Plan to Keep Up with Your Yoga Routine While Your Newborn Is Napping

If you were an avid yoga practitioner before you gave birth, you know how great this activity is for strengthening your body and centering your mind and emotions. Once your baby is born, there can be a lot of physical and psychological stress going on, but a return to your yoga routine can help.

At Physicians for Women — Melius, Schurr & Cardwell in Madison, Wisconsin, our YogaMoms classes are ideal for regaining tone after giving birth, and we can help you design an at-home routine so you can sneak in extra yoga moments when your newborn is napping!

Transitioning from prenatal to postpartum yoga

We’ve always separated YogaMoms classes into two divisions: prenatal and postpartum. That’s because the goals for each group are different, and so are the yoga poses. When you’re pregnant, your center of balance keeps shifting as you get bigger, and you need a prenatal yoga routine built to help you strengthen your core and prepare your body for childbirth.

Postpartum yoga gives you a lot more freedom, because you’re getting your center of balance back. However, you’re also faced with a body you may feel unfamiliar with. Yoga is a great way to help tighten and tone your new body into great shape so you can look and feel good. Best of all, you can use everything you learn in class to create mini sessions you can do at home during those moments when your newborn isn’t needing to be held, fed, changed, or otherwise attended to. 

Benefits of doing yoga while your newborn is napping

Choosing how to spend those precious moments when your baby doesn’t need you can be challenging. Should you shower, cook, clean, or try to nap yourself? Yoga may not be at the top of your list, but perhaps it should be. There are many benefits to postpartum yoga, including: 

• Relaxation
• Stress relief 
• Reduced moodiness 
• Enhanced strength and flexibility 
• Better sleep 
• Lower back pain relief

Being stressed and overwhelmed after delivery is very common. By using moments when your newborn is sleeping to keep up with your yoga routine, you insert stability and serenity into your life, making it easier to bounce back into shape and maintain your mental and emotional health. 

When you’re ready to resume YogaMom classes, your newborn is welcome to come with you, giving you a chance to socialize in a breastfeeding-friendly environment. In group yoga, you’re surrounded by other moms who know what you’re going through.

Want more information about postpartum YogaMom classes? Call 608-218-4835, or book an appointment online to learn more.