In studio classes:
Pregnancy & Prenatal Yoga for Women
Pregnancy and Prenatal Yoga for Women
Our prenatal yoga and pregnancy yoga classes are designed to prepare women for a positive birth, keeping their bodies strong and their minds fear free. Our highly skilled facilitators emphasize that birth is a normal, healthy event, giving women the courage and confidence to birth how they wish.
Expect to connect with a supportive peer group of soon-to-be mothers with each class focusing on a different topic surrounding birth. We provide pregnant women with the most up-to-date, evidence-based information concerning their changing shapes and needs as their pregnancies progress.
Dates and Timings
Dates: Every Friday (start any date).
Length/times: 6.30pm – 8pm.
Recommended by midwives and obstetricians
Pregnancy and prenatal yoga classes at Coast Yoga are recommended by many midwives and obstetricians in South Australia. They attest that women who have attended cope much better with birth and have less intervention than women who have not attended.
Recommended by research
South Australia has some of the highest intervention rates in the world. Many women would prefer to have a normal birth without intervention but don’t have the confidence or knowledge to go about this.
A study conducted in 2016 on 176 Sydney women
As published in the British Medical Journal, the study found that:
- Birth education classes similar to those provided at Coast Yoga led women to feel that birth is manageable, that they have the resources to cope and that they understand birth.
- Following birth education, pregnant women had a 65% lower epidural rate, a 44% lower caesarean rate, half the rate of inductions and much lower perineal trauma rates than women who attended common hospital classes.
- Unlike Coast Yoga’s Pregnancy Classes, hospital classes were seen to socialise couples into accepting hospital protocol and a culture of intervention.
A study conducted in 2014 on non-drug approaches
Academics looked at all the research that had ever been conducted into non-drug approaches and found that these were actually very effective:
- Classes similar to Coast Yoga’s Pregnancy Class helped decrease the chance of needing an epidural and greatly increased the chances of being satisfied with birth.
- When people were randomly assigned, like tossing a coin, to either having a drug approach or a central nervous system approach, researchers found that those who were assigned the central nervous system approach actually experienced fewer caesarians, fewer forceps and vacuum-assisted deliveries, a lower use of Pitocin to stimulate labor, and they also had a shorter labor on average.
What do prenatal yoga sessions involve?
Classes run in 10+ week cycles and in this time you will:
- Be confident that birth is a normal healthy process and that your body is designed to birth normally.
- Understand the normal process of birth and how you can support yourself in allowing the process to unfold.
- Be introduced to the choices in birth so that you feel informed and can collaborate with your healthcare professional in finding a birthing option that supports you and your partner.
- Be introduced to many useful web resources and books to help you be informed and make choices that make your birth a positive experience.
- Learn to plan/prepare for any difficulties that may arise. This way you can make the most of the situation and attain the best outcomes for you and your baby.
- Be informed about interventions, when they may be necessary and when there may be other options.
- Learn how to make a caesarean a positive experience (if you need one).
- Be introduced to many natural alternatives to interventions such as induction (if your baby is overdue).
- Learn how to negotiate the best possible care from your chosen place of birth.
- Learn techniques to cope with fear.
- Develop skills to cope with pain and discomfort.
- Learn to deeply relax and rest.
- Learn how to adapt yoga poses and core exercises as your pregnancy progresses.
- Learn how to help your baby get into the most optimal position for birth. If your baby is in a breech or posterior position at term you will learn about the options for birthing in this circumstance.
- Meet other pregnant women and have the opportunity to ask any questions or share your own experience.
- Hear experiences of women who have birthed before – an opportunity to share their wisdom of birth.
Who can attend the pregnancy yoga classes?
Our classes are for pregnant women only. Alternatively, pregnant women and their partners or support person can attend our Couples Birth Skills Workshops (currently not offered in 2024).
Pregnancy Yoga Classes are designed for those new to yoga, so no previous experience is necessary.
The classes are open to complete beginners or to students who can no longer attend their regular yoga classes. If you have been attending regular classes at Coast Yoga you may choose to remain in a regular class until later in your pregnancy as all of our facilitators can modify classes for pregnant students. Please go to the timetable to find a class at your level.
At what stage of pregnancy should I attend prenatal yoga classes?
Classes are recommended from 12–40+ weeks of pregnancy but can be started at any stage during this period.
If you are more than 30 weeks pregnant and you buy a 10 class pass you can use any remaining classes for mother and babies yoga.
What should I expect from the classes?
Each class starts with some discussion and a Birth Education Component (Approx 1 hr) followed by yoga and pilates, pelvic floor strengthening and awareness, breathing and relaxation (approx 1hr).
What are the benefits of Pregnancy Yoga?
What are the benefits of yoga after pregnancy?
After the first months of motherhood you may feel that you want to have time for yourself and relieve some of the pain and discomfort that comes with caring for a small baby. Regular yoga classes relieve tight shoulders, stiff joints and back pain. It is a practice of mindfulness and so reduces stress. It is uplifting and rejuvenating and prepares you to return to mothering renewed after a yoga session. You may want to return to regular yoga sessions at around 3 months post birth and at any time following. You can start with a beginner’s class, easy pace or steady stretch. These are held at convenient times such as 7.30pm after the witching hour when your babe is asleep, or on weekends. Please check the timetable for options. You can use any unused classes from pregnancy or mothers and babies for all regular classes at Coast Yoga.
Facilitator
Vanessa Shribman; Director at Coast Yoga –
Vanessa teaches the pregnancy yoga classes. She has been a birth educator in South Australia for 27 years and a yoga teacher for 30 years. Due to her extensive knowledge and insight into the birth scene in South Australia, Vanessa is often called upon to support women during pregnancy, advising on the best birthing option based on an individual’s needs and circumstances.
Adele Angel is currently teaching these classes
