Yoga After Childbirth

Mothers that have been practicing yoga regularly before the birth will undoubtedly be ready to practice yoga a little earlier than those that did not practice much during the pregnancy.

But whatever circumstances you find yourself in there is no time like the present to start to cultivate a regular yoga practice. Yoga is a gentle way to initiate the healing of a body that has just experienced one of the greatest changes to ever happen to a person.

Breastfeeding can be a challenging time for a new mother but also a time when a yoga practice can be initiated. When I was breast feeding both of my children I found myself sitting on my blue sofa for much of each day, feeding my beloved and wondering when I would get off this sofa!!! I felt my bottom would not be getting any firmer or higher during this stage but I proved myself wrong.

It was during this time that I started to activate udiana bandha, the hollowing of the lower belly. Sitting on the sofa, feeding away I started to bring my navel to my spine and then to scoop out my lower belly and direct my breath to my chest cavity. Instantly, this extended my spine and corrected my hunched over posture. This also helped to open my heart, amazing at such a time of unabashed joy!! Wow!! This is a simple way to start and does not need much fitness but what a help to a woman that has just birthed a baby through her birth canal, her vagina!

Focusing on drawing the naval to the spine and then scooping out the lower belly is a way to work the pelvic floor without even realizing it. I found that when I actually thought about pelvic floor exercises I felt unenthusiastic and depressed about the long way back I had to go. But concentrating on something different worked fantastically for me. I had such a huge amount of time each day feeding that even if I only did it for a little bit of each feed it amounted to a lot of time each day. I started to feel my tummy coming back to itself and my spirits lifted.

After a few weeks of this udiana bandha work, just sitting and feeding and loving my baby and working my lower belly I attempted a few yoga postures.

Finding the right time is a new thing for a new mother. My babies would both get up early and do their thing for a couple of hours and then go back to sleep. This first sleep I would spend with my husband, hanging out and having our time. The second sleep would come around lunch time when my husband was at work and it was during this time that I started my practice again.

Just a few postures to begin with, Suryanamaskara A and B felt quite a lot at the start. I would do what I could until my baby awoke and then carry on with the day. I feel this was a good way to regulate how much I attempted to do. The baby would only sleep for so long and that was perfect. I found that the yoga helped me accept the changes that occurred at this time of my life. I no longer had the freedom to just drop everything and go off as I was able to do before this time. Fighting that was futile but something that came up for me and the yoga helped me move through these feelings.

After more time and practice I started to practice yoga in their afternoon sleeps if I felt like it. This was a beautiful time in my life and I thank the yoga for helping me accept what was. This time with a tiny baby passes so quickly and enjoying and nurturing it will be the best thing for the mother and baby.

So quickly I was able to leave my baby with their daddy and go off to yoga class in the morning for a couple of hours. Mummy time, great for me and a delightful way for my husband to bond with our children deeply. I feel my children and their father have a relationship that goes beyond the average father/child connection and I am sure that yoga helped that become so.

Yoga has totally assisted me in becoming the mother I am today and I am aware and grateful for that process. Every woman has her own path through motherhood, some more easy than others. I feel that the practice of yoga helped me accept who I am and in turn let my children be free within themselves, become happier and more confident children.

By Ohm shanti