Yoga mama

Yoga does wonders for the mind and body and if anyone can benefit from that, it’s frazzled new mums. By Kelly Baker.

Walk into Denby Sheather’s yoga class and you’ll be immediately struck by one thought: this is no ordinary yoga gathering. For Denby’s sunlit rooms ring not with the soft chimes of ancient bells or even gentle chanting, but with the laughter of adult women and the cooing of the babies they hold close.

Denby is one of a handful of yoga teachers who specialise in mother and baby classes. A long-time yoga practitioner and teacher, Denby began to explore pre- and post-natal yoga several years ago. The more she learned, the more she was convinced yoga and mothers are a perfect match, but it wasn’t until her son Max was born that she fully grasped the depth of the partnership. “After having Max I struggled with the everyday challenges of motherhood,” she says. “I found it difficult physically, mentally and emotionally. But after six weeks I got back to my yoga and it helped me to find myself all over again. Having a baby changed me, and yoga helped me to deal with those changes.”

But while Denby knew yoga made her a better mother, looking after Max meant she had little free time in which to practise. But then she came up with the perfect solution – she and Max would practise together. This went so well that Denby (who had also trained with Suzanne Swan, one of the leading mother and baby yoga teachers in Australia) launched her own mother and baby yoga class. She says the results have been inspiring. “I see dramatic changes in the women who come to me,” she says. “Their confidence and self esteem improves hugely. They reduce their stress and anxiety levels and bond with their babies in a whole new way.” Denby says the babies also benefit. “It relaxes them,” she says. “And it can help improve everything from their motor skills to their vision.”

Of course the mums reap the bulk of the benefits. Research has shown they are improving their posture and alignment and stimulating circulation and digestion. They’re also improving their lung capacity and flexibility, building strength, and in all likelihood, losing weight. Finally, they’re clearing their minds, calming their spirits, but perhaps even more importantly, they’re making friends.

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