With all the new demands, postnatal yoga is not about setting aside your normal one hour session everyday to be alone in you practice. Often five minutes to practice is a blessing. We need to let go of the attachment to our old practice and incorporate yoga into everyday moments. Moving your body purposefully in those spare moments will bring the benefits of a longer practice without needing to organise a solid block of uninterrupted time.
Here are a few of my favourites for these early postnatal weeks and months.
Plank pose was made for the postnatal mama! It strengthens your arms and wrists which helps you to carry that growing baby around. It also strengthens the abdominals and builds core strength, helping your body to return to its pre-pregnancy state.
Downward dog strengthens the back and relieves tension in the shoulders that is caused from carrying and feeding a baby. It also stretches the backs of the legs and the feet, and calms the brain relieving stress and mild depression that can occur as you get used to the demands of motherhood.
Supta Virasana improves blood flow to the abdomen which aides digestion and can improve the function of the reproductive organs.
Paschimottanasana is a great counter pose to Supta Virasana. It stimulates the liver, kidneys, uterus and ovaries making it a great pose for mamas. It is also calming for the mind and reduces fatigue- great if you've had a long night with an unhappy baby.
Child's pose is another favourite for calming the mind. I like extended child's pose as it helps to relieve tension between the shoulder blades. Having your toes tucked under stretches out the bottoms of your feet and toes.
You can practice this series as individual poses or if you are blessed with more than a couple of minutes you can practice it as a sequence resting in Child's pose to finish your practice.
