1. How did you first become involved in teaching prenatal yoga? Could you please share a little bit about your personal journey with prenatal yoga?
I had only been teaching yoga for about six months when I became pregnant in 2007. I wanted to keep practicing and teaching during my pregnancy and, of course, I wanted to be safe so I decided to invest in a prenatal teacher training. At that time there wasn’t a Yoga Alliance certification for prenatal and the training was short. Just two days. While it was a wonderful training, I left feeling that there was so much more to learn about my own body, pregnancy and childbirth. That weekend sparked a curiosity, so with the help of my dear friend who happened to be a doula, I began gathering information on pregnancy and birthing choices. I started learning what my body was capable of and found ways to support my pregnancy with nutrition, yoga and meditation practices that lead to the single most empowering experience of my life. My son’s birth.
2. Would you please share some highlights of the upcoming Sacred Fertility Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training Program that you and Lauren Hanna will be instructing?
This training is beautiful fusion of ancient yogic teachings and modern science. Lauren Hanna teaches two days of Shakti Sadhana, created by Shiva Rea, which explores the Goddess energy relevant to the emotional and spiritual process of pregnancy and childbirth. Sarah Yukie and I will share anatomy teachings that are in depth, current and easily applicable to working with private clients and teaching group classes. Shweta Parmar, an ayurdoula, will share her Ayurvedic wisdom to serve both prenatal and postpartum mothers. In addition, we spend lots of time learning and practice teaching asana modifications, mantras, mudras and meditations to support all aspects of motherhood and all stages of pregnancy, through labor and delivery and into postpartum.
3. How has teaching prenatal yoga been rewarding for you? And how might it be rewarding to other yoga teachers?
Teaching prenatal yoga is much more than just providing modifications for a pregnant body. It’s hard to describe the feeling when I’m teaching prenatal.
It’s really magical to see the women who come to class connecting to themselves, their baby and each other. It’s incredibly rewarding to help them find relief from discomfort or pain. I get so much joy from giving this much needed information to other women, women who either want a positive birth experience themselves or want to support other mothers through teaching yoga. Often times the mothers in class share their experiences with each other and develop lasting friendships. We are living in a time when the narrative for women is competitive and divisive. There’s nothing like sitting in a circle of supportive women who are exchanging ideas, information and encouragement. I know for me and for many of our prenatal graduates, teaching prenatal feels like the most important work I do.
