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Between adjusting to life with child (yes, this
adjustment can take years); working; raising a family;
and being a partner, a friend and a citizen of the planet
Earth, you’re bound to feel sideways many a day. So,
what if we told you there was a panacea for what
wallops you? A truth, a practice, a way of being that
could straighten you out, reconnect you to your once and former self, and render you more alive than you’ve ever been. What would you do with the answer to all of life’s mysteries? Would you use it or would you lose it?
Got chaos, pain, emotional distress, physical limitations, agita, ailing health, mental anguish, sadness, lack of motivation? Can’t get pregnant? Can’t lose the baby weight? Can’t commit? Can’t heal old wounds? Can’t move on? Can’t get happy? Well, we’ve got one word for you: yoga.
The 5,000-year-old discipline of yoga, Sanskrit for “union,” is the conscious connection between mind, body and spirit. When most people nowadays refer to yoga, they are talking about the asanas, physical postures of yoga. There are actually eight limbs of yoga, all designed to foster health and, thusly, inspire fulfillment and, ultimately, bliss.
“Yoga helps bring awareness to one’s self, the slight intricacies of the body, the way it moves through space, and how one’s mind reacts and judges the entire experience. The practice of yoga can shift your consciousnesses and transcend you from the ego self to the higher self,” says Debra Flashenberg, director of the Prenatal Yoga Center (www.prenatalyogacenter.com) in New York City and an in-demand prenatal and postnatal teacher.
Flashenberg advocates the practice of Mommy and Me yoga, saying that “the union explored in Mommy and Me yoga transcends the self and taps into the conscious union of mother and baby. On a spiritual level, the mother is continuing to strengthen her bond with her baby outside of her body and starts to deepen her understanding of her baby’s needs. On the physical level, we address the significant changes the postpartum body has undergone. The focus is to help women regain the strength and energy that may have been lost during pregnancy. Classes specifically focus on rebuilding strength in the abdomen, back and pelvic muscles, releasing tension in the shoulders and neck, and opening the chest. Classes also address common issues and concerns that may arise in this new chapter of life.
We strongly believe that when the mother has honored and taken care of her needs, she will have more to give to those who need her.”
Whether you are in the Mommy and Me phase, way out of it, or about to enter it, it’s yoga that will quell the turbulence in your life and deliver you back to your former self.
Here, Flashenberg has created a general flow of asanas that you can practice alone, with your mate or with your whole family.
General Flow for All
Begin by coming into a comfortable seated position, resting your right foot onto your left thigh and your left foot onto your right thigh, if you can. Sit up straight through your spine, bring your shoulders up to your ears, and then gently roll them back and down.
Pranayama: Breath Control
From your seated position, start with Kapalabhati, the cleaning breath, a technique done by exhaling vigorously through the nose. The inhale is passive and will naturally occur. It is a similar sensation and motion as blowing your nose sharply, as if you were trying to clear it of mucus. This exercise is especially good for new moms because it helps them to re-tone the abdominal muscles. Using the abdominal muscles to expel the breath (it helps to place your hands on your stomach), practice two rounds of this breath for several seconds.
Tadasana: Mountain Pose
Gently rise from your seated posture. Now standing, bring your feet together, make your spine long, bring your shoulders up to your ears and then gently roll them back and down. Rest your arms down by your side and point through your fingertips.
Utkatasana: Chair Pose
Now, bend your knees, moving your weight toward your heels as if you were sitting in an imaginary chair, and sweep your fingertips to the floor. Keeping your knees bent, reach your arms up toward the sky. Inhale and move your hands into prayer position in front of your heart center. As you exhale, rotate your spine as you bring your left elbow to the outer right knee. Then inhale, extend both arms back overhead, and as you exhale, rotate in the opposite direction and bring your right elbow to the outside of your left knee. Repeat this sequence two more times, keeping the knees bent the whole time.
Uttanasana: Standing Forward Bend
After your third time, lift your hips up, working to straighten your legs and fold forward from the hips into a Standing Forward Bend.
Virabhadrasana II: Warrior II Pose
Rise up from your bend, one vertebra at a time. Next, step your left leg back and spin the back heel toward the floor. Gently bend into the right leg, bringing it to a 90-degree angle. Check to see that your right kneecap is in line (directly over) the right ankle. Reach your left arm out toward the front of the room and reverse cartwheel into Warrior II, bringing your left arm in back of you. Raise up your right arm in line with your right leg. Arms should be parallel with the floor. Point firmly through the fingertips. This pose is particularly good for cultivating stamina and strength both mentally and physically, as well as opening up the hips. It is important not to sway the lower back, which is common during postpartum because the back and abdominal muscles have been weakened.
Viparita Virabhadrasana: Reverse Warrior
From here, inhale into Reverse Warrior by bringing your right arm straight up alongside your ear and reaching back with your left arm. Softly look up to your right fingertips.
Utthita Parsvakonasana: Extended Side Angle Pose
Exhale and bring your right forearm on the right thigh. Inhale and release back to center. Repeat this three times. This is particularly good for connecting breath and movement and reminding the moms that the breath can help support them through difficult, uncomfortable moments. The side bend poses also help release lower back pain by stretching the latissimus dorsi (lower back) muscles.
Ardha Hanumanasana: Half Pigeon
From Reverse Warrior, cartwheel hands back onto the floor, spin your back heel up, and drop your back knee to the floor. Draw the pelvis back, bending the back leg at a 90-degree angle and keeping the front leg straight. Take several breaths here. Flow with the breath, and as you inhale, lift the chest up. As you exhale, leading with the heart, release the upper body closer to the extending leg. Let the inhale lift the spine and the exhale release the spine. Repeat this flow three times.
Re-bend the front leg and bring hands to prayer at the heart. Take a deep inhale, and as you exhale, rotate the torso and cross the left elbow to the outside of the right knee. Allow each breath to move you deeper in the twist, keeping the collarbone broad and the chest open. Free the elbow from the knee and return the hands to the floor, framing the front foot. Tuck your back toes under, lift your back knee off the floor and step the back foot forward.
Repeat entire sequence on the other side.
Baddha Konasana: Bound Angle Pose
Once both sides are done, come onto your bottom and bring your feet together and knees apart for Bound Angle Pose. Keeping the spine long, start to hinge forward from the hip creases. Avoid rounding the middle upper back. Take several long deep breaths here while maintaining an open chest by bringing the shoulders up to the ears and then easing them back and down. Inhale, and as you exhale, come up.
Paschimottanasana: Seated Forward Bend
Bring your hands under your knees and draw the legs together and then extend them forward into a Seated Forward Bend. Hinging from your hip creases, extend your torso over your legs. Keep the legs active by reaching through your heels and engaging the kneecaps up the legs. If the lower back is rounding, place a blanket or towel underneath your bottom.
Savasana: Corpse Pose
After several long breaths, lift up your torso and slowly lie back for Corpse Pose. If your lower back is uncomfortable, place a rolled blanket or towel underneath the thighs.
Modifications to General Flow for Mommy and Me
There are two main objectives to a Mommy and Me class. The first one is to offer a mother a yoga class that addresses the needs of the postpartum body. The second one is to integrate the baby into the mother’s practice and general space on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Not every posture involves holding the baby, but we always include a gesture or a smile toward the baby so he feels involved.
Tadasana: Mountain Pose
Standing in Mountain Pose, hold your baby in your arms. Be aware of your posture and try not to slouch your upper body or overcompensate through your shoulders and back.
Utkatasana: Chair Pose
When twisting from side to side for the rotated Chair Pose, instead of hooking your opposite elbow to opposite knee, bring your baby from side to side. You can either hold your baby under the arms, or have her face down, with one hand supporting the chest and the other hand between the baby’s legs, supporting the pelvis and belly.
Uttanasana: Standing Forward Bend
When you fold forward for a Standing Forward Bend, place the baby on a blanket in front of you. Continue to move through the standing poses without holding the baby. However, be conscious of incorporating your baby into your practice.
Virabhadrasana II: Warrior II Pose; Viparita Virabhadrasana: Reverse Warrior; Utthita Parsvakonasana: Extended Side Angle Pose
For example, when in Warrior II, Reverse Warrior and Extended Side Angle Pose, wave to your baby.
Ardha Hanumanasana: Half Pigeon
When you move into Half Pigeon, smile and blow kisses to your baby.
Baddha Konasana: Bound Angle Pose
Once you move to the floor for Bound Angle Pose, you can include your baby into your practice a little more by singing to him and massaging his arms and legs or just simply pedaling your baby’s legs or windshield wiping his arms. This is your time to be creative with your baby—play, sing and smile.
Paschimottanasana: Seated Forward Bend
When you extend forward into your Seated Forward Bend, place your baby on your legs, and as you lean forward, shower your baby with kisses.
Savasana: Corpse Pose
During Corpse Pose, you can sneak a little tummy time in for your little one by placing your baby belly down on your chest, allowing you both to rest peacefully. You can also try Savasana on your side and either breast-feed or just rest together.
Want more om schooling? Go to www.prenatalyogacenter.com for resources, advice and more.
Om Shanti!
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