Prenatal Yoga in Kansas City | Full Circle Yoga KC

Yoga and Pregnancy

October 15, 2018 by Full Circle KC

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Yoga, or prenatal yoga, and pregnancy are a prefect combination! Prenatal yoga is like the rehearsal leading up to the grand performance of your birthing journey! Mama’s who practice yoga while pregnancy have a strong tool in their well-house to pull from during labor.

While exercising can feel daunting it helps build stamina for labor and supports a healthy pregnancy. Exercise normalizes blood pressure and glucose metabolism, builds muscle tone, helps regulate digestion, increase energy, and improves mood. Exercise also improves blood flow through the placenta by 30%.

Pregnancy has a profound impact on a Mama’s body as the body undergoes physical and emotional changes. The first trimester is often the most challenging period of pregnancy with the greatest physical adaptation that takes place. The blood pressure drops, intense fatigue, nausea, and lower back discomfort, mood swings, and constipation. Regular yoga in the first trimester will help temper these side-effects. Breath awareness that is practiced in prenatal yoga will help increase energy.

The second semester is often referred to has the “blooming period” where energy returns, skin glows, hair shines and the body finds a new normal with pregnancy. Prenatal yoga offers poses that are safe and support the changing shape and weight of a pregnant Mama.

As baby grows and takes up more room, discomforts may set in again in the third trimester. Yet, with poses and stretches offered in prenatal yoga your body will remain strong and prepared for your birthing journey. The emphasis placed on breath in prenatal yoga is the platform for which a Mama can find her inner strength and confidence she can carry into her birthing journey.

Yoga and pregnancy compliment each other so nicely for the dual benefits yoga offers. While exercise is important to Mama and baby, prenatal yoga offers a deeper level of preparing the mind and body for one of the most empowering challenges a Mama will experience. Prenatal yoga prepares a Mama for discomforts that she will experience in labor. Through holding challenging poses and relaxing into these poses it equips a Mama to relax and accept the work her body must do to bring her baby into the world.

Full Circle Yoga KC is family centered yoga studio in Midtown Kansas City specializing in Aerial Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Baby Yoga, Power Vinyasa and more.

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National Breastfeeding Month

August 16, 2018 by Full Circle KC

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Happy National Breastfeeding Month. Best advice I ever received, “if you’re planning to breastfeed, don’t think it comes naturally.” At the time of the advice, little did I know I would really struggle with breastfeeding my first child. Her words of wisdom became my truth as we struggled with latch and producing enough milk supply for my daughter. For me, breastfeeding was incredibly important and I have many happy memories of breastfeeding my children. For others, guilt surfaces when they think about not being able to nurse.

National Breastfeeding Month should offer the opportunity to reflect on the importance of keeping our children healthy. Whether that be through breastfeeding or formula every Mama’s ultimate goal is to keep their baby healthy. I recently read an article from Scary Mommy blog that made some good points about how we might think about breastfeeding month differently. What about Mama’s who can’t despite pulling out all the tricks to breastfeed, what about the Mama’s who decide breastfeeding isn’t for them? While we all know if we’ve done any reading at all, breast is best, sometimes it’s not an option. Supporting our village of Mama’s raising healthy, strong, kind, respectful, empathetic, courageous, and confident children is what our society needs. We may not understand why a Mama decides breastfeeding is not for her, but we can support one another in the journey of motherhood.

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National Breastfeeding Month should also offer the opportunity to normalize public nursing. We’ve all heard about the discrimination women have faced when simply trying to feed their child. Again, we have the opportunity to lift Mama’s up and support hungry babies by empowering Mama’s and creating a safe and accepting society. There are several ways to help support the normalization of breastfeeding.

In the end our ultimate goal should be to lift all Mama’s up and remembering that we are champions for each other in raising healthy children.

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.

Practicing Visualization in Prenatal Yoga

June 27, 2018 by Full Circle KC

Visualization is just one of many techniques we practice at in prenatal yoga classes Full Circle Yoga KC: Close your eyes and allow your facial muscles to relax, soften your brows, allow your jaw to relax releasing the tongue from the roof of you mouth. Take two breaths here, letting the exhale be longer than the inhale. Let yourself be present to this moment and find gratitude in all your beautiful body and baby are doing together in team.

As your eyes remain closed imagine yourself standing on a warm beach, first feel the warmth of the sand on your feet and between your toes. With a stick in hand, or using your finger, imagine that you are writing the number one in the sand. See the number one in your mind, watch your finger start at the top and draw a line to the bottom, making the number two visualize the curves and turns to complete the number two, moving to number three see the number being engraved into the sand, now to 4, see in your mind the number 5. Continue in this manner until you get to the number 10 and start over again. Take a restorative breath, feel yourself surrender into this journey.

Above is just one of many examples of visualization techniques for birth. Other techniques include:

count the ripples as you imagine throwing a rock into a pond
visualizing the contractions as riding the waves- hear the rhythmic lapping of the waves, the breaker in the wave is the most intense part of the contraction and as the wave crashes into the beach is a moment to relax before the next wave/contraction.
the mental imagery of your favorite flower- what is the flower, where do you see the flower, size, shape, how many pedals, smell. Visualize the opening of the flower as your body opens to bring life into the world.

heading 2 Importance of Visualization

Practicing visualization in prenatal yoga allows it to become a practiced tool when entering labor, a journey into the unknown. Visualization can be a wonderful tool to ride through the contractions and avoid spiraling from the pain of contractions. When a Mama can place her attention on imagery it can often curb the intensity of the contraction in order to get to the next contraction. Lots of visualization is placed on the end of the long hard journey of giving birth at Full Circle Yoga KC.

Visualization is not a practice that comes natural to many. It’s easy to get off track or let the outside stimuli or thoughts interrupt visualization. Practicing prior to the birthing journey allows it to be an organic self-help comfort measure.

At Full Circle Yoga KC our prenatal yoga offers a class that mamas at all stages can practice and build their physical and emotional strength in preparation for their birthing journey.

Pregnancy Yoga at Full Circle Yoga KC

April 26, 2018 by Full Circle KC

Pregnancy Yoga at Full Circle Yoga KC

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Pregnancy Yoga is just what the body needs in preparation for one the most incredible life events a woman will experience.

Mamas come to Full Circle Yoga KC for numerous reasons:

“I have had to stop doing the intense workouts I used to do, but coming here is the right amount of intense and calm, and it shows me what my body really can do.”

“It’s humbling to see the strength of my body and mind and it really helps relieve my back discomfort.”

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“I get time to myself and get the space to settle my mind.”

“I have a increased level of energy and I also sleep better after class.”

“I’m learning to appreciate and enjoy shavasana!”

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The word “Yoga” from the Sanskrit word yuj means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as “union” or a method of discipline. Pregnancy Yoga is a powerful way to unite you and your growing baby and practice a method of discipline to cultivate coping strategies you can take into labor and delivery. Mama’s qualify of life is important for good pregnancy outcomes and pregnancy yoga supports full body health and wellness.

The birthing journey will take a Mama to the brinks of impossible, yet it’s this same experience that a Mama can feel more empowered than ever!

Mamas of all yoga levels come to prenatal yoga, however most Mamas are new to yoga and have heard the buzz that pregnancy yoga is good for pregnancy, and they are right! Studies show that practicing prenatal yoga can reduce stress, ease discomforts, and ease labor. For most of us life is busy and we are consumed by day to day hustle and bustle. Finding time to create space to consciously prepare Mama’s body both mind, and spirit helps prepare for the arrival of a little human.

Recognizing what your body is able to do in challenging poses helps build confidence for what your body can do when you’re experiencing contractions. Using breath and movement during intense poses is the method of discipline that cultivates coping strategies during contractions and pushing baby into the world. Practicing pregnancy yoga makes movements and visualizations a practiced technique that can be carried into the birthing journey.

Full Circle Yoga KC is family centered yoga studio in Midtown Kansas City specializing in Aerial Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Baby Yoga, Power Vinyasa and more.

Why Prenatal Yoga?

January 23, 2018 by Full Circle KC

You’re growing to have a baby!!! With growing a baby comes a myriad of emotions: pure excitement, worry, terror, doubt, sadness, joy, love, empowered, apprehensive and much more. Your body is changing every day and often pregnancy brings with it discomfort. Prenatal Yoga can support you on one of the most powerful life experiences you’ll have!

Prenatal Yoga can play an important role in finding balance and relaxation in a multitude of ways as one travels through pregnancy.

Offers comfort measures to those nagging aches and body discomforts
Offer positions that can support labor and delivery
An educated Prenatal Yoga instructor can suggest various poses for different situations during pregnancy, labor and delivery to support mom and baby.
Practice techniques to work through your birthing journey like visualization
Practice breathing, one of the most important tools a Mama will take into her birthing journey.
Receive affirmation that your body is beautiful you are strong.
Unite and receive support and community from other strong women on the same journey as you.
Help you build your toolbox for your baby’s day of birth.
Offers coping mechanisms’ for labor and delivery
Provide supportive ways for partner to be actively involved in the birthing journey.

At Full Circle Yoga KC our prenatal yoga offers a supportive class that mamas at all stages can practice and build their physical and emotional strength in preparation for their birthing journey.