Postnatal Yoga

Pregnancy has a profound effect on the body, both physically and mentally. After giving birth it is very easy for new mothers to be so absorbed in caring for their newborn baby that they often forget to look after themselves and let their bodies recover. Postnatal yoga supports the healing and recovery of the mind and body by using gentle movements, balancing asanas, breathing (pranayama) and relaxation.

After pregnancy, new mothers may have weak pelvic floor muscles from delivery, aching neck and shoulders from feeding the baby, loss of endurance from the physical strain of labour, weak abdominal muscles, and fatigue from getting up to feed the newborn every few hours. Postnatal yoga addresses these issues with meditation, pranayama and asana practice.

What Is Postnatal Yoga?

Postnatal yoga is a style of yoga that addresses the physical, mental and emotional challenges of being a new mother. It is designed specifically for new mums, focusing on calming and restorative poses which help to enhance vitality and increase energy while gently improving flexibility and strength. The yoga poses used help new mothers tone their body, regain their figure, relieve stress and even bond with their newborn

Many of the poses focus on the pelvic floor and the core muscles, which are usually weakened during pregnancy and delivery. It’s a transitional yoga which is to be practiced only during the first few months after delivery. Once your body is ‘back to normal’ you should change to another yoga style which would be aimed at meeting your new and changing goals.

Who Can Practice Postnatal Yoga?

Postnatal yoga can be practiced by anyone as it is a gentle yoga style which is aimed at restoring form and function and increasing vitality. Whether you had a natural birth or a caesarean, you can practice postnatal yoga, though you should wait until bleeding has stopped.

Postnatal Yoga Poses

Postnatal yoga can be practiced at home as it is gentle. The poses used are designed to open your hips, improve strength in your pelvic floor muscles, lengthen your spine and just make you feel good. You can squeeze a few poses in while your baby naps or first thing in the morning before the house wakes up. Here are a few poses to try:

Cobra pose

The Cobra Pose strengthens your lower back, inner thighs, and pelvic floor muscles, and can help to relieve back pain.

How to perform:

1. Lie on the floor on your belly.
2. Place your palms flat on the ground about shoulder width apart. Bend your elbows straight back and hug them into your sides.
3. Pause for a moment looking straight down at your mat with your neck in a neutral position. Anchor your pubic bone to the ground.
4. Inhale to raise your chest off the ground while rolling your shoulders back and keeping your lower ribs on the ground. Make sure your elbows continue hugging your sides. Don’t let them veer out to either side. Squeeze the muscles that stop the flow of urine while you are holding the pose.
5. Keep your neck neutral.
6. Exhale to release back to the floor

The cobra pose should be avoided if you have diastasis recti or had a caesarean. Even though the cobra pose can help to strengthen your lower back, inner thighs, and pelvic floor muscles, it can also hyperextend and pull on the midsection, which can put stress on the incision, induce pain and prevent the scar from healing properly. If you have diastasis recti and a weaker core, the full cobra pose can end up increasing your abdominal separation. A gentler stretch, such as the child’s pose. can be used instead.

Wide legged forward bend

This pose stretches your hamstrings, lower back, and shoulders.

How to perform:

1. Place your feet wider than shoulder width apart.
2. Bend forward at the hips. Go half-way down with a straight back and place your hands underneath your shoulders onto the floor, or on blocks with your elbows bent if possible.
3. Take a few breaths here and then slowly stand up (being careful to not get light-headed or dizzy).

Modified downward dog

Downward Dog is a pose that places both your hands and feet on the floor with your hands several feet in front of your feet. This pose stretches the hamstrings and calves and strengthens the arms, legs, and back. It can help to relieve back pain and also strengthens the deep abdominal muscles that help stabilise the spine. With the modified downward dog, the angle of your body may be reduced. Instead of placing your hands on the floor, you rest your weight on your forearms.

How to perform:

1. Start by resting on your forearms, keeping them parallel, and with your elbows in-line with the shoulders, and the toes tucked.
2. Exhale while pushing your hips up and back, straightening your legs. Engage your core and legs, lifting up through your kneecaps.
3. Breathe while keeping your eyes on your feet.

Other poses which are usually used in postnatal yoga include:

• the lizard pose, which opens your hips
• the pigeon pose, which also opens the hips
• the camel pose, which stretches the spine and opens your hips
• the plow pose, a restorative pose which opens your spine and increases vitality
• the child’s pose, which is another restorative and calming pose.

Benefits of Postnatal yoga

The benefits of postnatal yoga include:

1. Builds spinal strength and flexibility

During pregnancy the spine is stressed and strained as the baby grows. Postnatal yoga helps to realign the spine and strengthen the muscles around the spine. 

2. Improves flexibility, strength and muscle tone

Caring for a baby can be very strenuous as new mothers have to carry and feed the baby, and lift heavy baby equipment. Postnatal yoga helps to improve muscle tone and build core strength which will help reduce back pains that may arise during pregnancy or while caring for your baby. During birth the deep abdominal muscles can separate. Toning through postnatal yoga can help to knit these muscles back together and therefore heal the body after birth.

 3. Eases stress and restores hormonal balance

Pregnancy and birth is a time of intense hormonal changes in the mother’s body. Postnatal yoga can help by inducing relaxation and the restoration of hormonal balance in the body. As with other types of yoga, postnatal yoga also helps to reduce anxiety and postnatal depression.

4. Eases pain and stiffness in the pelvis, back, neck and shoulders

Carrying and breastfeeding your new baby makes the shoulders ache with stiffness. The gentle movements of postnatal yoga help to reduce these pains, making breastfeeding easier and helping the body to recover after pregnancy and birth.

Postnatal yoga is a fun way to gradually get your body back into shape. It can soothe the physical and mental stresses of being a new mum and help your body recuperate from the challenges of delivery. New mums can benefit from a simple postnatal yoga practice. If you’ve just had a baby, take a few minutes every day to restore your mind and body.

A great postnatal yoga package can be found here. It pays specific attention to the places of your body that have changed, such as your core, pelvis, and lower back. It is a reset for your body, mind, and spirit in the transition from pregnancy to parenthood, whether for your first time, or having been through the journey before.