Lee Tara - Pregnancy health yoga : your essential guide for bump, birth and beyond

Tara Lee and Mary Attwood

Foreword by Dr Gowri Motha

Creator of the Gentle Birth Method

PREGNANCY

Health

YOGA

Your essential guide for

bump, birth and beyond

Yoga classes during pregnancy have become increasingly popular in the West and this is encouraging because it shows a great willingness on the part of mothers to set aside valuable time to enjoy pregnancy as they prepare for birth. However, teaching yoga to pregnant women can be tremendously challenging because the participants may have a limited range of movements as a result of unsuitable and prolonged sitting positions that we have adopted as the norm in our Western lifestyle.

It takes a very special person with a thorough understanding of human physiology to be able to lead a group of mothers of mixed abilities sensitively in a safe and effective prenatal yoga programme as outlined in this wonderful book. Tara is one such special person who fulfils the necessary criteria in a holistic and artistic manner. Her warm personality engages mothers instantly, ensuring their dedication to the principles and practice of gentle yoga, which encourage a sense of well-being throughout pregnancy and beyond.

Public health research has revealed that reduction of stress in pregnancy not only improves the neurodevelopment of babies in the womb, but also in the immediate neonatal months and in early childhood. Researchers have evaluated and named yoga, massage and listening to music as beneficial activities that reduce stress levels during pregnancy. The practice of yoga during pregnancy has now received recognition as being able to positively enhance the mental and emotional health of our future generations.

My admiration for Tara Lee stems from the fact that she is passionate about supporting pregnant mothers emotionally. This is crucial as pregnancy is a time in a womans life when mentoring and community support are essential to overall physical and emotional health; they also improve the outcome of pregnancy and birth. Taras classes bring mothers and babies together into a modern tribal network that supports a balanced approach to pregnancy and birth.

There are numerous physical benefits from yoga during pregnancy: it can help a mother to be stronger physically and energetically; it maximizes her absorption of nutrients by improving overall digestive health; a physically well-nourished and supple mother is able to enjoy pregnancy and recover wonderfully in the postnatal weeks; she will also have the stamina required to offer the constant attention demanded by a newborn baby.

Taras own confident motherhood gives her an aura of authenticity that inspires pregnant women to embrace motherhood gracefully and look forward to the first tender moments of holding the baby in their arms. Yes! The babys first touch is the magical moment that ignites the flame of maternal love and instinctual generosity, and enables a new mother to embrace her newborn baby selflessly.

It gives me great pleasure to write the Foreword to this book and to describe the qualities that contribute to Taras hugely popular pregnancy yoga classes, where mothers rave about her sensitivity, energy and wisdom. The moment you meet this beautiful and remarkable woman you know that you are in the presence of a person who is very clear, very special and divinely inspired. I am delighted to know Tara Lee and even more delighted to know that she is dedicated to sharing her wisdom for years to come with mothers and their families who are fortunate enough to enter her circle of excellence.

Dr Gowri Motha

Creator of the Gentle Birth Method

Tara Lee My thanks must go to my husband Inigo for all his support and patience when I was writing this book and to our two children for continuing to inspire and teach me. Thank you to my students, from whom I never stop learning.

Mary Attwood I would like to thank my son, without whom I could not have made this journey and who provided me with so many lasting insights during my own pregnancy and who continues to inspire me.

Taras cushioned Bump pregnancy yoga mat and her Bump, Birth & Beyond DVD boxset are available now at taraleeyoga.com

I wrote this book to share the knowledge that I have gained from over a decade of teaching yoga to pregnant women and new mothers and from my own experience as a mother of two. I have seen first hand the positive benefits of yoga practice for pregnancy, for the birthing process and for postnatal recovery, and I am fortunate to have gained so much knowledge from thousands of women about what has worked for them and their babies. I am happy to be able to share this wisdom with you and I hope that you will find this book informative, inspirational and something to treasure.

The step-by-step yoga exercises, visualizations and meditations you will find in this book are all ones that I teach in my classes and are methods that can help in all stages of a womans transition to motherhood. I am delighted to make these available to everyone through this book.

In our busy society, trying to juggle the demands of a job with those of parenthood can be challenging and time-consuming. The yoga exercises I offer are designed to fit into your daily schedule, to do whenever you can find the time. They are suitable for complete beginners as well as for those who have practised yoga for years.

My style of pregnancy yoga mixes strengthening, dynamic postures with restorative and relaxing ones. I believe that both are important during pregnancy when your energy levels fluctuate from day to day. You can dip into the book and choose the exercises that you feel you need at any given time. Some days often in the early stages of your pregnancy and just before the birth you may want to practise a more gentle form of yoga, to give you more energy. On other days, you might feel strong and want to be more active and for these occasions you can select exercises that build strength and stamina. These will improve your fitness levels and help prepare you for labour.

I am often asked how regularly someone should practise yoga and for how long. I usually say practise every day if you can find time, but it is fine if you can only manage a few sessions, or even just one, a week. You will probably find that you feel so revitalized after doing these exercises that you want to do yoga more regularly and for longer. One of the benefits of this book is that you can choose the length of each session. Some days you might get just 10 minutes practice; on others you might enjoy a full hour and a half. However long you spend, it is a good idea to set aside some time that you know will be just for your yoga.

The ideal practice is a balanced one. Start gently, progressing to stronger postures, and finish with more gentle exercises, including breathing techniques, affirmations, meditation and visualizations. These more creative and insightful routines nourish a vital part of your subconscious and will give you confidence and a more complete experience of this awe-inspiring time.

Tune in to how you feel as you do the exercises in this book. Do them with self-acceptance without judgment. Enjoy the freedom that you are creating in your mind the feeling of letting go and of deepening the connection to your baby and yourself.