Practising yoga with your baby can help you relax, connect with others and promote your baby's healthy development – not to mention find time to exercise with your baby in tow! Key benefits include:
Bonding with your baby: parent & baby yoga is a lovely, playful way to deepen your emotional connection with your baby. Many classes (mine included) incorporate gentle massage, skin-to-skin, songs and sensory play, all of which help you strengthen your unique bond and have fun together.
Good for your baby: doing gentle movement together is calming and relaxing for babies. From as early as the newborn stage (babies are welcome in class as soon as mum has had her 6-week postnatal GP check), it helps their reflexes and motor skills develop and increases their awareness of their surroundings, as well as encouraging them to begin socialising with other babies! *
Aids postpartum recovery: the physical benefits for you include helping to restore your core, improve posture and tone the muscles affected by giving birth, particularly the pelvic floor. It’s a great way to regain postnatal strength and release tension in the body (which we often experience as a result of feeding and carrying our babies).
Relaxation & stress relief: becoming a mum for the first (or second, or third!) time can be a period of great change and emotional upheaval. Yoga (particularly meditation and breathwork) can be an incredibly powerful tool to reduce stress and anxiety, practice gratitude and ground yourself in the present. Making time for you and reconnecting with your old self is so important.
Meet other new mums: it’s sociable! Joining a class is a great way to make new friends and compare notes with other women going through the same life stage. It gets you out of the house (especially on days when that feels impossible), improves your mood and boosts your mental health. As a teacher, it’s really rewarding seeing those bonds developing within the group – some mums make friends for life!
* NB always follow your baby’s cues and adapt your practice or take a break, feed or cuddle them if they are fussy / unsettled. It’s not recommended to bring them to class immediately following their immunisations or when they are unwell.
Opmerkingen