Pregnancy birth & beyond

We have a whole range of classes, courses and therapies for you while you are pregnant, and for you and your baby after your birth, helping to ease discomforts and manage your physical and mental health.

We recommend pregnancy classes after your 12-week scan and postnatal classes 4-weeks after birth and 6-weeks after c-section, with the all clear from your doctor in all cases.

If in doubt, you can always book a private session with one of our specialist teachers prior to attending group classes which you can bring your baby along to also.

If you wish to take part in any other class while pregnant or postnatal please contact us for guidance, as only a small selection of classes is suitable and require pre-approval to join.

Pregnancy & post natal classes

Pregnancy Yoga

Yoga is a fantastic way to get in touch with your body during pregnancy.

It can ease the discomforts of pregnancy and prepare you physically and mentally for labour and birth.

Each class includes an optional 30min tea and chat led by the teacher at the end, to share knowledge and experiences.

This class is suitable at any stage during your second and third trimester, right up to birth.

If you wish to take part in any other yoga class while pregnant please contact us for advice.

During lockdown, we offer one online PREGNANCY YOGA classe a week on Thursdays at 7:00pm – book in here!

Postnatal Yoga

This class supports new mothers recovering from birth and reconnecting with their bodies, while bonding with their baby.

No previous experience of yoga necessary. Recommended from 6 weeks after the birth of your baby and babies are welcome up until they are crawling.

Our studio classes are followed by an option tea and chat.

During lockdown we are not offering POSTNATAL YOGA classes, but as soon as restrictions lift we will resume our weekly studio class on Tuesdays at 10:30am.

***If you are attending the online version of the class and you have had complications or significant health issues following the birth of your baby, please check with your doctor that doing gentle exercise by yourself is suitable, or contact us for guidance. Due to the lack of direct physical interaction between teacher and students, an online class may not be suitable for you.

Pregnancy Pilates

Pregnancy Pilates is a specialist class that will help you manage the physical and physiological changes of pregnancy and prepare for life with a little one.

It can help with many common symptoms of pregnancy such as: Backache, Diastasis Recti, Pelvic Girdle Pain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Pelvic Floor weakness or related injury.

While a general Pilates class is not suitable for pregnant women, you are welcome to attend Pregnancy Pilates after your 12 week scan.

If you have a long-term regular Pilates practice and wish to join this class before then, please seek approval from your GP and be sure to speak to our teacher at the start of class.

This class is suitable at any stage during your second and third trimester, right up to birth.

If you wish to take part in any other Pilates class while pregnant please contact us for advice.

We offer one PREGNANCY PILATES class a week on Saturdays at 9:30am with Serena – book in here!

Reformer Pilates for pregnancy

Reformer Pilates for pregnancy is a specialised class dedicated to mums to be. It is a non-impact practice and it offers a wide variety of exercises, allowing you to benefit from the exercise without stressing the body too much.

Pregnancy Reformer Pilates is ideal to strengthen the muscles of your abdomen, pelvic floor and back, to help you manage the physical and physiological changes of pregnancy and prepare for life with a little one.

With the supervision of our experienced Reformer Pilates instructors, it is safe for both you and your baby.

During lockdown we are not offering PREGNANCY REFORMER classes, but as soon as restrictions lift we will resume our weekly studio class on Fridays at 6:30pm.

Postnatal Pilates

We also offer postnatal Pilates classes with a crèche so you can bring your baby

This class focuses on core strength, the abdominal area and pelvic floor, to draw your body back together and improve posture.

There is a crèche worker in the room to help take care of your baby.

Babies are welcome up until they are crawling.

Tea and snacks are provided after the class in our leafy courtyard area.

If you have any postnatal complications such as diastasis recti or have had a caesarean section we also recommend you try a private session.

This can help you understand your own physical limits before going to a regular postnatal pilates class.

All our POSTNATAL PILATES classes are currently suspended. We hope to resume these classes in the nearest future, sign up to our newsletter to receive our updates!

Video library clips

The Yogahome Video Library holds over 450 on-demand clips for you to practice anytime, anywhere.

Here is a round up of all pregnancy and postnatal SHORT CLIPS, so you can easily browse what’s on offer and click straight through:

PREGNANCY FLOW with Jayne Miller: A short uplifting flow, which aims to alleviate some of the discomforts typically experienced by pregnant women (30 minutes)

PILATES CHEST OPENING AND RIBCAGE RELEASE with Jen Painter: A class for opening the chest and releasing the ribcage, suitable to anyone, but is especially good for new mums (16 minutes)

PILATES ROUTINE FOR THE PELVIC FLOOR with Jen Painter: A short routine designed to exercise the pelvic floor after birth (10 minutes)

UNDERSTANDING PELVIC GIRDLE PAIN with Kirsty Gallacher: A short talk on Pelvic Girdle Pain – what causes it, how it might feel in your body and a few tips on how to manage it in everyday life (15 minutes)

UPLIFTING PREGNANCY FLOW with Sally-Anne Sweeney: Connect to your baby and your body in this sequence dedicated to all mums to be (30 minutes)

Private sessions

Private tuition is a valuable investment during pregnancy and postnatally, helping you learn how to deal with the changes and demands of each trimester, and of life with a little one.

Private tuition can also help you effectively address common pre and postnatal related issues such as back pain, sciatica, pelvic girdle pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, diastasis recti and pelvic organ prolapse.

We offer private yoga and pilates sessions with most of our Yogahome teachers.

Get in touch to arrange a session with your teacher of choice, or we can recommend one based on your needs and availability.

It is advisable to have at least one private session before going to a group pregnancy or postnatal class, to address any specific issues with a teacher’s full attention.

For more information, including pricing and packages available, visit our Prices and Private Sessions pages, or contact us with any specific questions you may have.

Pregnancy workshops

We run two different pregnancy workshops on a bi-monthly basis, both led by expert teacher Kirsty Gallacher.

Our Hypnobirthing workshop is a full birth prep run over two days, exploring breathing, relaxation and the role of a supporting birth partner.

On the other hand, our Yoga for Labour & Birth workshop is a one-day course and ideal for those who have already done another birth prep course (NCT, hospital, Hypnobirthing), to add a range of practical tools and techniques.

Hypnobirthing

Most of us are familiar with the use of hypnotherapy to help overcome fears, like flying. Similarly, hypnobirthing can help to remove worries, concerns, and negative associations in relation to childbirth. By developing a solid understanding of the biological and psychological elements of childbirth, you will come to realise how a woman’s body is perfectly designed to allow her to birth her baby physiologically (i.e. naturally), so that any doubts and negative associations are replaced by calm confidence and a positive approach.

Hypnobirthing teaches techniques which work with the natural, physiological process, to help you maintain a quiet, calm confidence as you progress through labour and birth. However, there may be times when nature needs a helping hand, and these techniques are of equal value, where labour doesn’t unfold so smoothly and intervention is suggested. By exploring the use of intervention and learning simple tools and techniques, hypnobirthing will also help empower you with the confidence to accept, delay or even say ‘no’ to intervention.

These tools, combined with the simple and gentle self-hypnosis and breathing techniques you will learn together, can have a profound effect, helping labour and birth to be an empowering and joyful experience.

We regularly run one-day courses designed for you and your birth partner, that cover everything you need to know about hypnobirthing and how it can help you with your birth.

From the underlying concepts of hypnotherapy, the anatomical principles of birth and practical techniques to help you through labour.

You will be given homework to practice between the sessions.

Cost: £195 (for two people, includes MP3 download and online resources).

Contact us to request more information and a breakdown of each session, or visit our workshops page for upcoming course dates/times, and bookings

Yoga for labour & birth

Being calm, quiet and relaxed can optimise the release of hormones which are crucial to the flow of natural labour and birth – most importantly oxytocin to aid labour and endorphins for pain relief.

Learning how to breathe and relax can help you maintain a “birthing bubble”, producing a state of inner calm, and enabling you to switch off from distractions, noise, light, people, and anxiety – especially useful if you’re in a hospital setting.

We cover: breathing, positions & movement to help labour flow, massage, relaxation, positions for birth, meditation and yoga nidra.

Cost: £80 (covers you and your birth partner for two days, includes MP3 download and handout).

Therapies

Pregnancy proving to be uncomfortable? Baby overdue? We have a whole range of treatments with our
specialist therapists that could be perfect for you.
Shiatsu, pregnancy massage and reflexology have been known to help bring on labour in cases where the baby is overdue.

Try shiatsu with Caroline Bozkurt, who has over 10 years experience of using shiatsu to help pregnant women with nausea, heartburn, back ache and anxiety. She is also available to help couples who wish to use shiatsu during labour.

Reflexology and Pregnancy massage with Florentina Lam-Clark can be used to relieve a similar range of discomforts and is a fabulous way to relax.

We also offer baby massage for newborns and babies up to approximately 1 year old, so you can learn techniques for therapeutic touch and bonding with your baby. You will learn a whole baby massage sequence in just one session!

Contact us for an appointment, and visit our Therapies page for more information.

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