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.
Read MorePlanning your yoga teacher teaching for next year? Maybe you'd like to skill up on teaching pregnant women. Suzanne Swan with be offering a 90-150hr training in Pregnancy, Active Birth and Baby yoga from June, 2022.
Read MoreThis is Sammy and he came to Mums and Bubs yoga from 12 weeks. We all know that yoga is amazing for adults, and postpartum for mothers, but did you know there are many benefits for your baby as well? Babies benefit from movements that strengthen and stretch their muscles, relieving them of tension and increasing relaxation. The benefits of relaxation are well known, ranging from improved sleep, to better digestion.
Read More"Attending pregnancy yoga classes helps women come together to explore and celebrate the joys and challenges of this precious time in their lives, in a safe and comfortable environment," says yogababy teacher, Suzanne Swan. "Women find a lot of comfort in each other’s encouragement and many friendships are formed at class".
Read MoreWatch a 40 min pregnancy yoga video with Suzanne Swan
Read MorePracticed regularly, yoga balances the endocrine system, relaxes and tones the muscles and the nervous system, stimulates circulation, massages the internal organs, and calms and concentrates the mind. Along with practicing yoga specially designed to enhance fertility, we examine your menstrual cycle and/or IVF goals. The combined reduction in stress and aligning yourself with your menstrual cycle will greatly improve your health and well-being.
Read MoreOur yoga practices are safe for women during Assisted Reproductive Technology. The stress associated with infertility can be lessened by adding the health-enhancing benefits of yoga to modern medical intervention. Fertility clinics recognise the benefits of complementary therapies such as yoga to enhance conception.
Read MoreRead Sarah Wickham’s overview of Rong et al (2020) research. The authors concluded that, "Prenatal yoga is an effective complementary medicine to improve delivery outcomes and not to increase the risk of fetus, which is worth recommending to pregnant women."
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.
Read MoreWe 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.
Read MoreSo you’ve covered pregnancy in your teacher training course, or maybe you’ve even been pregnant before, but can you remember what to say in the 5 minutes you have with her before class begins?
This is especially important if your pregnant student is under 14 weeks or over 36 weeks. Here's a refresher on some key points to remember:
Read MoreWe all have the capacity to visualise. Did you know that conjuring up an image of your baby during labour can help you remember what the powerful sensations your experiencing are all about. Try this visualisation practice during your pregnancy to help create a deeper bond with your baby.
Read MoreIf you are already in a routine with your yoga class before you become pregnant, it is not uncommon to want to stay in that class for as long as possible. At Yogababy, our instructors are trained specifically to teach yoga to pregnant women so our classes are quite specialised in that way to cater for your changing body and the needs.
However, if you are still attending your general yoga class, here are five things to consider during pregnancy:
Read MoreTasting embodiment through a contraction was such a gift. I would be embodied one contraction but then not the next; it ebbed and flowed seemingly out of my control. And so a deeper layer of surrender was able to happen, as I realised that birth would happen regardless. My experience was somehow out of my hands so to ride with the 'what is'. But no romanticism-- there were definitely times I wanted OUT or didn’t’ think I could be with it much longer. But knowing that the struggle and fight with what is happening is part of the birth spectrum- helped to get me thru. This is one part of the intense yin/yang that happens. Ultimately I found surrendering to the lack of control of my own experience intensely healing for my previous birth too- as I had been holding on to self-judgment for not having 'done it better'. Somehow, I found the willingness to drop my expectation that it would be a certain way and felt resourced with tools. Birth is HUGE!
I completely recommend Suzanne’s private session wholeheartedly. It honestly is a must for anyone going into the birth experience. It is the biggest gift I could have given to myself for such a huge rite of passage.
Read More
I couldn't believe it in three contractions - my daughter was born with a pain relief free natural labour. It wasn't a walk in the park and possibly the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but she was safe, healthy and perfect. In my eyes, everything happened exactly how it was meant too. I truly believe this was made possible by the practice and knowledge learned in the active birth yoga classes - as I used many of the mantas, breathing techniques, positioning and pain relief methods from the classes. Thank you so much Suzanne for making this possibe
Read More
Thank you so much for all your knowledge and guidance through your active birth classes. Once again, I was able to use the skills that you taught me and take on the positive mindset which enabled me to have a calm, natural and intervention-free birth.
Read MoreI wanted to thank you so much for your gentle and confident approach to your pregnancy yoga classes. When I came to you I’d been diagnosed with prenatal anxiety and depression, and while I was on medicine and having therapy, it was your classes that allowed my mind to be still and enjoy the beauty and wonder of being pregnant and preparing to birth my baby. It was exactly what I needed.
Read More“Attending the yogababy classes made me confident through the pregnancy which translated to being a more confident Mum” Being able to move gives you confidence in your pregnancy.
Read MoreSuzanne was interviewed recently by ABC News, following a study in The Lancet Medical Journal about obesity and nutrition in women during pregnancy, and why changes need to be made during pre-conception.
Read MoreThe stress associated with infertility can be lessened through adding the health-enhancing benefits of yoga to modern medical intervention.
Learning to de-stress is one of the benefits of attending a regular yoga class. The type of class I recommend to aid fertility is a restorative flow yoga class, a class where the body and mind learn the art of relaxation and pleasure.
Read More
