How yoga and mindfulness for pregnancy and birth can help mums-to-be handle the unexpected twists and turns of their journey. There is a space between the stimulus and the response and in that space lies your power and freedom” — Victor Frankel I wanted to labour in that space; that timeless space where everything is [...]
The drive and vision of three female yoga pioneers, Janet Balaskas, Lolly Stirk and Francoise Freedman, initiated a movement that transformed childbirth and laid the foundations for pregnancy yoga in the UK today. Here, they talk to Nadia Raafat about their early yoga experiences, inspirations, pregnancies and births. Janet Balaskas Active Birth (activebirthcentre.com) How [...]
Maternity Chakras The Spiritual Anatomy of Pregnancy Discovering the Wisdom of the Chakras During the Maternity Year Our bodies have an energetic system; a structure of subtle energy pathways, which act as intersections between the different dimensions of our experience; spiritual, mental, emotional, physical and instinctual. This system, known as the chakra system, [...]
MAKE 2021 THE YEAR YOU BECOME A PREGNANCY YOGA TEACHER YOGA & MINDFULNESS TEACHER FOR PREGNANCY & BIRTH TRAINING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BATTERSEA YOGA STUDIO APPLY NOW REQUEST SYLLABUS YOGA AND MINDFULNESS FOR PREGNANCY AND BIRTH Lasting one month and comprising over 100 hours, with a faculty of four teachers, the [...]
During the Coronavirus lockdown period, I am live streaming my Pregnancy Yoga, Dynamic Hatha Yoga and Yin Yoga classes via Zoom. […]
We are delighted to let you know that our Pregnancy Yoga & Mindful Birthing Course will be starting in September, not just at our studio in Battersea, but for the first time in Kingston upon Thames at the Krishna Yoga Centre, 34 Portsmouth Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2BF […]
By Nadia Raafat Take these ten steps during your pregnancy to prepare your body and mind for an empowered and positive birth experience and one you will remember with joy. 1.Prepare your Body with Yoga Yoga is the optimum physical practice for pregnancy. Working on every level of the being from the physical to the [...]
When I was carrying my first pregnancy, unplanned, aged 31 years and only 18 months into a relationship - my birth preparation was more about where the baby and I would live, and how I would support us, (should my partner - suffering from acute anxiety - decide he was not ready for fatherhood) than which [...]
Nadia Raafat shares five ways to practise mindfulness in pregnancy and motherhood This article first appeared in Juno Magazine 24 April 2015 Research has shown that yoga and mindfulness decrease depression and anxiety during pregnancy.1 Now researchers are discovering that it makes labour easier too.2 Using the following five tools should help you stay calm and relaxed [...]
In Yoga the chair is a familiar prop enabling greater access to a wide range of postures. During pregnancy the chair is an invaluable way to adapt and practice many yoga postures including inversions, forward bends, twists and balances. Antenatal Yoga Teacher, Birth Doula and Founder of Becoming Mother, Nadia Raafat takes us through a Chair Yoga sequence [...]