Peach Friedman
author, educator & trainer
intuitive fitness for women

i’m teaching prenatal yoga on saturday mornings at mamunchis, a darling mommy/baby shop focused on organic, sustainable products that also offers about a dozen classes for expectant families and little ones.

first of all, i love mamunchis, and if you’re ever in the auburn area (mamunchis is actually in opelika, al) you have to stop by and check out their products. i literally can’t wait to get pregnant again just to adorn myself with some of their goods. silly!? i think not…just…girly, i guess!

anyway, i adore teaching prenatal yoga. in part because i get to hang out with beautiful, glowing moms-to-be, but also because it reminds me every week how truly special it is to be a woman. our ability to carry a child isn’t really unique, i guess, because animals from donkeys to kitty cats (one of my daughter’s favorites) do it too. but still, what a miracle.

when we’re pregnant, our bodies change really beyond our control. and for someone with a history like mine, i can’t learn that valuable lesson too many times. prenatal yoga has dozens of benefits (literally), but the three i want to highlight are…

1) take some time to appreciate your changing body.
moms-to-be spend plenty of time complaining of a whole array of physical discomforts, but how often do we stop, take a deep breath, and acknowledge the beauty of what’s going on in there? and even if we do, it may be for a fleeting moment. a prenatal yoga class puts us in a setting with other moms where we can quiet down as a group, take a few deep breaths, and spend the hour fully aware of our bodies as they grow and change.

2) make pregnancy more comfortable!
because the reality is, most of us have morning sickness & fatigue followed by a brief respite before the heartburn, constant need to pee, downward pressure, sciatica, and shortness of breath set in. prenatal yoga moves and stretches our body in ways that make more room for baby, release muscular tension in the low back and hips (relieving sciatica), increase circulation through the entire body, and otherwise ‘un-tweak’ some of those spots that have become a little iffy.

3) help prepare for labor.
whether you’re aiming for a totally natural birth, or you have a planned c-section, prenatal yoga helps ready you for the big day. postures like malasana help open the hips, while other poses help strengthen leg muscles (good for pushing!) and breathing exercises help hone our focusing skills for when we the going gets tough in the birthing room and we need to stay calm. even if you end up with a spinal and a c-section, it’s useful to keep the body supple and strong so that recovery is that much smoother.

whether you join me at mamunchis or find your way to another prenatal class, i hope any of my expectant moms out there will find a good reason to get a little yoga on with baby on board…!