About Our Yoga
Anusara Yoga- founded by John Friend in 1997 – is our inspiration at Ma Yoga. Anusara® is an uplifting, life-affirming yoga based in principles of alignment that help us move into our highest potential. First of all, principles are both therapeutic – helping us eliminate back, wrist, neck and knee pain, which are so common during pregnancy. Pregnancy hormones work on every joint – not just the pelvis – and create vulnerability. Any misalignment you might have started with gets magnified. Understanding the direction our muscles and bones want to go to create stability, as our teachers do, give instant physical relief and a consistent practice can keep you out of pain throughout the whole journey.
What we also love about Anusara is that it’s all about remembering that we are all connected, that the same energy creating your friends big belly is creating your little one. This energy is always at play (“lila“) and instead of worrying about differences, we can start to celebrate them. So our worries from comparing get transformed into “wow! Look how different our bellies are. Awesome.” Or “I feel that having my baby in a __________ (hospital, birth center, house) is right for me and I’m so glad you found the place where you feel safest.”
Especially when applied to the crazy life transition of pregnancy, this uplifting Tantric school of yoga helps us receive blessings in all the ups and downs, the doubts and excitement, and even the aches and pains. Learning how to be with physical discomfort (there will be some even alignment can’t fix) becomes wonderful preparation for lying all night with a sick baby sleeping on you with your head in awkward position against the wooden headboard. Finding strength in Warrior II becomes training for standing your ground with your screaming toddler.
It’s an amazing time to learn yoga as when we become new moms, as these practices will help us stay connected to our kula – heart-filled community – and feel supported even when we can’t make it to class. In this yoga, we learn how to find the feeling of support in our own bodies so we can enjoy offering a wide open heart to our babies, our loved ones, and our community.
Many people think of prenatal yoga as “gentle yoga.” While in our classes you will be taken step by step through breathing and alignment that will feel delicious, prenatal yoga is very much about finding your strength – both inner and outer – so you can experience more sweetness on your journey to motherhood and beyond. An important principle of Anusara Yoga is balanced action. Thanks to pregnancy hormones, the body, especially the joints, is expanding and becoming less stable. We create stability first, and then enjoy freedom, making more space for baby and breath. In doing so, we find our aches and pains dissolving and a feeling of steadiness manifesting.
In prenatal yoga, we take time out to connect to our bodies and our growing baby by using our breath, so that we can have moments of realizing the hugeness of what is happening our lives. Yoga helps us make the most of our 9 months, so that we are fully prepared to be the mother we want to be.
The word “Ma” in Sanskrit, the ancient language of yoga, refers to the Great Mother that we all have within us – our greatest possibility as a human being, the most expansive love, and deepest strength there is. It is all there within you, waiting to be experienced and enjoyed!
Come play on the mat with moms-to-be, and continue as a mom to continue to enjoy the wonderful support, resources, and teachings of Ma Yoga for Pregnancy, Motherhood & Beyond.
Prenatal yoga is one of the only exercises that it’s ok to start when pregnant (another is walking). Prenatal yoga has been shown in many studies to increase health and wellness in these ways:
1. Helps reduce high blood pressure
2. Helps reduce stress, one of the major risk factors for preterm birth and other negative birth outcomes
3. Helps reduce common pregnancy-related aches and pains, such as shoulder, wrist, and back
4. Offers a support network that can continue into motherhood
5. Teaches meditation, breathing, and alignment tools that can help new moms escape the blues
6. Offers access to a greater birth support community so you can get help with issues as they arise
7. Gives you an opportunity to practice making decisions from your authentic Self
Come experience the playful power of life creating life as your baby and YOU – as the mother you are becoming!
Follow Us!