Very simply, Birthlight Baby Yoga consists of:

• movement, touch and songs for the babies
• yoga postures, breath work and relaxation for the parents
• sequences where both parent and baby work together for mutual enjoyment

Birthlight is a carefully constructed system designed to simultaneously meet the needs of both parent and child. It has potentially profound effects on all aspects of wellbeing: physical, mental and emotional. It has the beautiful intention of creating happy, secure babies and re-energised, skillful parents.

Physical Benefits for Baby:

• movements and massage help develop strength and suppleness, stimulation and relaxation for the musculoskeletal system
• exercises and touch enhance the functioning of the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, excretory system, immune system, lymphatic system, hormonal system and nervous system.
• Baby yoga can be a great way to deal with many of the physical issues that can cause real discomfort until their internal mechanics mature, e.g. wind and constipation.

Facilitating Baby's Development:

• sequences are designed to develop both gross and fine motor skills
• movement and touch stimulate the vestibular system helping to develop kinaethetic and spatial awareness
• yoga moves help develop balance and coordination skills
• songs and rhymes sung to babies help with listening skills and later language development

Emotional Benefits for Babies:

• classes provide babies with precious bonding time with their Mums where the emphasis is just on having fun together
• movements and massage help to ease tension and stress
• babies have a chance to socialise with other children
• classes help them to feel safe and comfortable around lots of different faces

Assisting in Post-Birth Recovery for Mums (and Dads!):

• physically, yoga helps to open the chest, shoulders and upper back, to stabilise the pelvis, strengthen the core and protect the spine and joints.
• helps to relieve muscular tension created by the physical burden of parenting, promotes good posture, frees up the breath and helps to re-energise parents.
• relaxation at the end of the class helps to combat stress and the effects of chronic sleep deprivation parents commonly experience.

Providing Psychological Tools for Parents:

• yoga can help parents to adjust to the significant life changes parenthood inevitably brings.
• yoga teaches parents how to reside in the present moment and an acceptance of this moment as you find it - both can be powerful ways to reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
• breath work  is also an effective method of easing mental tension - learning to control the breath is a pre-requisite for learning how to control the mind.

Emotional Support for Parents:

• baby yoga brings together people with shared experiences and provides an opportunity to explore common themes.
• seeing and hearing about other parents' experiences and just showing people they are not alone can be very therapeutic.

Information and Practical Parenting Skills:

• baby yoga provides an opportunity to observe and discuss different baby cues, directions of development and ways of helping your child to blossom without being attached to what they are or aren't doing.
• classes demonstrate a variety of holds for your baby and teach you how to move safely with your baby
• classes also incorporate different massage and movement techniques that can be used prescriptively at home to help your baby (e.g. colic, settling for sleep, digestive issues)
• learning different songs and games can make play time much more fun and productive especially when there can be so many hours to fill at home.

Birthlight Baby Yoga is a unique format that has a potentially positive effect on all aspects of being for both parent and child - physical, emotional, cognitive and social. The real beauty lies in its power to help develop strong, loving bonds between parent and child, the positive effect of which ripples out to family life at home and to the broader community. One baby at a time, we change the world.

I am really excited to be offering private Baby Yoga in the comfort and convenience of your own home. The challenge of timing sleep and feeding routines can make it impossible to get to studio based classes so I offer a flexible session start time enabling us to work around you and your baby's needs on the day. The great benefit of private yoga is that we can work specifically on what you and your baby need and enjoy.