Spirals of Joy - Parent and Baby Bonding through Yoga

The majority of parents/carers can easily recall a moment of pure happiness and joy that occurred when they had a positive interaction with their baby. Simply the response of a smile or a full on belly laugh, or a wonderful hug or even a kiss from their little one. This moment came from a shared experience of love and happiness, each feeding off the other regardless of which person began the moment.

Baby Yoga can help parents and carers to find these moments of joy and happiness. The process of the growth and expansion of these moments and the bond between parent and baby is known as 'The Expanding Spiral of Joy'. Find out more in this blog

Baby Yoga, Postnatal YogaSarah CloverOctober 14, 2024Baby Yoga, relaxation, Baby Massage, Postnatal YogaComment

10 Teacher Trainings

When you choose to train as a yoga teacher, there is a huge range of training that you can access. In the Western World you usually choose a 200 hour yoga course, or similar, to begin with, and then from there the world’s your oyster!

Read about some of my favourite teacher trainings over the past ten years and why my students are my biggest teachers…

Celebrating Ten Years of Mum and Baby Classes

Ten years ago I trained to teach mum and baby yoga with the wonderful Marion O’Connor at Birthlight, it was the birth of Breathing Space Yoga.

On 7th May 2013 I taught my first Mum and Baby Yoga class with these gorgeous mums and babies at Weaverham Children’s Centre. It was the start of my yoga teaching career and what a lovely way to start!

In this blog post I revisit the last ten years of Mum and Baby Yoga and Massage classes with photos from each year – can you spot yourself and your baby?

How to begin Postnatal Exercise

Your pregnancy and birth may have been pretty smooth sailing and you want to begin to explore your new postnatal body and how to find your way back to fitness. Your pregnancy and birth may have been hugely challenging physically and mentally and you don't feel very much like you any more, or really connected to your body. Or you may be somewhere between the two. The important thing is to be where you are right now and start there.

Postnatal fitness classes are a good way to meet other parents and do something for you now that life seems to be all about baby.

Find out more about how postnatal yoga can help you and how to choose the best postnatal exercise for you.

A relaxation especially for new parents

In this blog post I invite you to take a moment to be with the miracle of being a parent, this is especially for new parents, but if you are a parent of any age child you may enjoy this practice too and you can adapt my words to suit. You can read the relaxation and follow my guidance as you read, or you can listen to the 5 minute MP3 link on the blog page and follow my voice.

How to find the right yoga class.

In this blog post I guide you through the types of yoga class you might find in your local area. There's a real spectrum of yoga, like music or dance there are many styles, some you will like and some you won't be so keen on. Depending on where and who a class teacher has trained with will influence how they teach.

I will guide you through some of the considerations you might like to make whilst deciding what class to try, what you should expect from a good yoga teacher, and when you know you’ve found the right class for your body and mind.

Yoga Practice, Yoga for Pregnancy, Postnatal Yoga, Baby YogaSarah CloverSeptember 27, 2021yoga class, yoga practice, top tips, yoga tips

Cautious or Can't Wait?

It's almost time for yoga classes to return to in-person. We await the next level of restrictions lifting on 17th May, and government confirmation that we can get back to practicing in a room together in England.

But how are you feeling about this? The reality is that we're not all ready to plunge back into closer proximity to others, and that's ok.

I spent a lot of time last autumn, working out a comprehensive covid policy and procedure for in-person classes. When we were not in lockdown, we came together safely and I felt confident hosting and teaching classes because this was in place and we all adhered to it. We could still chat, make social connections and enjoy being together. Mums and babies, and pregnant ladies could make those important networks and share experiences. Students commented that they felt safe and it was joyful to practice together.

In this blog post I talk about how I am feeling as we go back to class and how my covid policy and procedures can help you feel reassured. Whatever the individual journey we have had to navigate and wherever we are on the scale of cautious to can't wait I welcome you to class whenever you feel ready.

10 Reasons why Mum & Baby Yoga is great for your baby AND you!

There are so many benefits to joining a baby class, and so many benefits to joining classes that support you as a new parent as well as your baby. In this blog post I talk about 10 benefits of joining my Mum & Baby Yoga class in depth:

1. Build confidence lifting and handling your baby

2. Baby Yoga can help soothe those common baby niggles – digestion issues, colic and sleep problems.

3. Supports the development of your bond with your baby

4. Enjoy meeting other parents and babies

5. Builds confidence in communicating with your baby …

…Read on to find out about each of these in-depth and find out what the other 5 benefits for you and your baby are.

Baby Yoga, Postnatal YogaSarah CloverApril 7, 2021Baby Yoga, Postnatal Yoga, yoga quotes

How Baby Yoga and Massage can help digestion, colic and reflux

Most babies suffer from digestion issues, from general wind or constipation, to the more severe colic and reflux. It is a common topic of conversation amongst parents in my Baby Yoga and Baby Massage classes.

Here are 4 ways to help your baby to pass wind and ease their little tummy using Baby Massage and Baby Yoga techniques - useful to have in your parenting toolbox :)

Baby Yoga, Postnatal Yoga, Baby MassageSarah CloverMay 29, 2020Baby Massage, Baby Yoga, Digestion

10 Yoga books to add to your Christmas list

My yoga bookshelf is getting pretty full, but there are a few books that I return to over and again as resources for my practice and my teaching. I’m sharing them here as they are all really accessible for any yoga student and I hope I inspire you to buy one as a gift to yourself this Christmas.

Occasional Thoughts Blog

07977093373• sarah@breathingspace-yoga.com