Blog | Full Circle Yoga Studio in Kansas City

5 Prenatal Yoga Poses

April 21, 2017 by Full Circle KC

Here are my top 5 Prenatal Yoga Poses! Full Circle Yoga KC is an Overland Yoga Studio specializing in Prenatal Yoga, Baby Yoga and Chair Yoga for seniors.

Cat/Cow Prenatal Yoga Pose– this pose helps alleviate lower back pain by making room in spine and dropping baby forward. You can do this pose anytime when you’re feeling lower back discomfort and can often feel immediate response. This is also a wonderful pose during early labor to help rock baby down.

Squat Prenatal Yoga Pose– this pose alleviates hip discomfort and opens and strengthens hips in preparation for birth. Many women give birth in this position. A block can be used to sit on in this pose to open a bit more. If placenta previa is present, 1-2 blocks should be used. If mama is over 34 weeks and baby is breach, avoid squats- doing all fours or bridge pose instead.

Goddess Prenatal Yoga Pose-this is the ultimate mama pose! This pose helps support and work the pelvic floor. At Full Circle Yoga KC we do this pose in almost every prenatal class because it’s such a powerful way to prepare for birth. We tap into our inward strength and breath and build confidence in preparation for birth.

Butterfly Prenatal Yoga Pose– Another wonderful hip opener and can be done anywhere. “It is found that pregnant women who sit daily in this pose for a few minutes will have much less pain during delivery and will be free from varicose veins.” – Childbirth Without Fear by Dr. Grantly Dick Reed

Shavasana Prenatal Yoga Pose– An opportunity to relax and surrender. Queens pose is a wonderful pose in prenatal yoga. Our days can be filled with stress and constant on the go. Ten minutes of Shavansa can restore the mind, body, and spirit.

-Namaste

What is Prenatal Yoga or Pregnancy Yoga? Practicing prenatal yoga is one of the best ways to keep fit during pregnancy because it incorporates, movement, breath, and awareness. All of three of these aspects are needed during a mother’s birthing journey.

Medical experts at the Mayo Clinic have even touted prenatal yoga as “a multifaceted approach to exercise that encourages stretching, mental centering and focused breathing.”

Prenatal yoga offers multiple benefits:

Keep you feeling good and your mind in balance through a full body workout
Create mindfulness around breathing in preparation for labor and delivery
Minimize discomfort of pregnancy through various prenatal yoga poses
Learn poses that can help move labor and delivery along
Meet other moms-to-be for a sense of community and sisterhood
Reduce the risk of gestational diabetes
Offers and opportunity for self care during pregnancy

Full Circle Yoga KC offers prenatal yoga classes that support a mother’s pregnancy journey. In our prenatal classes we practice mindfulness in breathing, bring awareness to our changing bodies, and offer movement for a full body workout.

Some Prenatal Yoga poses that are helpful include:

cat/cow- helps alleviate lower back pain by dropping baby forward. This is also a wonderful pose during early labor.
Squat- alleviates hip discomfort and opens and strengthens hips in preparation for birth
Goddess-works the pelvic floor

Trusting Your Mama Bear Instinct

April 14, 2017 by Full Circle KC

There is so much advice given to expecting mamas and those new to motherhood. One particular area I remember getting so much advice was breastfeeding. For me, being able to breastfeed was super important. I remember a friend telling me that breastfeeding would be hard. Thankfully, I remembered her words of wisdom when that became my truth with my first child.

I felt so strongly about breastfeeding and knowing the dual benefits for both of us, I sought advice from everyone. I went to the hospital’s breastfeeding support group, used a nipple shield, pumped A LOT, took fenugreek until I spelled like maple syrup, and finger fed with feeding tube using my expressed milk, practiced helping my daughter latch on.

I remember feeling a crazed, struggling with who I listen to, some giving the exact opposite advice than the other. Everyone had such good intention, however, I remember the day when I realized I needed to trust my mama bear instinct and follow the advice of those I trusted and those who listened to me and what I felt best for us.

As a new mother, one of the places I found advice and comfort was through reading. I didn’t read a lot (I was sleeping when my first was sleeping!), but those books I read helped guide me and reinforce my confidence as a mother. I also chose not to read too much to avoid overload and frustration. My four favorites are:

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Completely Revised and Updated 8th Edition- Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Teresa Pitman
The Baby Book- Dr. Sears
The Happiest Baby on the Block- Harvey Karp
Easy to Love Difficult to Discipline- Becky Bailey

Websites I found helpful for breastfeeding:

The emotional struggle was real. It was more challenging than giving birth. My hormones were a mess. It didn’t come natural or easy like so many of us are lead to believe. In the end, we were victorious with breastfeeding! With my second child, breastfeeding was much easier because the structure of my breast changed making it easier for him to latch on. I’m beyond grateful for the incredible support from my husband, family, friends, and medical team that allowed me the space and time to make a decision that was right for my daughter and I.

Full Circle Yoga in Overland Park was founded in 2017 by yoga teacher Jenny Hellman focusing on wellness in the early stages of family life from prenatal to early parenthood and the older adult years. Full Circle Yoga KC is an Overland Yoga Studio specializing in Prenatal Yoga, Baby Yoga and Chair Yoga for seniors.

Baby Yoga

April 12, 2017 by Full Circle KC

Baby Yoga in Kansas City is now offered at Full Circle Yoga KC. A yoga class organized around postpartum recovery and baby bonding exercises.

Our Bring Your Own Baby (BYOB) Yoga class is an effective way to get to know your body again, while offering meaningful interaction with your little one. This class also offers opportunities to build relationships with other moms and/or caregivers who are on this momentous life journey of parenting.

We begin our class with introductions and a question to settle into our practice. Questions include:

What tradition are you looking forward to creating (or have you created) as a family?
What’s your favorite book to read together?
Give one word to describe how you are today.

Full Circle Yoga KC moves through a yoga series that incorporates poses for mom while engaging with baby through song and/or touch, baby massage, and mommy/caregiver and baby yoga poses.

All you need is yourself and baby to join us and become a part of the Full Circle Yoga KC community.

Full Circle Yoga KC is a Kansas City Yoga Studio specializing in Prenatal Yoga, Baby Yoga and Chair Yoga for seniors.

Prenatal Yoga In Kansas City

April 11, 2017 by Full Circle KC

Are you looking for Prenatal Yoga in Kansas City? We’ve got you and your little bambino covered…..Full Circle Yoga KC offers a welcoming and relaxing space to exercise, focus, and connect with other pregnant mamas.

We begin our prenatal yoga practice with introductions and a question related to pregnancy. Some of those questions include:

What fruit or vegetable is baby this week?
What lesson have you learned during pregnancy?
What’s your ultimate food craving?

These questions allow for laughter, reflection, and mindfulness, and a way to create community among strong and beautiful moms-to-be.

Full Circle Yoga KC prenatal yoga practice is structured in a way that practices the birthing journey. Our flow moves from “early labor” to “active labor” to “transition and pushing” where we hold poses, practice breathing, and trusting our bodies. We wind down to Shavasana or “bliss” where baby and mom meet skin to skin. Poses are offered to help alleviate discomfort during pregnancy as well as poses that help during labor.

Our studio is small and intimate allowing relationships to be created among mamas and offering one on one mama attention throughout our practice.