Geri (first time mummy) and baby Fynley, Northampton

I’d never tried yoga before I was pregnant. I prefer dancing or energetic games normally, however when I reached 20 weeks I knew I needed something to relax with but also keep me mobile. I’m normally not one for relaxing either, if I ever have a massage there is always one part of my body still tense as I’m not good at shutting off.

With pregnancy yoga though, I learnt to breathe away my tension and quite happily (snored sometimes) my way through the end of a session. The exercises were easy enough for an unfit beginner but also helped my achy hips stay more supple. The breathing techniques and various positions we learnt not only kept me mobile but ended up being positions I used through the birthing process.

I was lucky enough to use a birthing pool for the majority of my labour and only came out of it for the last 10minutes to actually give birth as that was what felt comfortable. The 8 hours in the pool are all a bit of a blur, but I remember the experience fondly. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t painful, it was it’s labour, but I do remember breathing through the urges of bearing down and visualising the picture I had come to create in the yoga cool down sessions. The techniques I had learnt gave me something else to focus on and although I probably didn’t execute the breathing as a professional yogi should, it meant for me, I had a natural, drug and gas free birth and I can remember every special moment.

This may not be for everyone but the pregnancy yoga sessions themselves were definitely a lovely way to relax, take care of me for an hour or so a week time and also meet some lovely ladies. Thanks Veronica for chilling me out!

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