Yoga after the birth: when can I start?

I was pregnant – when can I start yoga?

Hurray, you did it, your child is here. Congratulations! The first days and weeks with the little baby are very special. In addition to absolute heart-in-the-eyes moments, there are also times when your stress level almost goes through the roof. Relaxation exercises are just what you need. Perhaps you remember your yoga class before the birth and wonder if there is also training available for your current situation. The good answer: Yes, there is, so-called postnatal yoga.

Perhaps you need something of your own during this time of change and external determination, are looking for relaxation or a gentle type of physical training. For these and more reasons, yoga is the ideal training for you, because the Indian philosophy combines body and mind , i.e. relaxation with physical exercises.

In case you should question the benefits: Studies show that regular yoga can help reduce stress and lead to more relaxation. For young parents that sounds almost like music to the ears.

If the birth wasn’t just yesterday and it was relatively uncomplicated, there is nothing wrong with starting yoga. Before you go on the mat, however, you should get the OK from your midwife and your gynecological care provider. Because only when from a medical point of view nothing speaks against your sporting activity , you can safely train again. Incidentally, this applies to any sport shortly after your pregnancy and birth.

If you feel insecure, the following still applies: Listen to your body. Don’t do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, just try to enjoy the time as much as possible and relax. The training doesn’t run away from you and you can start later if you feel really ready for it. This is individual for each person and no reason to be disappointed in yourself. Pregnancy and childbirth are sweaty and exhausting phases of life that your body cannot simply process within days. So give yourself time to let the experience sink in.

Enough advice, let’s get back to yoga. If you have not yet taken a course, it is worth making an inquiry to studios near you. Some already offer yoga for young mothers, yoga for regression or yoga with babies or toddlers on their website . The selection of suitable courses is large and depends on what you want.

Another option is to book an online course or download an app onto your smartphone. However, this is more suitable if you already have experience in yoga , know what you can now demand from your body, and want to continue practicing independently. Otherwise, there is a great risk that you will overdo yourself and expect too much from yourself. In addition, it is often difficult for beginners without direct guidance to learn a sport without health risks. It is therefore particularly important to make sure that the course has been medically validated .

What is different about yoga right after pregnancy?

First of all, you are different. You are now responsible for a small child and of course that also influences you in the head and in the heart. Your emotions may be going crazy , you may fluctuate between laughing and crying – all of this is perfectly normal after giving birth. Sometimes taking a class with like-minded people can help you share experiences on an equal footing.

Your body is now recovering from pregnancy and childbirth and depending on how long ago they were, you may still have impairments. This ranges from injuries to the perineum, vagina and cervix to stretched muscles, overloaded connective tissue and a weakened pelvic floor . After a caesarean section, your stomach can also hurt, especially during movements that put strain on the abdominal wall, such as standing up. But coughing or sneezing can now also cause pain.

Some of these physical changes will stay with you for life , but that’s not a negative. Your body has created something wonderful and now carries this memory within itself. You can be proud of yourself and your body, but of course it takes a while before you can accept these changes for yourself. Perhaps you will discover the nice thing about it, for example that you have become more mindful of yourself and listen more to your body.

But back to the first few weeks after the birth: midwives recommend that you only start exercising after the so-called puerperium. The puerperium refers to the six to eight weeks after the birth . During this period, the body slowly regenerates. In the first few days after giving birth, you may still struggle with after-labor. These are the contractions of the uterus that help the uterus to regress.

In addition, you now have the weekly flow with which your body flushes all the dead material out of the uterus. This can last up to six weeks, whereby it is still bloody at the beginning, then slowly decreases and becomes lighter and lighter to gray-whitish.

As you can see, these first days and weeks are anything but ideal for athletic training. When this first phase of regression is over and your medical care is OK, things can slowly start again. This is the earliest possible time to start yoga. However, there is no late entry. You can start practicing yoga a few weeks, months or even years later.

Postnatal yoga: postpartum training

Postnatal yoga is intended to be used after the birth . The focus here is on issues such as endurance, muscle tone, stability and physical strength. In addition to regression, the pelvic floor is also trained again . In addition, frequent complaints, such as neck tension, are included in the concept so that these areas are also trained. The focus is also on the young parents’ emotional balance. The training begins slowly and is adapted to the respective participants depending on previous knowledge, birth experience and the process in the puerperium.

But please do not take a course without first talking to your gynecological practice in detail. Because this gentle variant of yoga is also sport, and childbirth has holistic effects on your body, your soul and your nerves . Take it easy for as long as you have to and as you want, and then slowly start training again with the assistance of a doctor. Because here, too, the following applies: Do what is good for you.

If you had a caesarean section, the scar should be well healed before you start the exercises. If you have problems with the experience and the scar, it may help you if you massage your lower stomach at the beginning in order to perceive this scar as a new part of you and to gradually accept it.

Some postnatal yoga courses are certified prevention courses and count as postnatal measures . Therefore, some health insurance companies take over this course. Some courses are actually designed to bring the kids along and include them. Other courses are just for you because it may as well be good for you to see the course as time just for you. Maybe it is possible to leave your child with their other parent or with someone you trust. Depending on what you are more comfortable with, you can take a course just for you or look for a course in which you can actively involve your child .

Postpartum yoga: what to look out for

Yoga after pregnancy can not only help you to reduce stress and exchange ideas with like-minded people, it can also support you with typical complaints and regression.

The yoga courses especially for participants shortly after the birth differ in some essential points from other yoga practices, because the body is in a special condition after the puerperium, so that not all exercises are suitable for restarting training.

Therefore, postnatal yoga courses are recommended for the time after the birth , which are specially tailored to the intensive period after pregnancy. You can attend these courses alone or book one in which you can bring your child with you. However, all activities should only take place after consulting a doctor