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Does Post-Natal Yoga really help or is this just a lot of hype driven by a fitness crazy industry?

The answer to that really depends on your state of mind at the present doesn't it.

If you're fed up and cranky, stressed out and not getting enough sleep, then odds are on that you'll think ... this is a lot of .... what's a polite term? ...Rubbish!

But if you're out there trying to find a solution to your blues, then post natal yoga classes may just be the thing for you.

Even if you've never done yoga before, ... it doesn't matter, as the positive effects of a class such as this is immense.

Mentally it can be life changing!

Why do I say this? Well,... just starting from the fact that you're doing something for you.... not just for your baby (although many classes also encompass baby yoga, but I'll touch on that elsewhere), not just for

 your partner or husband, BUT for YOU!

This is liberating, and a breath of fresh air. It brings things back into perspective and makes you feel of value ... not just, perhaps, passed over, for the beautiful new life that you have created!

Postnatal yoga classes ease tension from sleepless nights and focus on revitalizing YOU

I shouldn't just voice my own feelings, as everyone's different. But there are ways to deal with this ... and post natal yoga is very effective.

The post natal yoga classes not only help with potential depression, but they also help you to become fit and toned again. They provide great postnatal abdominal exercises - working you at YOUR level and giving you an idea of what you can be doing at home to get back into shape!

(Look ... if you can't get to classes, then there are some great postnatal videos and postnatal dvd's on the market. Don't deprive yourself just because you can't get a sitter to look after the kids ... just put on the postnatal dvd or video and do yoga in front of the TV .... it works for me .... it can work for you)

They're a great place to meet other like-minded women with newly born babies. Not only that, you can get support from women who might be experiencing exactly the same feelings as you.

I whole heartedly agree with what Marsha says in this article and totally identified with it:

Yoga for Mothers

Contributed By: Marsha Maung

I am not a Yoga teacher. I’ve only attended about 3 Yoga classes although my gym offers Yoga classes. So, why am I writing about Yoga when I know nothing about it? I am curious – that’s my nature. And through the years, this curiosity has helped me develop a career as a freelance graphic designer and writer. And it is through a very weird type of Yoga (my own type, or whatever I thought was Yoga at that point in time) that helped me swim ashore when I was teetering between drowning in the sea of depression after giving birth to my sons.

Both times, I was hit badly and constantly turned to the bottle for a solution. The bottle never will be a solution and yet, I hoped it would be.

Yoga and the soon-to-be-mother

There’s all this hype about Yoga that I didn’t fully understand before – what’s all this clamor about Yoga for pregnancy?? What’s the big deal? You have a big belly, retch half the time, have a sudden liking for pickle and have to wear your husband’s clothing... you need Yoga to help you deal with all that?

But of course, I only began the understand the benefits of Yoga as a mother when I started going for the classes, read about them in books, magazines and websites. This amazing method can help mothers regain their physical strength and sends them into a journey of self-discovery and improvement. Instead of helping you deal with others, in Yoga, everything starts from within. Therefore, to solve a problem, you have to go inside.

(You can see that she talks from experience. That's the reason I was so drawn to her contribution .... she's identified the real benefit -  that yoga can solve the problems but you have to look within yourself and start the process from within ... author's insert)

And inside a mother, it’s always a battle zone…and it’s tumultuous half the time. Pizza or no pizza? Sex or no sex tonight? What kind of mother will I be? Will I sprain my own child’s fingers when I try to put his/her clothes on? With the kind of bizarre thinking (and hormones) going on inside our mind and our body, mothers often have a difficulty finding peace. Your doctor will tell you time and time again that although nutrition is important, finding peace, quiet and calm in yourself and in your life is just important for an expectant mother.
 

Yoga for the regular mother

Considering the fact that Yoga can help bring calm into calamity, it’s obviously a good choice for you to try out Yoga if you’re thinking of starting an exercise program. Better yet, join a gym…which is what I did. I used to scoff at people who join gyms and judging from the loud dance music, I remember thinking to myself… “Yikes…gym is just a sorry excuse for a disco. Instead of serving peanuts, they serve fruit mixes. Instead of alcohol, they serve bottled water. But everyone’s trying to get into a social thing in the gym. It’s a social club!”

And as a mother, I don’t have the time to join a social club.

But I was wrong. As soon as I gave the 10-day free classes trial, I was hooked. No makeup, no dress-up (oh, the younger gym-goers still dress up to the nines and apply mascara for gym) and no pretense. I go to the gym and attend the Yoga class to sweat – to end up looking ugly but feeling damn good!

Mothers can open up their minds and free up their hearts after Yoga

Yoga has this tranquilizing effect on people that can hardly be explained with words. It has to be felt. It’s like you’re striking those poses, stretching those muscles and bending over backwards…and all this while, your mind is opening up and all impure thoughts are just flying out of it.

Yoga can be like ‘taking out the trash’.

(The postnatal pregnancy exercises that we did in yoga really did limber up muscles, release tension and give me the feeling that I was slowly but steadily getting my pre-pregnancy stomach .... and body back ...... just like Marsha says .... it felt like 'taking out the trash' ... and getting rid of the unwanted spare tyres ... author's insert)

And this can be good for the whole family, especially the kids, as well. After a session of uninterrupted Yoga, you’ll feel renewed. Even a grumpy, sleeping, tired and beaten-out mother will have more energy to spend time with the kids. Instead of feeling disgruntled and trapped, a mother can use Yoga to actually find an opening, a release that helps relax, not only the body, but the mind as well.

I don’t know about you…but I am going for more classes because I have seen the benefits. Yoga can do a whole lot for the ordinary non-married kidless people….imagine what it can do for a mother.

Marsha Maung is a freelance graphic designer and copy writer who works from home. She designs apparel and premium items at http://www.allmomstuff.com and is the author of "Raising little magicians", and the popular "The Lance in freelancing". More information can be found at http://www.marshamaung.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marsha_Maung

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