Teacher TrainingNadia Raafat2021-01-22T09:27:38+00:00

Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training and CPD in Pregnancy Yoga.

As a senior pregnancy yoga teacher with many years experience both in the yoga studio teaching pregnancy yoga and as a birth doula accompanying over 50 women and couples during their births, Nadia feels ready to share some of her experience and knowledge with the emerging field of new Pregnancy Yoga teachers working in this field.

Nadia has taught continuously in this field (through her own 4 pregnancies) for the last 14 years teaching hundreds of women yoga during pregnancy. She ran the perinatal arm of BatterseaYoga for many years devising and teaching pregnancy yoga, birth education, postnatal yoga and baby yoga to the BatterseaYoga community. Nadia has also devised a 5 class Yoga and Mindfulness for Pregnancy & Birth programme, available online and in DVD box set format and also devised her own 12 week course which brings the teachings of Mindfulness to a 12 week Yoga programme.

Nadia has trained in Yoga and Meditation with numerous organisations and teachers over the years including Faust Dorelli and the Innergy Yoga Centre, Sivananda Vedanta Org, the British Wheel of Yoga, Satayanada Org, the London Mindfulness Centre, the London College of Clinical Hypnotherapy, the Shambala Centre, Amarvatti Monastery. She has been taught by many wonderful teachers and field leaders including Francoise Freedman, Sally Lomas and Ingrid Lewis of Birthlight, Judy Cameron and Tara Fraser of the BWY, Lolly Stirk of YogaBirth, Michel Odent and Lilianna Lamis, Debra Bonali-Pascaro (Orgasmic Birth), Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (Yoga Campus), Swami Pragyamurti, Stephanie Larson (Dancing for Birth) Spinning Babies, Dr Sarah Buckley and many others. She has been influenced by numerous others on her journey as a woman, mother and teacher as diverse as energy healers and psychotherapists, birth activists and many wonderful midwives and doulas. Nadia is a member of Birthlight, the British Wheel of Yoga (BWY), the Positive Birth Movement and the Federation of Antental Educators (FEDANT).

As a writer on all matters pregnancy, birth and yoga related she has many articles published in numerous print and online journals, magazines and blogs. You can read some of her recent articles on her blog.

As a pregnancy yoga teacher, her central focus and point of interest within pregnancy has been supporting women to move towards total mind-body-spirit alignment with the incredible birth process. She has found that the combination of Yoga and Mindfulness offers a potent formula for self-empowerment and self-discovery during pregnancy and birth. With that end in mind she is committed to devising training that enables women to overcome their anxieties, fears and limitations both physical, mental and emotional so that they can embrace this most awesome experience. Through the maternal rite of passage that is childbirth women can discover their own incredible power and the immense natural power that moves through them. She is committed to women knowing their bodies, knowing their rights and knowing how to nurture themselves with yoga and mindfulness on their heroic journey to motherhood.

As a pregnancy yoga teacher trainer she is keen to impart a clear pathway for teachers to guide their students towards this more internal aspect of the birth process. This training involves exploring what is an adequate preparation path to accessing the state of Yoga or Mindful Awareness in the birthing room. And because birth is in practice for so many these days a clinical experience part of the pathway has to be exploring how to navigate and overcome the many obstacles that steer a pregnant woman away from peace and presence during labour towards distraction, fear and pain.

Nadia is firmly committed to supporting all women, regardless of ethnicity, age or creed to experience a birth free of un-necessary intervention and disempowerment. It is the right of every woman to feel cared for, supported and acknowledged fully during the childbirth process.

Bringing Mindfulness to your Pregnancy Yoga Classes CPD

A One Day Workshop for Pregnancy Yoga Teachers with Nadia Raafat and Birthlight Yoga

Saturday April 21; 10am-5pm

Synchronicity Studios, 157 A Hubert Grove, Clapham North, SW9.

Cost: Cost:£65 (Birthlight Members, £80 Non-members)

Booking: Booking Link: https://birthlight.com/TrainingDetail.aspx?id=1134

This CPD is being offered in conjunction with Birthlight – the world’s largest Pregnancy Yoga Teacher training organisation.

This is the third time Nadia teaches this workshop for Birthlight which has been very well received by all who have attended.

Yoga is inherently a mindful practice and yet often pregnancy yoga teachers do not communicate the mindfulness or, it is communicated, so subtly that it is neither received nor understood by the pregnant student.

While all experienced yoga teachers understand that mindfulness is implicit in their practice, teachers are often not given the necessary training in how to communicate these skills to their pregnant students.

Yet key mindfulness skills such as acceptance and present moment awareness can literally transform the childbirth experience. Learning to work with Fear and Pain using Mindfulness techniques really empowers pregnant women to embrace the normal birth process.

Pregnancy Yoga teachers can hugely benefit from specialised mindfulness training adapted specifically for the unique challenges of pregnancy and birth.

By learning to teach the key skills of mindfulness and incorporate meditation into their pregnancy yoga context they will pass on a body of knowledge to their mothers with manyfold benefits some of which include:

transforming the birthing and mothering experience
enabling the mothers to really listen and hear the communications of their own bodies and to develop trust in their maternal instinct
reducing mental anxiety during pregnancy and childbirth
reducing fear during pregnancy and child-birth

enabling a deeper fuller connection with their unborn babies
deepening their yoga practice
strengthening their inner focus and expand their inner awareness
reducing postnatal depression
instilling confidence in their mothering

This one day workshop for pregnancy yoga teachers introduces the essential skills of mindfulness and meditation and explores how to incorporate them into your pregnancy yoga teaching and specifically to your teaching of yoga around childbirth and new motherhood.

If you would like to weave this powerful knowledge into your own Pregnancy Yoga Teaching then please come and join me for the next workshop.

All CPD Participants will receive a Birthlight Certificate of Attendance. The day’s training will count towards your organisation’s annual quota of CPD required training points.

This CPD is open to ALL Pregnancy Yoga Teachers and Yoga Teachers undertaking Pregnancy Yoga training.

CPD Testimonials:

“An inspirational day.” Isis de Jour

“Fantastic day, thank you Nadia. Highly recommend this workshop.” Vicki Stevenson

“Highly Recommended” Julie Bickerton

“It was such a lovely group and I felt fully integrated, thanks to you for managing it so brilliantly.” Effal Guven Lebouquien

Bringing Mindfulness to your Pregnancy Yoga Classes CPD

Saturday April 21; 10am-5pm

Synchronicity Studios, 157 A Hubert Grove, Clapham North, SW9.

Cost: Cost:£65 (Birthlight Members, £80 Non-members).

Booking Link: https://birthlight.com/TrainingDetail.aspx?id=1134

I feel privileged and so very lucky to have been able to bring her into the world that way, so thank you for your part in that.

An excellent course. I had a very traumatic first birth. This course with Nadia and the groups support has made me feel confident I can and will have a positive birth experience second time around. It was extremely informative and empowering. Its literally changed my mindset and made me feel able to have a natural and positive birth experience . can’t thank you enough as I genuinely did not think this was possible.

Zoe Attenborough

A hugely satisfying course – much marathon anticipated. Have gained overall insight, empowerment and learned how to control anxiety and fear..

Anon

I dilated from 4-7cm in an hour which is apparently very quick for a first time mum, and used just tens, the pool and gas / air. So far from the elective c-section we assumed we’d have at the start of the pregnancy.

Anon

Amazing course, fantastic preparation for birth and beyond. You’ll be able to face birth confidently. Can’t recommend it enough. And as an extra bonus, you get to meet like-minded local mums to be!

Bea Pascual

I can’t thank Nadia enough for introducing me to mindfulness, not only did I use it every step of the way during labour, but it has helped me in other aspects of my life and especially now with a new baby!”

Anon

“I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the help and advice you gave us. Not only did it help enormously thorough labour (and even now), but I have made such a great group of friends through our meetings who have been a great support, and now this little bundle of joy is more than I could ever have wished for!

It was absolutely fantastic and I only wish we could all meet every week with you and even after all our births too. Everything I learnt on the course has been and will continue to be a huge support also throughout my pregnancy and beyond. However, even more so, the support from our little group of girls, it is invaluable and I cannot thank you enough for that.

Georgina Sims-Stirling

Nadias Mindful Birthing Course felt like a calming, safe haven during my pregnancy. I learnt invaluable calming techniques which saw me through my labour and I use now with my baby on those more fretful days!

Natasha

I participated in Nadia’s pregnancy yoga and her Mindful birthing course. I could not have wished for a better group of Mother’s to spend this journey with, Nadia guided us through so many varied aspects of birth and motherhood and it was so incredible to use her experience during my birth and now in my mothering journey. Nadia has taught me so much and I am so grateful to her for inspiring me and sharing her knowledge. I cannot recommend Nadia’s yoga and mindful birthing course more highly.

Jo Hanks

I would absolutely recommend this course. I have gained vital mental preparation for birth and beyond which I am not sure how else I would have got. I am now excited rather than fearful about the whole thing. And I have learned Meditation and Mindfulness which I love!

A hugely satisfying course – much marathon anticipated. Have gained overall insight, empowerment and learned how to control anxiety and fear..

Anon

Nadia’s mindful birthing course was fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough! After a traumatic first birth it enabled me to put my fears to one side and have an amazing birth experience second time round. A huge thank you!

anon