About Prenatal & Postpartum Yoga
Pregnancy isn't just cute baby kicks.
It can be difficult.
Pregnant women often feel isolated, anxious, and depressed.
Especially in the US, which ranks 10th out of 10 developed countries in maternal care and mortality.
We used to learn how to become a mom by living with family members and watching them.
Then, when we had baby, we had tons of people around us to prepare food and clean house while we rested with baby.
No wonder postpartum depression – which can happen anytime during pregnancy or postpartum – is more widespread than ever, and anxiety is becoming even more common.

- 45% of women report their births were traumatic (Journal of Perinatal Education, 2018)
- 1 in 7 women experience depression in the year after they give birth (J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs, 2005)
- Black women are 27 percent more likely to experience severe pregnancy complications than White women (Annals of Epidemiology 2019)
Studies show Prenatal and Postpartum Yoga Improve Outcomes
We all know that yoga reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and helps with general fitness.
But what’s relatively recently known is how effective prenatal and postpartum yoga are:
- Prenatal yoga videos during pregnancy reduce pregnancy discomforts and improve childbirth efficacy (Midwifery, 2010).
- Yoga helps ease depression in pregnant women (Brown University pilot study, 2015).
- Yoga during pregnancy improves birth weight and decreases incidence of preterm labor (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2005).
- Postpartum yoga significantly improves postpartum depression (Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2015)
Yoga has been shown to reduce depression in pregnant women in many studies.
In one study, 78% of postpartum women experienced improvement in depression and anxiety after doing yoga twice a week for eight weeks.
Mindfulness Yoga was shown to be an effective treatment alternative or augmentation to pharmacotherapy for pregnant women at high risk for depression – even those with lifetime diagnoses – and even greater reduction in negative affect than treatment-as-usual.
One study looked at both massage and yoga for pregnancy, and found not only did both have a greater positive impact on depression and anxiety – they both had greater birthweight and gestational age than the control group. Yoga and social support equally reduced depression and anxiety in one study.
Similarly, both a prenatal yoga intervention and perinatal-focused health education in pregnant women with depression equally decreased depression in another study.
If you’re feeling down or not enjoying your “Ma” journey as much as you’d like, a free online prenatal yoga or postpartum yoga class can help.

Ma Yoga® Goes Beyond
Our OB/Gyn-approved, birth practitioner-taught, alignment-based prenatal yoga:
- based in biomechanical alignment actions similar to physical therapy, it relieves common discomforts and promotes stability in the joints and strength in the core
- teaches breathing and meditation techniques that lower blood pressure and help moms-to-be prepare for labor
- stabilizes joints and tones muscles and core, so you can carry baby more easily both inside and out
- includes no-slant childbirth education so you can make choices that are right for you
- makes space for baby to move into optimal position for birth
Find out more about founder Jessica Jennings, MS, and how she created Ma Yoga for Pregnancy & Beyond.
Better yet – book a free online prenatal yoga or postpartum yoga class with us now for this week! We can’t wait to connect with you and provide you with a wonderful class, customized for right where you are. You deserve it mama! 😊🙏
Nothing needed but Zoom and space for a mat:

Our strengthening, healing, rejuvenating Postpartum Yoga:
- reconnects abdominal muscles safely and effectively, even for diastisis recti
- releases neck and shoulder tension from breastfeeding and carrying
- resets the nervous system so you can relax and sleep better
- allows mom to have quality "Ma" time while being with baby
- supports postpartum healing with strengthening, restorative, and therapeutic exercises
Book a free online prenatal yoga or postpartum yoga class with us today. We’re excited to support, guide and inspire you on your “Ma” journey…
Love Ma Yoga! It’s individualized, calming, balancing, strengthening and nurturing for both body and the nervous 1st-time mom soul.
Ma Yoga was exactly what I needed!
I learned a lot, from breathing exercises to pregnancy-friendly postures to awareness of certain important muscle groups. I worked my increasingly pregnant body, without ever pushing it too far.
I always felt a lot better after class than before, more relaxed and with less aches and pains. I highly recommend Ma Yoga to any pregnant woman, but especially yoga-nitwits like me who need some extra reassurance and support.
The instructors are knowledgeable and confident. I only wish I found this when I was pregnant!
I started going to Ma Yoga when I was 16 weeks pregnant. It was the best thing I could have done for myself!
Prenatal yoga helped a lot with the normal aches and pains of pregnancy.
I felt myself getting stronger and overall feeling much better each time I went. It also helped me deal with the stress of being pregnant.
These yoga classes are great. I often walk in feeling like my back and hips are all out of whack and then walk out feeling *amazing*.
I love the community here too – it’s a very supportive place.
All choices are embraced and that feels really nice.
I googled around and found Ma Yoga. I went to the first free class and enjoyed it. It was harder than I thought it would be, but I left feeling better.
Toward the end of my pregnancy, I was definitely getting better at all the poses and my balance.
I just wanted to drop you a line and express my gratitude for the confidence you’ve inspired in me as I approach labor. Your class was like a lifeline, with your words of wisdom echoing through me as I approach the big day and beyond!
Additionally, the learning and insightful instruction I’ve received has led to a much more comfortable last month than I anticipated.
Thank you again for another great class. You don’t know how much I love coming every week.
Not only is it nice to finally “move” my body, but I love being able to connect with Grayson. And he loves doing yoga with mommy too!
Practicing yoga with my baby next to me is such a rewarding experience – even if I only get to do a few poses, a little goes a long way.
Jessica is an amazing yoga teacher, especially for pre and post natal women who need a little extra care from an experienced teacher.
Her class is challenging, but gentle, and I leave feeling like I’ve had a spa day.
I can’t tell you enough how much yoga helped me, not only through my pregnancy, but also through labor.
I know that it made all the difference for my health, and also for my body & mind through pregnancy and when I was laboring and pushing.
Can’t thank you guys enough!
I am so thankful for my experience with yoga and I am so excited to continue my practice now that my baby is here.
I love having dedicated ‘me time’ in the calendar. Yoga definitely changed my life. I am more at peace with myself now than I ever have been before.
My prenatal class with Ma Yoga has been the best thing in my life. I am now 29 weeks pregnant, and I know this class has made all the difference in the quality of my pregnancy experience.
I feel healthy, strong and empowered; both mentally and physically. I have Ma Yoga to thank!!
I am so grateful for the service provided at Ma Yoga. Last night’s class helped soothe my nerves and bring me back to center. The intimacy of the group and the like-mindedness of the other pregnant moms left me feeling cleansed and cared for. Plus, when you’re pregnant, you wonder if all your non-preg friends can really stand to hear more about your pregnant woes and changes, but here, all were completely supportive and understanding, because they’re all in it with you.
Rachelle, the instructor, was not only fantastic, she was kind, compassionate and informative about all things birth related. Thanks Ma Yoga for your services to pregnant moms. I’ll be spending the rest of my pregnancy (and beyond) with you!
LOVE LOVE LOVE my classes with Jessica at Ma Yoga!!! I’ve been attending since I was 21 weeks and I’m now 26 weeks.
I feel more relaxed and calmer about the prospect of giving birth – it was VERY nerve-racking to think of it before I started my classes. It helps you breathe and strengthen and just feel more confident that “you can do this”!!!! 🙂
I finally didn’t feel so alone in the journey and I learned so much about what I can do during labor. I literally reared up. Thank you.
Yoga has relieved the discomfort and the aches of pregnancy and made the experience more enjoyable.
It has made me aware of simple things I can correct on a daily basis to relieve common pregnancy symptoms. I learn something new every week.
Melanie, everything you taught me over the past six months came into play and helped prepare me for that wonderful night.
I will never be able to fully express how honored and grateful I feel for all the wisdom you shared with me as I took your class, but my husband, my mother, and I agree that it all played into my ability to stay focused and have a wonderful child birth experience.
Melanie is an amazing instructor and I love her prenatal yoga classes, it has helped me get back my strength and feel like myself again during pregnancy. Overall, I have seen significant improvement in my ongoing back & chest pain as well. I feel very relaxed and flexible after each class and plan to continue it through out my pregnancy.
When I told a friend that my lower back started hurting, she recommended prenatal yoga. I found Ma Yoga online and started taking Melanie’s classes virtually. Wow, my lower back rarely hurts anymore! The knowledge she shares about how certain poses help this or that during pregnancy is useful, too. I also appreciate the chance to hear what other pregnant participants are experiencing at the start of each class. I’m so glad these classes are available virtually since it’s not easy for me to drive these days without feeling some disequilibrium.
Thank you so much for recommending me to take Melanie’s and Rachel’s classes. Learning so much from them and my sciatica pain is so much better since I started taking prenatal classes. Thank you so much🙏
Thanks for caring so much and for your amazing class Melanie!
All the techniques I learned and practiced in your yoga class also helped me to achieve this birth.
My Ma Yoga prenatal yoga class was an invaluable part of my pregnancy.
Melanie is such a gifted teacher that cares for your growing belly and your overall health. I know my baby and I became stronger, and flourished because of her instruction!
Melanie, everything you taught me over the past six months came into play and helped prepare me for that wonderful night.
I will never be able to fully express how honored and grateful I feel for all the wisdom you shared with me as I took your class, but my husband, my mother, and I agree that it all played into my ability to stay focused and have a wonderful child birth experience.
On Wednesdays, I feel less physical pain, I always feel more grounded, it’s easier to attend all the needs of my kids. Your class is truly nurturing my soul and my body.
I really like Rachelle’s class because I find that the exercises she focuses on are really helpful for pregnancy and for labor prep, plus she’s really attentive to different people’s bodies and their varying needs based on belly size and stage of pregnancy. It’s also cool because she’s a doula so her insights to birthing and labor have been really valuable.
Rachelle is so knowledgeable and welcoming and I am so thrilled my sister told me about this gem! She beams warmth and passion for what she does.
Rachelle’s prenatal yoga class saved my sanity in my third trimester. I didn’t start prenatal yoga until I was around 7 months pregnant, and the class allowed me to carve out time to focus on my own wellbeing as well as my baby’s.
Rachelle is an INCREDIBLE instructor! I would not have gotten through my pregnancy without her.
During my pregnancy Rachelle was my savior! It was my first baby, and my first time doing yoga.
I used so many techniques during my labor and they actually helped! I could hear her calming voice in my ear during contractions. There aren’t any words to express my gratitude for her class.
Last night’s class helped soothe my nerves and bring me back to center. The intimacy of the group and the like-mindedness of the other pregnant moms left me feeling cleansed and cared for.
Rachelle, the instructor, was not only fantastic, she was kind, compassionate and informative about all things birth related. Thanks Ma Yoga – I’ll be spending the rest of my pregnancy (and beyond) with you!
My class with Jessica has been the best thing in my life. I am now 29 weeks pregnant, and I know this class has made all the difference in the quality of my pregnancy experience.
I feel healthy, strong and empowered; both mentally and physically. I have Ma Yoga to thank!
Whether you’ve done Yoga a lot before, or you have never tried it, Jessica is very welcoming and an excellent yoga teacher.
When I’m having a good day, or having a harder day, there’s really no excuse to not go to Ma Yoga because it 100% makes me feel even better.
LOVE LOVE LOVE my classes with Jessica at Ma Yoga!!! I’ve been attending since I was 21 weeks and I’m now 26 weeks.
I feel more relaxed and calmer about the prospect of giving birth – it was VERY nerve-racking to think of it before I started my classes. It helps you breathe and strengthen and just feel more confident that “you can do this”!!!! 🙂
Jessica Jennings is a talented teacher, and she comes with both nursing and [alignment] expertise- so you are in very good hands when you take her class!
I googled around and found Ma Yoga. I went to the first free class and enjoyed it. It was harder than I thought it would be, but I left feeling better.
My instructor was Jessica and I really loved her attitude and the class. Toward the end of my pregnancy, I was definitely getting better at all the poses and my balance.
Practicing yoga with my baby next to me is such a rewarding experience – even if I only get to do a few poses, a little goes a long way.
Jessica is an amazing yoga teacher, especially for pre and post natal women who need a little extra care from an experienced teacher. Her class is challenging, but gentle, and I leave feeling like I’ve had a spa day.
I love Ma yoga classes, they’re exactly what I want to calm my body, soul and mind.
Highly recommend these classes and all the trainers are so experienced and empathetic.
Ma Yoga for Pregnancy, Motherhood & Beyond
If you are pregnant or postpartum and experiencing stress or anxiety, you are not alone.
More than half of all women report increased anxiety in the 18 months around birth.
You may be nervous about the birth process, preoccupied with planning for your new baby, or wondering how you’ll cope with motherhood and all the responsibilities it comes with.
Our supportive prenatal and postpartum yoga classes combine therapeutic alignment, birth prep and lifestyle education.
Once you’re a mom, you an hop in to our free monthly Ma Support group to get tips from experts on all the challenges you’ll be facing.
And as soon as your healthcare provider gives you the ok, our nurturing mom yoga classes are a click away.
Ma Yoga is a unique alignment-based style of yoga designed for women’s changing bodies and lives.
It’s therapeutic for aches and pains and healing for chronic conditions. It’s strengthening, grounding, and opening. And it will help you become the “Ma” you want to be.
Try a free online prenatal yoga or postpartum yoga class with us.
We can’t wait to see you in the Ma Yoga Zoom Room!