As a Mom & Baby Yoga teacher with 15 years experience, of course I believe in the vast benefits of the practice- I wouldn’t be a teacher if I didn’t! However, I’m a bit skeptical on some of the claims. Better infant sleep? Yoga practice certainly didn’t help in this department for my babies or me! Increased brain activity? I’d like to see the research study proving that! Happier babies? Maybe it’s a false perception since the moms with fussy babies tend to stay home? (That was me with my first, who seemed to be the only baby who put up a fuss the two or three times we regretfully took the chance of going to class. If this is you, please see #7 below.) I give you my big “expert” shrug on these particular assertions. If you come to my class, I can promise you these seven benefits:

Being a mom, particularly during pregnancy and the first few years is challenging enough on its own- adding the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can push us over the edge! The magic and joy of the season easily gets lost under the extra stress most moms feel at this time of the year. Here are a few tips to reduce the stress and increase the joy this holiday season.

Living in a culture that is so weight focused, it’s hard for most moms to make peace with the physical changes that pregnancy and postpartum bring. We are constantly bombarded with photos of hot, seemingly perfect celebrities just weeks after birth. Weight loss ads are everywhere you look. Physically, it often feels just plain weird to be pregnant (and postpartum) and let’s not forget all of the hormones that induce feelings of emotional vulnerability. This is the perfect recipe to make moms super self-conscious about their bodies.

It’s no secret that having a baby brings a lot of challenging life changes. If you are expecting your first, it’s hard to know what exactly these changes will be and how best to prepare for them. Even if you are expecting your second or third, there are unknowns regarding how to juggle more than one child or how the needs of this baby may differ from your first. Here are a few tips from my own personal experience. By no means is this list exhaustive, but hopefully it will get you started.