Benefits of Prenatal Yoga | Full Circle Yoga KC (Overland Park)

Eating Well for You and Baby

May 22, 2017 by Full Circle KC

Pregnancy brings some CRAZY cravings!!! With my first pickle juice was my go to! With my second Mexican food! Although I knew it was important for moderation I enjoyed the guilty pleasures while I had a darn good excuse!!

Here’s a good article on healthy options to keep in mind for a healthy you and a healthy baby!

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.

Common Pregnancy Discomforts And How Prenatal Yoga Can Help

May 2, 2017 by Full Circle KC

At the beginning of every prenatal yoga class I check in with my mamas to see how they are feeling. Many times they feel great, other times discomforts are mentioned such as hips, lower back pain, sciatica nerve. Our bodies are undergoing such crazy changes, it’s not surprising, discomforts can arise. Prenatal Yoga can help with all of these discomforts.

I’ve had some requests recently about poses for sciatic nerve discomfort. Pain from the sciatica radiates in the lower back, down the leg and sometimes to the feet and toes. This is due to where the baby is resting, pressing on the nerves of the spine and hip, specifically the sciatica. It can also be due disc problems in the lower back or a tight Piriformis muscle in the hip.

Remember to always listen to your body. Yoga should not hurt. If something doesn’t feel right come out of the pose.

Here a few prenatal yoga poses you can do to help relieve this discomfort:

cat/cow- hands under shoulders, knees under hip starting in table top position inhale. On an exhale round your back. On a inhale come into cow. This helps drop baby forward and warm up your body, stretching back and hips. While in this pose, move into a flat back and look over right shoulder. Do the same with looking over the left shoulder to feel a slight lower back stretch.

Downward facing dog- with slight bend in knees- pressing fingers into ground, lifting from the hips and pressing back with your heels. Carve out your armpits to open your upper back.

Wide Leg forward fold- step legs out to a wide stance. Fold forward hinging from hips. Using blocks or folding forward. This pose stretches the back and hamstrings.

Seated Pigeon pose- a great pose to do at work. Sitting on the edge of a sturdy chair place an ankle on the knee. Sitting tall, hinge from your hips and exhale forward. This pose stretches the gluteal muscles

Thread the needle- same as above, however lying down.

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

Pregnancy Yoga: Kansas City

April 19, 2017 by Full Circle KC

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

Prenatal Yoga Aaaahhh’s

April 6, 2017 by Full Circle KC

Prenatal Yoga at Full circle Yoga KC practices being noisy in preparation for birth! So many women, (including myself) are afraid of making noise, or vocalizing during birth. During my first birthing journey with my daughter I clinched my jaw when I would breath and when it came time to push, I pushed with a clinched jaw. As a result I broke several capillaries while pushing and made labor and delivery a little more difficult for myself.

During my second pregnancy 5 years ago, I became certified in Prenatal Yoga where I learned the power of breath and vocalization. I remember it feeling awkward and a little embarrassing when we practiced during training, but then came time for my second birth, and what a difference it made!! As a result my second labor involved a lot of Aaaahh’s to support deep and long breathing, the opening and relaxation of my pelvis, and served as a productive pain management tool when the waves of contractions became more intense.

Professionals such as Ina May Gaskin, Robert Bradley, Barbara Harper, and Maria Iorillo have all spoke of the powerful connection between an open throat and opening of the throat of the uterus, the cervix.

At Full Circle Yoga KC, we practice vocalizations such as Aaaahh’s and horse lips to help you understand productive breath, eliminate fear and create confidence for your birthing journey.