Once a woman becomes a mother, everything changes—your body, your obligations, your priorities. Not only do you need to heal physically but you’re responsible for another human being. It’s easy for you to put your needs aside in the interest of the baby’s. When you are ready & your GP says it’s time, Yoga will be here for you & we will support your return to Yoga in any way we can.

Why you shouldn’t rush back too soon

We run specific postnatal yoga classes with your baby at the Lake, see our next course here.

Postnatally, you may join our regular yoga classes on Zoom or at the Lake without baby, after your six week check or 8-12 weeks after a caesarean. Vinyasa Flow & dynamic classes should be added a little later or when you are all sleeping better & have the energy to spare. Breast-feeding mummies must be careful not to over stretch.

first month after giving birth is a time to recuperate & adjust. Your pelvic floor has been stretched significantly during birth to facilitate delivery & the cervix has to close back down from letting the baby pass through. The uterus shrinks a lot in the first few days but it will take at least a month to settle & the internal organs will also have to settle back into position after being crowded for so long. If you had a Cesarean section, the pelvic floor will be intact but care should be taken after abdominal surgery of this kind & you will take several months to heal.

You may come back to or start yoga classes with us at minimum six weeks postpartum or eight weeks, if you’ve had a C-section, this is our legal obligation. Your GP will sign you off as ready to return to ‘exercise’ – please make sure you have your six week check before coming [back] to classes.

You may have practiced regularly during pregnancy but you don’t have the same body as you had then—or even before. Likewise if this pregnancy wasn’t your first, your body & recovery needs won’t necessarily be the same after each birth. Come back gently; you are amazing, you created a little life – honour this new body by learning about it slowly & carefully.

Be honest with yourself – what’s your motivation for returning to classes? If it’s to lose weight, please know that this will surely happen in time. If you know you are prone to pushing & over-efforting it is imperative that you soften your practice & don’t over-tire yourself – your baby needs you. Postnatally we are going to work to a comfortable level, slowly & gently. NO shaking!

Breast-feeding mums need to work conservatively until several months after they stop feeding their child from the breast. Relaxin is a hormone created by pregnant & postnatal mothers, it softens the connective tissues of the body by increasing the water content in fibres, thereby making the ligaments & tendons more elastic. Basically you are ‘bendier’ & this can add tension & damage your joints if you overstretch. Relaxin stays in the system until you stop breastfeeding.

We aren’t an exercise studio; we promote self-care & integration of the mind, body, spirit. Getting fit is a happy side effect of attending regular yoga classes. More important is you setting time aside for you, to reflect, to feel & to appreciate this precious time with your new baby.

Any Other Questions?

Please email us with any questions & book your classes online, we look forward to meeting you.
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