Join Beth Donnelly and Lara Kohn Thompson in a 3-day exploration and in-depth learning as you go deeper as a Prenatal Yoga instructor.
Doulas and health care professionals are also welcome to attend.
We will cover a broad range of topics such as how to teach a safe and fluid yoga class while building a bridge into labor, birth, and the early postpartum. We will dive deeper into the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum and explore ways to address common issues as well as more complicated physical, mental, emotional, and social challenges that may arise. You will learn ways of guiding people through practices that serve as comfort measures and coping strategies for late pregnancy, labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum. The information in this training can be woven into prenatal yoga classes or it can be taught as a workshop or private session.
This Advanced training addresses many of the common discomforts of late pregnancy as well as helps people prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally for labor and birth, using various techniques and philosophies of Yoga along with the practice of effective pain-management strategies. Teachers and health care professionals will gain a comprehensive understanding of the anatomy and physiology of late pregnancy, labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum and effective ways to safeguard the universal needs of people through the birthing process.
We will explore positions, movement, and rhythms that influence fetal position, encourage progress in labor and support a greater sense of ease, empowering a person as they prepare for labor and birth. We will work with breath and sound as ways to steady and calm the mind, induce relaxation, dissipate pain, and energize the body. We will work with touch—massage, counterpressure, acupressure points—as means to provide comfort, facilitate progress, and relieve pain. When the mind is free of tension and fear, the body is able to give birth with greater ease. We will practice relaxation techniques and visualizations for labor and birth. Teachers will also learn about medical interventions and their potential impact on the birth process. Among the topics we will discuss are the use of heat and/or cold for comfort, eating and drinking as essential labor support, and the benefits of water in various forms.
The training will cover a broad range of topics, including:
how to support pregnant people in making embodied choices in their yoga practice and in their life
how to safely sequence and teach a flowing class that relieves the common discomforts and restores energy to pregnant people.
building a bridge from pregnancy to labor and the postpartum period
exploring ways that the various aspects of yoga provide support to the pregnant person and their families through this journey
Using partner work as a way to connect and provide support
Working with props such as the rebozo work to provide comfort, ease, and therapeutic techniques such as additional stability and fetal positioning
Practicing appropriate touch such as massage, counterpressure, and acupressure points
We will also leave time for discussion to address any challenges and questions participants have encountered in their teaching.
This training is for Yoga teachers who have completed a basic prenatal training and have at least 6 months of experience teaching prenatal yoga. It is also open to doulas and health care providers.
Upcoming Dates
2024 dates tba
