I am almost fully recovered from a bad reaction to some medication and feel alert and inspired to build on the success of Yoga Baby. We are on track now to begin filming in the new studio, in high definition, with improved sound and lighting from January 2009! Please let us know if there is anything you would like to see from the show. It is my aim to look at yoga from the first stages of pregnancy, right the way through to having babies, toddlers and older children. The show will have sections for mum on her own, to help baby development, e.g to encourage crawling and relieve any stiffness, for mum and baby/child in playful or relaxing moods and a whole host of other things! Miller and Heidi will of course join me on the show and maybe we will introduce some new mums and their little ones too!

Everyone suffers from backache at some point. It is one of those things we have to accept but there are ways to combat backache and relieve discomfort from it. Yoga is one thing you can practice to minimise back pain or even prevent it to some extent! Here are some of my favourite asanas which I would urge you to try after a busy day maybe bathing your baby, shopping, doing housework, nursing, a day at work or another other reason! You don’t even have to be a new mum to try these re-invigerating and freeing asanas!

COBRA POSE:

Relax the body down into the floor and place the hands under the shoulders. Inhale and gently lift the head and shoulders off the floor. At first keep elbows down or just off the floor and when stronger or when you need a deeper backbend, push up higher, keeping the ears lifting away from the shoulders.

CAMEL POSE:

Take the basic pose first by kneeling with knees and feet hip distance apart. Lift the ribcage and move the shoulders and head back keeping both hands on the lower back. Relax the shoulders and keep the hips moving slightly forwards. When you have got used to backbending (it can take some time as we are so used to slumping forwards!) you can sweep one hand down and see if you can touch the heel, if you can but it is difficult, either go back to the first pose until you feel ready or try one hand at a time until ready to move down with both hands to the heels. A truly fulfilling pose when you are ready for it.

COW POSE:

Cross one leg under the other in a seated position as shown in the above pic, the front leg should eventually rest sole down on the floor near the knee. Lift one arm and by bending the elbow, place the palm on the back of the neck. Reach up with the other hand and help the elbow move back, walking the fingers a little down the back. If you can then take the top arm behind the back, reach up towards the other hand. You can use a strap to help the hands get closer together, eventually the hands meet. Don’t push the body, if the shoulders are stiff, stay in the first part of the pose.

BASIC FISH:

From a seated position, bend the knees and move the arms behind you, fingers facing in. Lean back and lift the chest, creating a lovely backbend. Look up. Progress by moving down onto the elbows.

Half Bend:

Use a windowsill or chair-back to get the most from this stretch. With feet hip distance apart, raise the arms above the head. Keeping the back as flat as you can move the body down, bending at the hips. Take hold of the back of the chair or windowsill (or hands against the wall) and try and bring the body to a right angle, moving the weight back through the hips. If you wish, combine this with a full forwards and backwards bend to make a short routine to really open and release the back. You can do this by moving the arms and shoulders backwards before you begin, then come forwards into this half bend. After holding for a few breaths, release the hands down towards the floor, bending the knees if you need to and hanging down like a rag doll. Inhale and roll back up to standing.

After backbending it is always a good idea to take a forward bend to counteract the moves. Either take a forwards bend from a standing position or sit cross legged or straight legged on the floor and relax the body forwards, releasing any tension. Stay here for a few breaths before continuing with your day. Back pain? What back pain?

If you watch babies and toddlers you will see they have flexible bodies and a fluidity of movement. They carry their weight forwards and sit in a variety of positions, always moving from one position to another. They naturally fall into yoga asanas which is why it is wonderful to practice with them, it is ourselves who find the moves more unnatural, to them it is second nature. Yet if fluidity of movement and flexibility come naturally, why teach yoga to little people?

There are many benefits of yoga practice with your children and not just that is is so much fun and that mummy gets a lot out of it too. For children it is a time when they can both move yet also come to a moment or two of stillness, to allow their bodies to stretch, help their digestion and help their bodies and minds relax which is sometimes truly difficult for an excitable child!

When a baby or toddler has tummy ache you can encourage them to join you (or just assist them) into a gentle knees to chest pose (often called ‘wind removing pose’), tummy positions such as cobra (lying tummy down, hands under shoulders and lifting head and shoulders), half plank (holding the start position of a press-up) and downward dog (from plank pose lift the hips into an inverted V shape) all aid strength for crawling, getting down from places they have climbed upto (!) and exploring. As with other poses which you will be doing during the shows, as your little one begins to join you, there are a variety of poses which will help them with sitting and standing. Even if they do not do the yoga, as you do it they will enjoy your movements, especially when you are low to the floor and will likely use you as an aid to sitting, standing and walking!

The best thing to do is have a rough idea of the poses that you can do together, like you in savasana (corpse pose, lying face up on the floor) with your baby in the same pose ontop of you, lying on the floor in happy baby pose or knees to chest pose (and helping your baby follow suit), playing peek a boo in cobra pose and taking bridge position (lying on back, bring knees in towards the sitting bones and lift hips) lying next to each other or with your baby enjoying the ride (if you are strong enough) as you have them sitting or lying with you. After this, just enjoy and adapt. I am sure your child will find some new, unheard of positions that might be fun to try with them as long as you are careful (!) and combined this should make for a loving, fun and extremely beneficial experience for everyone involved.

This week’s episode delayed for a few days due to reasons in this post! It is a fact that many women suffer badly each month with their cycle whilst others barely notice it. If you fall into the first category, pregnancy and the post-natal period can be a time when you don’t have to think about it. For some, you may be free of your cycle for just a few weeks after birth, for others it may be a year or longer (nursing moms generally have a longer break). Can yoga help when your cycle returns or when you get PMS?

The truth is, yoga cannot take away a painful period but it can ease some discomfort and lighten your mood if you are prone to depression at this time. I know a lot about the variety of symptoms women experience as I suffer from PMDD, an extreme form of PMS that does interfere with my life at times, hence the delay of this weeks episode.

When your cycle does return after birth it may be unpredictable and different than pre-pregnancy. You have to allow your body to re-adjust. As your body changes so may your yoga. Here are some suggestions for those whose monthlies are returning or for those whose may like to practice yoga during this time of the month:

Do not practice inversions during menstruation as this can reverse the blood flow. In particular do not take shoulder stands (or of course headstands and handstands if you are so inclined!) and take child’s pose instead of downward dog.

The most comforting and soothing poses to practice if you have stomach cramps are floor exercises. Try lying in Savasana (corpse pose) and taking a gentle backbend by raising the lower back off the floor. You can also try placing a cushion underneath the back, bringing the legs into butterfly (feet together, knees dropped out) and raising the arms above the head. You can also try a basic fish position to ease cramping and back discomfort (see pic).

Gentle side bending may also relieve some cramping. Try sitting cross legged and with one hand on the floor at the side, reach over the head with the other hand and open the waist.

My advice with this is as with most things. Your body is yours and you will know what works for you. If you follow advice and find a new way which feels better for your body, as long as you know it is safe then use it….if you are unsure of anything check it out with a doctor or raise it here and we will see what we can do!

Great, my figure back in no time at all. So what do I do? Yes, I fall pregnant again! A second bundle on the way after being told it was unlikely I’d ever have children in the first place. Just 10 months after Heidi, I was carrying Miller. When he arrived I thought nothing of eating lots of lovely things, however this time my body was not so forgiving. Even with toning exercises and gentle yoga, my tum was happy sticking around. Fortunately, I had a change of lifestyle when Miller was around 4 months old. Already a vegetarian, along with the family, I came across some information that made me change to a vegan diet. Ethically and for health benefits we made the change and wow, what an unexpected side effect. I dropped down 2 dress sizes in a month. Worried about still nursing I was trying to eat well and was enjoying food more than ever. It seems cutting out dairy just made my body drop all it’s excess. Feeling great I began teaching yoga again. Whereas a few weeks before I was nervous (who wants to see an out of shape yoga teacher), now I felt great and ready to go.

I believe to get back in shape after childbirth, unless you are incredibly lucky, you need to find a combination of gentle exercise and good nutrition. You should not really think about dieting early on, especially if you are nursing but be sensible with your choices.

See the ‘0-12 weeks’ page for short routines you can practice alone or with your baby in the first few weeks after the birth. Yoga Baby TV is designed for mothers from 6-12 weeks after birth onwards and you should not attempt the yoga demonstrated before this time. Be patient!