What are we aiming for in postpartum class (3 min read)

I sometimes had the honor to be trusted by women who has recently given birth and wish to use yoga as a tool to regain the form.  I cannot guarantee you can fit into your pre-pregnancy skinny jeans but yoga is really one of the greatest tools in normalizing the relationship with your core.  

First, trust me, don’t go back into Pilates or Sit-ups too quickly!

Diastasis recti, a condition where the abdominal muscles separate along the midline, can be worsened by certain exercises of crunching the core since there is an increased intra-abdominal pressure and the strain on the abdominal wall. This pressure pushes against the already weakened connective tissue between the separated abdominal muscles, potentially worsening the separation.

And also these are flexion of the spine, which may ask the abdominal muscles to bulge outward, placing stress on the linea alba and exacerbating diastasis recti.

A significant portion of postpartum class I lead involves lying down or inverted positions.  Here are three examples and what they are good for:

• Dead bug

• Marching bridge 

Gently engaging the core without all the aforesaid risks associated!

• Legs lifting or up on the wall (Viparita Karani)
  A very passive and gentle restorative pose helping the ligaments of the uterus and the pelvic floor to be pulled inside with the help of gravitational force

Just given birth? Get my Baby Massage cheat sheet here.