Postnatal Yoga - The Benefits

There are so many wonderful reasons to practice Postnatal Yoga after you’ve had a baby.

Some of the more well known are:

  • Pelvic Floor Health

  • Movement and Breath to help with Diastasis Recti

  • Relieving tension in the shoulders and neck from carrying and feeding

  • Increased postural awareness and alignment

  • Movement to strengthen the core

And whilst these are hugely useful to us postpartum, and something that I actively teach and build into all of my classes, they are not the only reason to practice yoga postpartum.

Yoga goes far beyond just our physical recovery. Indeed, our physical recovery is inextricably linked to our mental wellbeing - how we feel about our bodies, our recoveries and our sense of connection with our self and others is just as fundamental to our recovery.

Here are some other reasons as to why you might practice yoga after you’ve given birth:

  • Coming into contact with emotions. Yoga and somatic movement can help us come into contact with how we really feel - and allow us to find healthy ways to express these emotions rather than let them become stored in the body where they may show up as tension or stress.

  • Nervous system regulation - breathing techniques and mindfulness can help us when we feel overstimulated, frustrated, irritable, angry, depleted or depressed. We can use movement and breath to either regulate the nervous system down from a heightened, anxious or ruminating state. We can also use movement and breath to gently vitalise the body and mind to remind us that there is joy and connection in the world, to invite a lightness of being and an uplifted mood.

  • Connection to your baby and to your self. Through nurturing tender connecting practices to our own bodies and reframing our narrative that we have about them we can also foster greater connection with those around us.

  • A greater sense of self - we can lose our sense of self, of ‘who we are’ after we have given birth. So much has been transformed and has changed it’s hard to remember and to access parts of yourself that feel forgotten. Yoga, breath and somatics can help us come into contact with where we begin and the rest of the world ends; as well as all that we are.

  • Yoga reminds us of our humanity - our whole selves. Spiritually, emotionally, physically and intellectually. It connects us to the world around us so that we remember that we are a part of nature, and nature is a part of us.

If you have any questions regarding Postnatal Yoga and whether it’s right for you please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

I offer Postnatal Yoga in Sheffield at both Yoga At The Reach and Grow Yoga.

Alex Newton