Yoga Through Pregnancy and Motherhood: A Real Ashtanga Journey

When I was pregnant with my daughter Amy, the most common question I faced was whether I should just stop everything. There is a lot of fear around Ashtanga yoga during pregnancy, often fueled by the myth that you need to be perfect or that you must hold intense postures. My experience taught me otherwise.

Adapting Your Practice

My approach is grounded in safety and listening. During pregnancy, I modified postures to avoid pressure on the belly and removed deep twists or bandha engagement. It is not about forcing your body into shapes; it is about creating space. I documented these changes not to show off, but to provide a roadmap for others. Whether it was avoiding abdominal work in the first trimester or adjusting how I entered jump-backs, each modification was a lesson in humility.

The Postpartum Reality

After the birth, the challenge shifted. It was no longer just about physical limits; it was about time management and the emotional weight of recovery. Returning to the mat six weeks post-cesarean was humbling. My core felt weak, my flexibility had changed, and my schedule was entirely dictated by my baby. I often practiced in broken segments, fitting asanas between feedings. This is the truth of home practice: it is rarely the aesthetic, two-hour block we see on social media. It is imperfect, messy, and necessary for sanity.

Why This Approach Works

My teaching for pregnancy and motherhood focuses on this realness. We do not just copy poses. We dig into the why and how of your body right now. If you are a new mom or expecting, we work on:

• Safety modifications for every trimester.
• Core-friendly transitions that respect healing tissues.
• Mental frameworks to stop chasing perfect and start finding consistent.

You are not a bad yogi if you are tired, or if you cannot touch your toes today. You are just a human practicing in a different season of life.