Many of us modern mums have taken Prenatal Yoga classes. It’s a popular and safe form of exercise during pregnancy that keeps expecting mummies limber, strong and flexible; helping to prepare you for childbirth and motherhood. Prenatal Yoga is relaxing and great for stress relief as it teaches you to breathe deeply to stay calm and focused. It not only helps relieve pregnancy related aches and pains (especially back ache and Sciatica) but also promotes better balance, sleep, blood circulation, and energy levels. The classes are a special time to bond with your unborn baby and with other mums-to-be, allowing you to be a part of a special supportive community. I really enjoyed my 6-months of Prenatal Yoga practice and looked forward to it weekly.
However, like many new mums, my focus and attention shifted entirely from my own well-being as an expecting mum to my twins as soon as they were born. I became very absorbed in my new role and responsibilities. As a result I neglected myself, as well as my overall well-being. I experienced pains no one had talked about. So, I was very thrilled when my yoga teacher, Angeline Liew of Prana Yoga KL told me about their new Postnatal Goddess Wellness Programme. I had not heard of postnatal yoga practice before. Angeline explained that whilst prenatal yoga prepares you for childbirth, postnatal yoga works to rebuild, restore and rejuvenate. Below is my review of the programme:
Yay
- Yoga in general is a great way for new mummies to stay healthy, heal and find inner strength
- Prana Yoga KL‘s Postnatal Goddess Wellness Programme is a dedicated 6-week program, with weekly sessions of 75 mins each
- It is a tailored programme, unlike the usual drop-in prenatal or regular yoga classes. Of course, you have the option for resuming your yoga practice in a regular adults’ yoga class, but a postnatal programme is specifically designed for the new mother’s state of mind. It does this by “mothering the mother” – teaching her techniques needed to manage the many demands of being a new parent
- As per Angeline, “it took 40 weeks and one birth to get to this special time of your life, so as a new mother, you should give yourself (at least) another nine months to get back to some degree of ‘normalcy’.” What the postnatal programme does is help you to kick-start this healing journey by:
- Teaching you how to tune inwards, and listen to what your body is ready to do
- Helping you understand that “getting in shape” isn’t top priority. Instead, it emphasises the importance of rebuilding physical strength, stability and stamina. The course is designed to improve muscle tone and flexibility especially in the abdomen, back and pelvis – areas that need the most attention in a postpartum body
- Including a wide variety of lower and upper back stretches to ease the tension accumulated over the pregnancy, and to release tightness due to engorged breasts from breastfeeding
- Demonstrating how you can incorporate yoga staples i.e. pelvic strengthening floor exercises, chest openers and joint mobility exercises into your daily life
- Building strength in your arms, lower body and core (to further tone the abdomen) as the course progresses
- Showing you special breathing exercises to achieve and maintain emotional and mental harmony; bringing the body back into a restorative state optimal for rest, healing and balance
- The teacher Angeline Liew is very pleasant and experienced. She teaches both prenatal and postnatal yoga classes
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Prana Yoga KL is located at TTDI’s Pusat Kreatif Kanak-Kanak Tuanku Bainun, a secure and family-friendly location
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“Practice makes Progress” is Prana Yoga KL‘s mantra. Unlike some other studios, practising yoga here’s not just about the achievement of poses, but about making each practice a personal step towards wellness, self transformation and living your best life. It’s also a business with a social enterprise spin. Every time someone comes to a class, they donate RM1 to a selected charity as part of their unique Pledge a Ringgit™ programme
Nay
- There’s no fixed enrolment date. Prana Yoga KL can start a programme as soon as there are a minimum of 4 sign-ups, with timing suited to participants. Whilst it is more cost effective and nicer to do this programme with other new mummies, it can be quite hard to for the studio to round-up such a group to commit to a particular 6-week period. After waiting a few weeks for enough sign-ups so the programme could start, I decided to proceed with the programme on a one-on-one basis
- The programme’s benefits are best realised when the sessions are strictly done over the 6-week period. I ended up stretching it out to a few extra weeks as there were some weeks where I was away and could not go for practice. This was not ideal. It’s best to ensure you have a clear 6-week schedule before you commit to this course.
You can undertake the programme after your confinement period (2 months for natural delivery, 6 months for a Caesarean birth). Mummies who are keen, kindly email Prana Yoga KL at pranayogakl@hotmail.com for the next intake dates, or refer to their Facebook Page and website for more information.
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Li-Hsian recently left a career in corporate communications to become a full-time mum to twins. She is learning new things daily as she tries to balance the romance of motherhood with the messy realities of her latest role.
Image Credit: Prana Yoga KL
