Birth should be beautiful.
- 45% of women report their births were traumatic
- 1 in 7 women experience depression in the year after they give birth
- postpartum blues impacts approximately 50% to 75% of new mothers
The Ma Collective is making a difference.
- Yoga helps ease depression in pregnant women
- Yoga is associated with reduced risk of low birth weight and preterm labor.
- Prenatal yoga reduces back pain
- Needs-based education alleviates prenatal anxiety
- Yoga reduces the induction of labor, duration of labor, preterm labor and low birth weight
- Postpartum yoga significantly improves postpartum depression
Birth should be safe.
- Black women are 27 percent more likely to experience severe pregnancy complications
- Black and Native American women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes.
Together we can...
Empower birthing people
At the Ma Collective, we believe that every parent-to-be can transform the challenges of this journey into opportunities to discover their own wisdom and power. Here’s how we help them do this:
- Ma Yoga is based in therapeutic alignment principles, rather than specific practices. We teach our students simple but powerful ways to make space for baby, find their strong center, relieve aches and pains and enjoy lila, or the play of nature.
- Certified Ma Yoga Instructors have doula training, and many of them are working as doulas, breastfeeding educators and RNs. We incorporate education not just about birth and postpartum, but also “Mayurvedic” self-care routines, healthy and quick meals and daily rhythms.
- The Ma Yoga Certification Program is 100% online, and with your help will be available to yoga teachers and birth practitioners who are drawn to support, guide and inspire birthing people in their community.
- Diversity is at the core of our Vision, Mission, and Values. We are committed to an inclusive workforce that fully represents many different cultures, backgrounds and viewpoints. Our “Mama Circles” provide meeting places for people from all walks of life to connect, creating a welcoming environment for all.
It's life or death
And we don’t know why.
We do know that the cause is not lack of resources or education: the Pregnancy-Related Mortality Ratio for black women with at least a college degree was 5.2 times that of their white counterparts.
And we also know that stress is the #1 risk factor for negative birth outcomes.
Could stress be the culprit?
We don’t pretend to be able to get rid of racism this year, and the inequities in birth outcomes have many causes.
But helping people learn tools to let go of the stress is a great place to start.
In addition to racism, being without a supportive network is another contributor to stress.
Of course, hundreds of studies have shown that yoga and meditation are highly effective at reducing stress.
Especially with Ma Yoga, the breathing, strengthening and releasing postures are inextricable to the connections made with other students, and the larger community.
In a Mama Circle, we are all connected.
The Difference Mama Circles Make
We’ve had more than 20,000 mamas come through our “Mama Circles” in Southern California and online, and hundreds of teachers and birth practitioners have taken our prenatal teacher trainings.
Our moms-to-be learn:
- Alignment principles that support optimal positioning for baby and for mom
- Breathing techniques to helps mama reset her nervous system, slow down the heart rate and reduce blood pressure.
- Poses and sequences that strengthen and open for birth and postpartum
- Evidence-based pro's and con's of the birth and postpartum choices they have
- How to cope physically and mentally with the challenges of labor and postpartum
- To "educate and meditate", so they can make choices that are right for them and their family
- Where to go when they need help, long after baby's born
- That turning nurturing energy inward, and learning to mother ourselves, helps us become the "Ma" we want to be.
How the Ma Collective supports communities
At Ma Yoga, we wholeheartedly subscribe to a community-led model, wherein the community we serve actively shapes our organization’s vision for change. Our commitment to this model is deeply rooted in our origin story and is manifested in our continuous growth and evolution.
Founded in 2009 with the goal of creating a ‘Mama Circle’ in every neighborhood, we began with four locations, primarily partnering with local businesses to provide specialized prenatal and postnatal yoga classes.
By 2020, our footprint had expanded to ten locations throughout Southern California, serving more than 20,000 women.
Founder Jessica Jennings, MS, has personally navigated the trials and triumphs of pregnancy and motherhood. This lived experience not only inspired the creation of Ma Yoga, but also ensures that our offerings remain relevant and empowering. We continuously strive to amplify the voices within our community through feedback sessions and open forums that facilitate the sharing of personal experiences and insights, contributing significantly to our ongoing service refinement and program development.
Our online community provides an invaluable space for open dialogue and shared wisdom, wherein our teaching community can influence the trajectory of Ma Yoga’s services. From prenatal yoga practices to postpartum support, our community is instrumental in shaping the very heart of our organization.
In essence, the Ma Yoga community doesn’t just receive services, they actively participate in co-creating the support they receive and give to others, ensuring our Mama Circles benefit the diverse range of birth people we serve.
We are proud to affirm that Ma Yoga is a non-heirarchical, community-led organization.
How the Ma Collective supports breastfeeding
At Ma Yoga we believe that when people feel respected, nurtured, and supported, they can connect to their own inner wisdom and power. Our motto is “educate and meditate”; our students are encouraged to learn evidence-based pro’s and con’s of all their options, as well as listen in to their own “inner GPS”, so they can make choices that are right for them and their families.
By bringing birthing people and parents together in “Mama Circles” in their own neighborhoods, we are able to help them prepare for postpartum, as well as connect them to local postpartum educators and support people throughout the process. While only some of our teachers also work as postpartum doulas and breastfeeding educators, all have training in postpartum care and share helpful information, as well as connecting parents and parents-to-be to resources and inviting local educators to speak before class.
We are always happy to have breastfeeding resources to share with our community, and would love to help spread the word about resources and services offered through you or your members.
GOAL: Train 10 women to be prenatal yoga teachers in communities where there are few resources.
Our goal: $10,000
GOAL: Bring live online prenatal yoga class to 60 moms-to-be in their own homes.
Our goal: $10,000
GOAL: Comprehensive, evidence-based, nurturing birth education courses for 50 moms-to-be and partners.
Our goal: $10,000
Join the Ma Collective
Any amount you can give will be helpful! Even $2 shows you care, and means a lot.
If you have the means to contribute $35/month, you’ll have access to our monthly Masterclasses with experts from around the world in the field of women’s wellness, specifically around pregnancy and postpartum. You can also hop in to a weekly Alignment Therapy Yoga class on Zoom, choose from 300+ Ma Yoga Anytime classes, and be part of our Ma Collective Member Circle. You can even get monthly laser coaching for YOUR mission-driven projects and share your offerings so our community can help you spread the word.
And you’ll be helping empower pregnant people and new parents with a Mama Circle in their neighborhood.
Masterclasses with experts
Ma Collective events
Sample Masterclasses you’ll get instant access to:
Authentic Marketing for Yoga Teachers
with George Kao
Discover social media and business practices that align with core spiritual values, and help us feel more connected to each other.
Closing the Bones
with Dr. Sophie Messager
A Masterclass in the powerful postpartum massage ritual used in many cultures all over the world.
Infant Massage
with Rachael Amin
A Masterclass in simple principles any practitioner can add to their toolbag to help mom connect with and nurture their new babies.
The Power of Sound
with Shay Nichols
A Masterclass in sound practices for vocal power and energy healing. Sound is a vibration that can promote healing on the deepest, energetic levels.
