Yoga and growing babies goes hand in hand; the physical and mental benefits of yoga are particularly helpful in pregnancy on the journey through gestation, birth and parenting, and this workshop is designed to demystify the process and remove the fear that is sometimes associated with pregnant students in public classes.

In this Prenatal Yoga primer, we endeavor to take the worry out of teaching a pregnant student and supply you with the basics to be safe, knowledgeable and helpful in your teaching.

In this class you will learn:

Basic anatomy of the pregnant body

Some basic "Do's and Don'ts”

The strengths and weaknesses in a pregnant body

Some helpful modifications to well-known poses

How yoga can prepare one for birth both physically and mentally

“Trauma is not a flaw or a weakness. It is a highly effective tool of safety and survival. Trauma is also not an event. Trauma is the body’s protective response to an event—or a series of events—that it perceives as potentially dangerous.” - Resmaa Menakem

It’s estimated that up to 1 in 3 people may experience trauma during childbirth. And many people may enter the process of growing a baby and birth with a history of trauma.

In this training we will address the importance of creating a trauma sensitive yoga class for folks who are growing babies or have recently giving birth.

In this class you will learn:

The basics of trauma and it’s impact on the mind and body

Gain understanding of the prevalence of trauma, as it specifically relates to people during their birthing years

How yoga may be helpful (or potentially harmful) for people who have experienced trauma.

Applicable skills to bring into your classes to help create a more trauma sensitive space

In such a binary world, how do we expand our language and worldview to create spaces where queer and trans* folks feel seen and celebrated?

Prenatal and postpartum yoga classes often only speak to mamas and the experiences of dominant culture of cisgender, partnered and heteronormative family making.

There are so many paths to creating a family, all genders can grow babies, and a myriad of family structures can nurture babies.

In this class you will learn:

Through experience what it feels like to participate in a movement class that isn’t presumptive about your body and gender

How to use language that welcomes gender expansiveness and a diversity of family structures

Gain understanding about the importance of offering expansive language in group classes and reduce the impact of your assumptions or biases

Practices to acknowledge privilege, identity and ways to make repairs when mistakes/harm may happen

After the birth of a baby, the body, energy and psyche of the person have changed significantly. At this tender time, many people feel like their body is fragmented, weak or even like it is simply falling apart. They may be eager to jump back to regular group yoga classes and when they do, can sometimes find themselves feeling even worse.

This workshop is for all yoga and movement teachers. You will feel more confident in supporting your students as they make their way back to public group yoga classes.

In this class you will learn:

How to help students understand how to practice safely through better alignment

Anatomy and alignment specific to the postpartum body with a focus on the "Core"

Some common issues that the post-birthing body can encounter, such as Diastastis Recti

Learn the basics about healing and supporting the pelvic floor