Getting back into Yoga after a baby break
Getting back into yoga or any other kind of exercise can be really difficult if you’ve taken a break. If you are a new mum your body is still recovering from child birth and anyone who has children will confirm that this can take quite a while and certainly more than 6-8 weeks after birth, which is when you have your post-natal check up in the UK. I’ve written this post to slowly help you get back in shape after baby.
If you have been practicing yoga for a while, it’s quite likely that you will have done some pregnancy yoga, so of course having a baby doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have stopped your practice completely. In reality you will probably have stopped any yoga practice, however, once the baby was born and especially if it’s not your first one and you have other kids to look after.
You will be exhausted and probably the last thing on your mind will be to go to an exercise class – not only because you’re sleep deprived but also because the thought of a regular yoga class after a long break will be daunting!
Easy things to do at home
The following are simple things you can do before you go to a regular yoga class which might be a while if you’re exclusively breast-feeding or if you have more than one child to look after. The abdominal muscles will be the main muscles that will have suffered during pregnancy as they usually split in two. Make sure that your GP checks that the gap between the abdominal muscles is not more than one or two fingers wide so you’re OK to start gentle exercise!
1. Pay attention to how you push the pramThis is a really easy one and an activity that you do all the time so it’s good to get it right! Place the thumbs on top of the handle instead of around it – this makes you automatically stand up straighter and not leaning too much onto the pram and using it as a walking aid (yes I know, you wish that you were the one sleeping happily in it). It also helps to roll the shoulders back instead of forward. Try to focus on gently drawing the navel back to the spine and not sticking out your bottom. |
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2. Do 15 minutes of yoga every day
Lie on your back with your knees bent and peel the spine slowly off the floor and back down. This is lovely for the back and holding it for a while at the top will help to build up core strength. |
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- Practice poses on all fours*
Start with simple cat/dog stretches, which you will have done in pregnancy yoga and then move on to exercises like lifting one arm and the opposite leg. Always make sure you focus on drawing the navel to the spine. These are simple poses which can be done even with the kids around!
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- Practice sun salutations*
Sun Salutations are great to build up stamina and they work your whole body. There are lots of different variations so you can start with an easy version (like this one) with your knees bent instead of chaturanga when you’re lowering yourself to the floor and a gentle cobra instead of upward dog etc. You will find that you will get stronger really quickly in which case you can do the more challenging versions e.g. jumping back which your kids will love! My little ones laugh hysterically when I do that!
3. Attend a couple of post-natal Pilates classes if you can
Even if you normally wouldn’t do Pilates and prefer yoga (like me), Pilates will be very useful as it really focuses on core strength which is what you’re missing after having had a baby. There are lots of short videos on YouTube on post-natal Pilates and only picking two or three exercises will be enough in the beginning.
4. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to do your yoga practice
… because it won’t come!
5. Go easy on yourself
It took nine months to carry the baby, it will take at least nine months (usually more) to get your body back to it’s pre-pregnancy form! You have little people to look after which is a huge responsibility so make sure you take care of yourself – they need you to be happy, calm and healthy!!
*if you’re not sure what you’re doing then please ask a qualified yoga teacher.
These are some fabulous tips. Yoga has always been on my list, need to make more effort and go for it too! Thanks for linking #FitnessTuesday
You should definitely try it when you get a chance. Might help you with the other types of exercise you’re doing too!
Love this, thanks for inspiring, I’m aiming for 10 minutes a day but often do more. #fitnesstuesday
Even doing 10 minutes a day is great! Finding motivation is probably the hardest… Even harder than finding time!