Yoga : Mother and Baby 4

As you baby gets older, they can often really enjoy doing yoga with you - in this video you can't see much baby involvement as it's a doll, but real-life babies love all the eye contact and being tickled. 

Baking: Gingerbread Biscuits

I normally provide mince pies for the last class before Christmas but since it is also likely to be the last class for two mums due end December, I thought I'd bring out some home baking.  My kids usually help make any home baking and since my littlest is allergic to dairy and eggs I needed to find a decent vegan recipe that delivers on the taste front. This one, from Veggieful is delicious and easy. 

Some of the gingerbread yogis that I made for pregnancy yoga.

 Ingredients  (NB a cup is 250ml if you don't have the cup measuring thingys)

2 1/4 cups plain flour
   1 tablespoon ground ginger
   1 teaspoon cinnamon
   3/4 cup brown sugar
   1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
   3/4 cup melted vegan margarine (eg PURE or Vitalite)
   1/4 cup golden syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 180oC
Mix it all together.
Roll it out on a lightly floured surface.
Cut out shapes
Bob's your uncle. 

Yoga : Mother and Baby Yoga 2

The key with all post natal exercise is patience! I know this to my cost, having started running too soon post natally and have the sore knees to prove it. I know that taking it slowly can be frustrating, but slowly and steadily building back up your strength is the key to long lasting health and fitness with no aches and pains. 

So with that in mind, three things for this week:

1) Sphinx pose

Lie on your tummy, then bring your weight onto your elbows, with elbows under your shoulders, hands facing towards the front of your mat.  Keep the neck long, lifting out of the shoulders. 

Inhale, lift through the pelvic floor, exhale lift your tummy off the mat, wrapping it around you (as though you were wearing a corset), release pelvic floor, then inhale tummy goes back onto the mat as you inhale to lift up through the pelvic floor again.

2) Leg Lifts

Here's a video. Start from a lying on your back position with a neutral spine, with a slight curve in your lower back. Both feet on the floor, knees bent. Inhale, lift your pelvic floor, exhale suck your tummy in all around. Then Inhale, lift the pelvic floor, lift the leg so it's level with the other thigh, then exhale lower the leg, sucking the tummy in and around. 

3) Pelvic Floor exercises. 

You'll be doing this already, regularly, right? Well we all forget, but please try and make it part of your day. You want to be holding the pelvic floor up, as well as bringing in the stomach, to have a strong core again. You can get an app which reminds you (Squeezy is the NHS app) or stick reminder stickers around your home, but do make it happen.

New Venue for Vinyasa Flow

From the beginning of the summer term (12th April is the first class of next term), Vinyasa Flow yoga classes will be at The Studio, 4 Merrilyn Close, Claygate. KT10 0EQ. The class is term time only, Tuesday evenings 7.45pm-845pm. 

The Studio is in the garden of 4 Merrilyn Close, so follow the path round to the right of the house and you'll see it in front of you. 

It's a beautiful, peaceful, studio, with lovely garden views. May the Springtime energy filter into our practice too!

Pregnancy Yoga is still at the same location (The Complementary Health Partnership, Sydney Terrace).

Keep on breathing

Two of my pregnancy yoga mums welcomed their babies to the world this week. One four weeks early, one a week late, but they both said that long, focused, exhales, helped them with their births. So we focused on the Golden Thread breath this week in class. 

As a summary : 

Relax your jaw / face / shoulders.

Big inhale

As you exhale (slowly), through the nose, have the lips only a tiny bit apart, as though you'd just get a piece of paper in between your lips. Then slowly exhale, visualising a golden thread coming out of your lips, leading you to your baby.  The lips are relaxed (not pursed). 

Some people prefer to visualise a rope, which is pulling them over the stormy seas of contractions, to your baby. 

Whichever visualisation works for you is fine.