Yoga Mama

The first pre- and postnatal book geared specifically to experienced yoga practitioners—from an established author, with contributions from the leaders in the field. You've been practicing yoga for years. It is a part of the way you live, move, and breathe. And then . . . you get pregnant. Pregnancy can throw any woman a curve ball. Even established and experienced yoga practitioners will likely find that their body, mind, and practice are challenged during pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. This book is the yoga practitioner's companion through this period, offering practical advice, step-by-step asana sequences, pranayama practices, and meditation techniques, all of which are designed to help new mothers connect more deeply to their experience and prepare for their journey—physically, mentally, and spiritually. Grounded in both ancient wisdom and contemporary knowledge, Yoga Mama covers each trimester, labor and birth, and the postpartum years. The beautifully photographed sequences include modifications and suggestions to accommodate a growing belly and to address the concerns or challenges that may arise during this time. Holistic and ayurvedic medicine perspectives help women understand what is happening in their bodies at every juncture, and personal stories connect them to pregnant women everywhere. Through practice, self-reflection, and learning how to let go, yoga gives us the opportunity to be an active, informed participant in the birthing of our baby and a healthy, happy parent. Yoga Mama is the perfect companion for the experienced yoga practitioner during her pregnancy and on into motherhood. This pre- and postnatal book offers practical advice and inspiration, asana sequences, pranayama practices, and meditation techniques, all of which speak to and help new mothers connect more deeply to their experience and prepare for their journey--physically, mentally, and spiritually. Grounded in ancient wisdom and contemporary knowledge, the book covers each trimester, labor and birth, and the postpartum years. It includes: • Flowing sequences that emphasize self-awareness and promote strength, flexibility, and balance • Modifications that accommodate a pregnant woman's growing belly, recalibrate her balance, and honor fluctuations in her energy levels • Mini sequences for specific trimester challenges: morning sickness, fatigue, anxiety, low-back issues, etc. • Asana, pranayama, and meditation practices designed to deeply connect mother and baby from the beginning of pregnancy through the postpartum years • A dedicated section on the pelvic floor to encourage women to let go and prepare for labor and birth • Special breathing techniques for labor that encourage natural childbirth • Deeper practices and ancient teachings that can help women tap into their strength and create a prenatal and birthing experience that is empowering and unique • Postpartum advice and sequences designed to help knit things back together, address postpartum challenges, and offer tips for bonding, nursing, self-care, and nutrition • Information (from a Western holistic and ayurvedic perspective) on what is happening in the body at every juncture--prenatal, labor and birth, and postpartum • Personal advice and stories from a wide array of pre- and postnatal experts With contributions from: • Elena Brower: founder and director of Virayoga in New York City, prenatal teacher for YogaGlo.com, and author of Art of Attention • Stephanie Snyder: teacher in San Francisco, pre- and postnatal teacher for YogaGlo.com • Jane Austin: pre- and postnatal yoga teacher, midwife, childbirth educator, and director of Mama Tree prenatal teacher training programs in San Francisco • Margi Young: OM yoga teacher in New York and San Francisco • De West: pre- and postnatal yoga teacher and childbirth educator in Boulder • Dustienne Miller: certified physical therapist and Kripalu yoga teacher in Boston • Kate Hanley: OM yoga teacher, mind-body coach, and author of The 28 Days Lighter Diet • Melissa Billie Williams: pre- and postnatal teacher and director of Yoga Junction studio in Louisville, Colorado

A unique way to see and process the motherhood experience through the lens of yoga, Whole Mama Yoga covers all phases and stages of becoming and being a mother or birth parent—offering a way to extend yoga’s gifts and tools for all who parent. . Women are drawn to yoga for its physical benefits, its ability to induce calm and presence, and its offering of spiritual depth. Whole Mama Yoga offers a way to extend yoga’s gifts into the motherhood experience and offers guidance that eases not just physical discomforts but existential ones. Many moms and birth parents balance boundless love and boredom, overwhelming joy and moments of isolation, self-confidence and self-doubt. Yoga provides an opportunity to practice the much needed body love and self-connection many parents need. Accessible to new yoga students, advanced yoga practitioners, and yoga teachers alike, Whole Mama Yoga is for parents with children of all ages. It is for those just thinking about beginning a family, those in the early stages of pregnancy, those getting close to labor and delivery, and for those new moms, who often feel harried and overwhelmed. This is a book to reference as children grow, change, and become little (and big) people. With yoga poses at the core of the text, yogi moms and instructors Alexandra DeSiato and Lauren Sacks offer helpful information in movement offerings that meet all moms and birth parents where they are. Organzied into sections titled Relate, Move, Reflect, Wisdom, and Breathe, Whole Mama Yoga provides breathing techniques, suggestions for meditation and mantra, inspiring tidbits of yoga philosophy, funny and uplifting stories from yoga-moms, and journal prompts that allow readers to reflect on their own experience of parenthood.

Parents who want to better understand the energies that inspire and motivate their children will find Jenny Bees A Yogi Mamas Guide to Yoga, Ayurveda & Your Child a creative and helpful tool along the way. Jenny takes you on an empathetic journey relatable to every parent. What makes my child tick? How can I help them fully become their happy healthy selves? Jenny, in her own journey with her children, has found good answers through Ayurveda and yoga, and even better, she shares those with you with humour and love in this very special book. As a lifelong yoga practitioner, parent and teacher of children, and follower of the Ayurvedic diet, I am confident that you will enjoy your relationship with children even more once you read this book and, to the best of your ability, follow the practices and tips given within its pages. Shakta Khalsa, founder and director of Radiant Child Yoga This is a unique book written for parents and children and is about kids, yoga and Ayurveda, and how we can all become better, more intentional parents with the help of the intuitive five-thousand-year-old sister science of Yoga. The heart of the book is three beautifully illustrated poems, each written to clearly explain one of Ayurvedas three doshas, which in combination make up a persons prakriti (their nature). The text is simple enough that children of all ages will have a sense of what this Ayurveda thing is. And it wont be lost on Mom or Dad either.

Birthing Mama offers a holistic approach to the transformative experience of pregnancy. Author Corinne Andrews, a yoga teacher since 2003 and creator of Birthing Mama® Prenatal Yoga and Wellness, guides women through each week of the nine-month journey, integrating body, mind, and spirit through reflection, yoga postures and breath practices, self-care activities, and creative projects. Whether expectant mothers are setting up a Pregnancy Altar to focus their hopes and dreams for the baby-to-be, writing a Pregnancy Affirmation Statement, blending an herbal tea formula, or breathing into mountain pose for strength and healing, they will find a blend of self-nourishment and self-discovery, contemplation, and celebration through Andrews’s gentle, empowering style.

In Mama Glow, maternity lifestyle maven Latham Thomas shares the tips and techniques to support a blissful journey to motherhood. She shows you how to make room for your pregnancy, assess your current diet, banish toxic habits, and incorporate yoga to keep your mind, body, and spirit in balance. Throughout, you’ll get tips to help reduce stress; alleviate common discomforts; demystify birth plans, labor coaches, and midwives; whip up pampering treats like homemade shea butter and coffee sugar scrub; and indulge in over 50 delicious, nutrient-rich recipes to nourish both you and your "bun." Mama Glow also features a postpartum wellness plan to guide you back to your prebaby body, troubleshoot breastfeeding problems, and embrace your abundant new life. Mama Glow includes: • Illustrated exercises for a fit, fabulous, and comfortable pregnancy • Fleshed-out cleansing programs to boost fertility • A simple formula for deconstructing those crazy cravings • Yoga sequences designed for prepregnancy, each trimester, and postpartum • Checklists for your prenatal pantry, finding a birth coach, and packing your birth bag • Glow foods to help you snap back to your fab prebaby body As your certified glow pilot, Latham will guide you through every stage of your pregnancy, giving you practical advice to make your journey a joyful and vibrant one.

A practical, step-by-step photographic guide to yoga poses specifically chosen to support you safely through pregnancy and the first months following the birth. Yoga is more important during pregnancy than at any other time of your life. As your body becomes unfamiliar to you from trimester to trimester and as labor approaches, you need safe, strengthening, and supportive sequences to guide you on your journey. This book gives you step-by-step yoga postures specially adapted for each trimester, and relaxation techniques and simple breathing exercises will show you how to adjust to the physical demands of labor and give birth with confidence. From conception to birth, help develop shared well-being and continue to reap the benefits of yoga after the birth as you bond with your new baby and regain your shape.

A witty debut novel of a pregnant woman's quest for inner peace among the Prada-clad clientele of Manhattan's most elite yoga center.

With a strong emphasis on "easy" and "safe," this book will walk you through eighteen of the most useful poses to help make your pregnancy smoother, happier, and less stressful. In addition to the physical benefits, an easy prenatal yoga practice provides invaluable spiritual rewards and emotional resources that will help you create a deeper feeling of connection with your unborn child.Benefits of Prenatal Yoga include:* Help ease the aches and pains of pregnancy* Reduce your stress * Calm your nerves and help you sleep better* Make your labor and delivery go more smoothly* Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles* Help you get back in shape faster after delivery* Increase your strength* Help you balance betterYoga Mama offers detailed explanations to help you understand the changes your body is undergoing, as well as help you alleviate the aches and pains you're likely to experience during pregnancy. And there's another benefit-some of the same poses and breathing techniques you'll learn can help prepare you for a more effortless labor.If you have an ongoing yoga practice, Yoga Mama takes your body's changes into account, making adaptations to existing poses and introducing new ones, to help you safely and effectively continue practicing throughout your pregnancy. Even if you're entirely new to yoga, this book will show you how to establish a satisfying practice routine that will benefit you long after you deliver.In addition to advice and instruction on the physical aspects of prenatal yoga, Yoga Mama offers you empowering affirmations and visualizations that will help you create a nourishing environment for both you and your unborn child.