Birthlight Pregnancy Yoga Classes

Overslade Community Centre
68 Buchanan Road,
(off Bilton Road) Rugby CV22 6AY

Mixed trimester class (14-40+ weeks)
Class is held EVERY OTHER FRIDAY NIGHT - TERM TIME ONLY. Arrive from 7.15pm; class is 7.30-9.00pm
Please register your interest early to avoid disappointment. Email for details/booking form.

Yoga for pregnancy is really about nurturing the mother. It is taking the time to connect with your baby and to help ease some of those pregnancy symptoms to allow you to enjoy your pregnancy as much as possible.

It is suitable from about 14 weeks to birth. You will have or have had your first scan around 12 weeks. Most women find that some time around weeks 14-17 they start to get their old energy back again. Listen to your body and see when you feel ready. So anytime from then onwards is the ideal time to start pregnancy yoga. Pregnancy yoga can be done from this point right up to (and including!) labour.

You do not need any previous knowledge or experience of yoga to participate in Birthlight yoga.

These classes are specifically designed to be fun, safe and effective yoga for the whole of the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. We do adapted classic yoga poses - specifcally ones which create space in the pelvis and which strengthen the muscles supporting baby and you (especially your abdominal muscles, your back and pelvic floor), and which often help baby into the ideal position for birth. We learn breathing techniques which many women have found useful for labour, birth and the early days as a new mother. The breathing techniques, especially if practised throughout the 2nd trimester, help to increase your capacity to 'breathe for two'. We also use sounds (Nada Yoga) because creating our own sounds (chanting, mantras, vowel sounds, nursery rhymes etc.) is the quickest way to open up abdominal breathing; also because women make sounds when they give birth naturally and because baby hears and feels sound. We practice various relaxation and visualisation techniques. Women find that with all of these practices, they are most beneficial preparation for labour and birth if they've had the time during the pregnancy to practice them regularly, so that they become second nature. The women I have been working with recently have told me that pregnancy yoga helped them to feel calm and empowered during their labours and births, with plenty of tools in their 'yogic toolbelt' to help them through this amazing transition to motherhood.

I currently teach pregnancy yoga on Mondays, term time only. Blocks are usually of 6-8 weeks duration. Class size is intentionally considerably smaller than my general yoga classes, usually 6-12 ladies. Please contact me for further details or with any queries.

Cost:

Booking essential. Please contact me for further details. Please register your interest early as there may be a waiting list. COST: classes work out at £8 per 90 minute class for block booking. You may casually drop-in (space permitting) only if your due date falls within the next block. The drop-in rate is £11 per class. Please contact me for a current list of class dates/rates and an enrolment form. There are no refunds or substitutions for missed lessons so please do check class dates to ensure you can attend prior to accepting a place.

Testimonials

New friends made in pregnancy yoga class: "thanks for bringing us together."

"I can't recommend Leigh's pregnancy yoga classes enough. She has a real knack for making the classes feel very intimate and she has a wealth of birthing knowledge answering all of my queries really putting my mind at rest. I couldn't have given birth drug free without Leigh's breathing techniques and different yoga positions. My husband and I also went to Leigh's yoga for labour and birth workshop, which I found really helped my husband to understand what I wanted to achieve when I was in labour. This helped us to discuss all the elements to make him my perfect birthing partner."

- Anne and daughter Elsie (3 weeks old)

" I gave birth to a healthy baby boy at 6.15 this morning. He's called Logan. I went into hospital at 2am and was already 7cm dilated. Only had gas and air. I couldn't have done it without your help and advice. The noises that were coming out of me were amazing :) Thank you so much Leigh. I will recommend you to everyone I know."
- Fay on Logan's birth

"I had Zara on 7 October, a petite 10.5lbs!!! Anyway despite delivering a huge baby, the labour was dare I say it almost enjoyable, I was 10cm dilated when I got to hospital and it was all natural and stitch-free. A much better experience than the 1st time and this was largely due to a number of Leigh techniques that stuck with me so thank you so much!

I have become great friends with most of the Yoga girls, therefore, yoga introduced me not only to some great labouring techniques but to some lovely ladies also. Your classes are legendary!"

- Thanks again, Zoe xx

"Fantastic, well run pregnancy yoga classes with a lovely teacher. Highly recommended; helped with labour."

- Best wishes, Natalie and Elizabeth at one day old

"As former attendees of your lovely pregnancy yoga classes, we've been very lucky to strike up a fabulous friendship and see each other regularly (along with a few other of the girls from your other pregnancy class too). Thank you for bringing us together. All mums and babies are doing really well, changing every day, and bringing us all lots of happiness. We hope that you're well and that your classes are flourishing."

- With our best wishes, Sam

"I've been meaning to tell you about my gorgeous little boy, Barnaby. I can't believe he is only 17 days old...we can't imagine life without him now!! Thank you so much for the wonderful pregnancy yoga classes...I loved attending and your reassuring words definitely kept me calm and relaxed in the run up to the birth of Barnaby. "

- Love Clare x

"Dear Leigh, We just wanted to say how helpful the yoga exercises in the early stages and the breathing and mindset for the rest of the labour, particularly towards the end. Rachael made great birth sounds to 'loosen her lips' and felt very confident to do whatever she wanted at the time, meanwhile ignoring the hubbub around! I also tried out the positive interventions (we learned in the birth workshop). All is still going and we are loving being with our baby girl. Rachael is very keen to join the postnatal yoga class with our little girl."

- Best wishes, Andrew

"I'm definitely interested in any postnatal group you run as I really miss the yoga classes. I believe 100% that the yoga classes helped me through my totally natural birth. Hope to see you soon."

- Neice and baby Sophia xx

"Big progress... we had a baby boy this morning at 4.32am - 6lb 9oz and his name is 'Ewan' :) The midwife said Kath was 'very controlled'. I was trying to massage Kath whilst she was having contractions, and also deep breathing into her ear so she could keep in time with me, and she said this helped a lot. I am just so proud of her, and even though I could see it was very very hard, she did it! Anyway.... all is good in the end, with a very quick birth I think?!

I got to cut the cord which was ace :). Thanks for all your help."

- Stephen, dad to Ewan

"I wanted to let you know that Erin and Austin were born by elective c-section (they stayed transverse till the very end) on 18th October weighing 4lb 7oz and 5lb 8oz. They were/are both perfectly healthy, just little, so they were able to come straight back up to our room in the hospital.

We've been settling in well and seem to have developed a natural routine (which the babies instigated themselves after a few days). It can be quite comical when they are both awake and demanding food but I am thoroughly loving being a mum and feel so, so lucky to have two happy, healthy babies. Thank you for your support during my pregancy." - Liz

"Our little girl made an early arrival at 1.13pm this afternoon. Lyra is 4 weeks early but weighed in at a respectable 7lbs 2oz. I am delighted to have got my VBAC. The whole experience has been amazing and very healing after the traumas of our son's birth 2 years ago. I will write and send a full birth story soon but please wish all the other lovely yoga ladies the very best with their upcoming births.

Thank you for the classes over the last 5 months. They have always provided a relaxing end to the week and I believe played a huge part in getting Lyra into the best position for her birth and in making it all relatively quick for a first labour. I will certainly be recommending your classes to any of my friends who get pregnant in the near future."

- Clare Xx

About Birthlight

Birthlight has been one of the pioneers of pregnancy yoga classes in the UK, Carefully adapted classic yoga postures and breathing exercises promote fitness during pregnancy, both physically and emotionally. Simple yoga for pregnancy, providing exercises that you can practice at home during your pregnancy. Birthlight is a friendly, informal charity, founded by Françoise Barbira Freedman, focusing on a holistic approach to pregnancy, birth and babyhood using Yoga and breathing methods to enhance your and your babies well-being.

The Birthlight Trust is an educational charity, set up in Cambridge, that over the last 15 years has developed simple practices inspired by Yoga and the parenting style of Amazonian forest people to reach an increasing number of parents, midwives, teachers and carers. The application of adapted exercises and relaxation also in the water, has proved most beneficial to pregnancy, birth and the first crucial years of child development.

Our charter is contained in the word Birthlight, birthing lightly using the breath and the awareness of breathing without due strain, and also to the light, the spiritual dimension of birth, which is often forgotten.

Developing Birthlight with parents and carers of many countries and backgrounds has meant encouraging creative parenting. Our aim is to build a sound, positive foundation for life in ways that suit and nourish your family, however it is defined.

The range of classes available are designed to take you from conception to your child’s third year; Birthlight continually strives to use the latest research findings in the development of additional classes that build on your expertise.

All Birthlight certified teachers have undergone rigorous training, which is continually updated. All of them adhere to a stringent code of practice. Birthlight courses are either accredited or professionally recognised. Françoise Barbira Freedman is a world renowned yoga teacher, as well as being a mother of four, an anthropologist, author of numerous books on pre and post-natal yoga.

Sessions with partners:
Birthlight Labour & Childbirth workshops

These are one-off sessions for you and your birth partner. Sessions are about 4 and half hours, usually on a weekend and are held in small groups. An opportunity to review what you have learned in pregnancy yoga classes, or to learn it afresh. It is helpful, but not essential, for you to have attended pregnancy yoga classes. Your birth partner is not expected to have any knowledge of yoga. These workshops include: recocognising that labour has started, the normal physiology of labour and birth, breathing, movement and positions for the three stages of labour, yoga to help you find your rhythm with, and welcome contractions. Positive ways to visualise the exerperience, tools for the birth partner to support the labouring woman, sacral decongestion massage, positive intervention methods, practical ways to help you both create the conducive environment you want for your birth to help you both feel confident in the approach to your labour.

PHOTOS

These photos were taken at Birthlight Teacher Training courses during 2010-2011 in London. Special thanks to our teachers: Françoise Barbira Freedman, mother of four, world renowned yoga teacher, author, anthropologist and founder of Birthlight, and also to Ingrid Lewis and Kirsteen Ruffell for their inspirational teaching. I share my gratitude with my fellow Birthlight teachers. Françoise is a poineer in this field - the first in the UK to start training yoga teachers for pre, postnatal, pregnancy, aqua yoga and mother and baby yoga. Since 1995 she has trained about 1500 yoga teachers around the world. Birthlight specialises in antenatal and postnatal yoga and aquanatal (pregnancy yoga in the pool) and mother and baby swimming classes.

Hopefully these photos will give you an insight into what goes on at Birthlight classes - how much fun we have and how they contrast from general yoga classes.