Yoga for Birth with Partners Workshops

Yoga for Birth with Partners Workshops with Louise Cashin are available to book on the following dates in our autumn 2010 term

Saturday 23rd October, 20th November or 4th December at 10am until 1pm

Recent research has highlighted that good support during labour has increased the number of natural * deliveries and quite significantly decreased labour times. Your chosen birthing partner has a vital role to play in ensuring that you remain calm, focussed and have a positive birth experience. This workshop will brief your chosen birthing partner to assist, encourage and play an active role at the birth of your baby * no intervention necessary

Frequently asked questions

Does my partner need to have done Yoga before?
No is the short answer. In the workshop your partner will be given the option to get involved with some of the Yoga stretches we will be demonstrating but it is in no way compulsory! The stretches are for you to do in later pregnancy and labour and demonstrating them in class is a way of introducing them to your partner so he/she is aware of them and can encourage you.

Will we be doing Yoga- my partner isn't very keen
This isn't a Yoga class but an interactive and informal workshop where couples are given an opportunity to work together, with some of the Yoga exercises that we have being doing in class that will be helpful during late pregnancy and early stages of labour. During this part of the class your partner may just watch however, during the following your partner will be expected to get involved!

• Looking at ways in which your partner may provide physical support during the birth and play an active role
• Examining the ways in which your partner may provide emotional support and work with you to maintain a positive mental attitude
• Teaching your partner some useful massage techniques that help remove pelvic congestion and help relax and support you.

How many couples attend?
These sessions are designed to provide a high degree of personal attention and interaction so numbers are kept small.

How helpful have previous attendees found the workshop?
Some comments -

"I wanted to thank you for giving me so many useful exercises to do in labour - yoga breathing was without a doubt the only way I got through the final hours - and the birth centre at Queen Charlottes have a sling mounted on the ceiling that I lived in for most contractions - with swinging hip action and Josh doing all he could with the exercises that you gave us in the partners workshop!" AS-W

"I think the most important thing you taught us was the importance of the long breath out. Easy to forget, but with Stuart reminding me, it made huge amounts of difference. Thank you for all the help that you gave us - I genuinely don't think we could have done it without the yoga training" EL

"This reminded me to drop you a note to say thanks for the partners' class on Saturday - David and I both found it really useful. I think mental preparation is so important and something that's easy to forget about in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, especially when both of you have busy jobs as we do. Taking some time out to sit down and think about taking the right approach was really useful. David particularly enjoyed the meditation as he said it was the first time he'd relaxed properly in about a year!" LG

Structure of the workshop

The workshop will run roughly as follows:-

Part One

• Introduction and initial discussions
• Overview of birth -physically, psychologically and physiologically and how Yoga helps
• Yoga demonstration, physical exercises and physical support
• Massage techniques for pelvic congestion
• Q & A

Part Two

• Mental and emotional preparation and support- the importance of Yoga breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques
• Q & A
• Relaxation and use of creative visualisation exercise
• Ends