth taught me of the power and infinite wisdom within me and my body. Being at home, trusting my body to go into labour when it was ready and birthing my placenta naturally was healing and affirming.

I laboured at home using many of the techniques you took us through during our active birth session. Vocalisation, visualisation and movement (resting in between contractions) were all helpful and Kieran was able to actively be involved using the acupressure points, hip release, prompting my breathing as well as using soft-touch during rest phases. All in all, I loved my birth experience and found the session we did with you to be most empowering and incredibly useful, so thank you!

The opening flower is a universal metaphor for birth. Imagine a flower… a flower special to you….one you love to admire…see the flower as a tightly closed bud…hold the image still…see the colour of the petals and how they are wrapped around each other...very gradually, like a slow-motion film, see the bud beginning to loosen, the petals are separating slightly…

A positive image of birth is the cornerstone of a safe, happy birth experience. If you believe your body is meant to give birth efficiently, naturally and without complications and that birth is a joyful event, you are more than halfway to a safe, natural birth.

Join us in our yoga classes to learn the art of relaxation! When the mind quiets down, the body follows suit and this is a particularly useful practice during pregnancy and at birth. It is thought that the the nervous system of an unborn child can be healed when the mother herself progressively relaxes her body and mind.

The midwife commented that she was surprised it was my first child as I looked like I had given birth before! I attributed this to the skills I learnt in your classes.

I found the breathing and vocalisation really good when I was in transition, and the positive empowered thinking, to remind myself I could do it when it was all getting intense around the pushing, really helped me get in a good head space. Thank you for everything Suzanne, and for all your support and confidence in me.

I can honestly say that the workshop allowed Mike and I to make informed, evidence-based decisions about the birth. We felt confident to voice our concerns and decisions to the medical professionals which was such a gift.

We certainly used the breathing, massage and rocking techniques during labour. I was able to rely so much on Jake and his practice and confidence learned from classes are the reason.

I would like to thank you for all of the advice and knowledge on active birth , your classes and workshop were so helpful to me during preparation for labour and during labour and birth.

You're active birth workshop was so useful and my husband was looking at the workbook as I was labouring as a reminder and was very much comforted by his ability to support me.