Prenatal yoga at Body and Mind Builders

Body and Mind Builders is a yoga and pilates studio located in New York City’s Tribeca area. Currently, they are running an 8-week prenatal yoga workshop with yoga teacher Jennifer Edwards.

Edwards conducts her prenatal yoga workshop based on the experience and the needs of the participants. All her prenatal yoga classes focus on three main components:

1. Breath work to calm the nervous system, focus the mind and the body, as well as to help the body release “relaxing” hormones.
2. Physical practice to improve flexibility and strengthen the pelvic floor. Special attention is paid to releasing tension in the entire back, and especially the sacrum area to help ease sciatica and hip and pelvis discomfort.
3. Mental relaxation and focus to prepare the mind for labor, delivery, and motherhood (when the real work begins!).

For beginners, Edwards mixes in stretches with yoga poses, and introduces various modifications to poses. Attention is paid to avoid overstretching since joints and ligaments are more lax during pregnancy due to the hormone relaxin.

For intermediate and advance students, the class is quite similar to a regular intermediate/advance yoga class. Edwards focuses on introducing modifications to yoga poses so that participants can feel confident and comfortable if they choose to attend regular yoga classes.

With a background in dance, Edwards emphasizes the alignment of bones, tendons and ligaments. She teaches how to protect the joints and balance the entire body. As a stress reduction consultant, Edwards teaches techniques that students can apply throughout the day in their daily lives.

A workshop format is particularly suitable for prenatal yoga because of the sense of continuity. Edwards builds on concepts taught during previous classes to strengthen and advance the practice. Smaller class size means more individual attention can be provided to each student – students can get good corrections which are particularly important during pregnancy because the body and alignment is constantly changing. Edwards also takes advantage of a workshop format to provide advice on specific issues. Lastly, a workshop format encourages students to interact and support each other.

Edwards believes that yoga is more than a physical practice. She teaches her students to be kind to themselves – a particularly important mindset for prenatal yoga practice. She helps her students to apply what they learn on the mat to their daily lives.