In addition to the below questions, you may also want to check out our interview for the Homebirth Cesarian project.

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[toggle title=”How is the Yoga Way to Birth different from other childbirth classes?” open=”no”]
The Yoga Way to Birth is a body-mind-centered childbirth class with a prime focus on the role of the body in birth. It differs from other childbirth preparation classes in that it approaches birth as an embodied experience, i.e. as an experience that is generated by the body and reflected upon by the mind. Through yoga and meditation practices, we look at birth through the lens of the body, i.e. at what the body knows and experiences from moment to moment, and how the birthing person can be guided by that experience in labor and in life.

The Yoga Way to Birth invites you to partner with your body. Spending time with your body will take you to the place where birth (and life) is happening: to the breathing, moving, living stage of your physical self.

The Yoga Way to Birth is similar to other childbirth classes in that it gives you all the basic information you need to know to understand the birth process and labor support. It encourages self-inquiry and dialog with your partner so that you gain a clearer picture about your strengths and vulnerabilities as you approach the big day.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”I have done Hypnobirthing with my first baby. How is the Yoga Way to Birth different?” open=”no”]
A great answer to this question comes from a couple who has taken Hypnobirthing and our Yoga Way to Birth intensive. Based on their answer, we have created the below table to compare the two. But lets start with what’s similar:

  • A birth with the least amount of intervention is best for baby and mother (as long as possible and safe).
  • A child’s birth is as much the baby’s as it is the parents’ birth.
  • Intentionality matters.
  • Fear increases labor pain.

What’s different

Hypnobirthing Yoga Way to Birth
teaches specific ideas for managing labor (affirmations, self-hypnosis, relaxation) focuses on resourcing (couples are encouraged to find their own ideas/strength-based strategies)
gives a lot of information about the physiology of labor covers the basics
uses mostly lecture format (includes videos, reading) offers practical applications of general information, is interactive, hands on, group-focused
includes relaxation exercise includes yoga practice, guided meditations and relaxation
talks about labor positions and comfort measures rehearses them
focuses on how the conscious affects the subconscious and vice versa focuses on the interplay between body and mind
emphasizes top-down approaches (“mind over matter”) emphasizes bottom-up approaches (“matter minds”)
talks about importance of removing fear in labor gives opportunities for self-inquiry, self-study, processing of fears, uncertainties etc.
focuses primarily on the mother (her relaxation, imagery, meditation practices) includes the birth partner in all practices, facilitates partner intimacy and connection

 

Coping strategies and relaxation techniques as taught in most birth classes can be very effective, but they are not 100% reliable. When they fail to work, the birthing person in labor often feel lost and ask themselves: “Now what?”

The Yoga Way to Birth is about the “now” and the “what”, i.e. about what is occurring in the now, and how to be with it.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Will we do a lot of yoga in class?” open=”no”]
When people think of yoga, they typically think of stretching, breathing and doing poses (asanas). While we start each class with a 10 minute asana practice to arrive in class and in our bodies, we approach yoga in a larger context. Yoga is a discipline of self-investigation and self-realization, and a practical spiritual path that lays the groundwork for living well. Developed in India over the past five thousand years, yoga is built on the tenets of inquiry, experimentation and reflection to achieve union of body and mind.

To experience this union during labor and birth is the hope of many birthing individuals. Integrated disciplines such as yoga provide a useful framework for the pursuit of this goal. Postures are only a small part of yoga (and of our classes). Meditations, self-reflections, visualizations, lifestyle choices, truthfulness, compassionate communication and other practices are equally important and central to our teaching approach.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Are you getting into esoteric yoga stuff?” open=”no”]
Our classes are hands-on, practical and down-to-earth while fostering contemplation and introspection. We don’t chant, burn incense, talk about yoga concepts (e.g. chakras) or use Sanskrit words (or any other “yoga language” for that matter). Yoga terminology is mostly used in reference to the body during instruction on postures and movements.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Do you talk about pain?” open=”no”]
Yes, we do. The pain of birth can be staggering, and it is a good idea to see it coming. However, we are trying to strike a balance between informing couples about all possible experiences of birth and what could happen — including intense pain and absence of pain — while guiding them to avoid the pitfalls of attachment, rigidity, self-fulfilling prophecy and inflexible expectations or visions of the experience.

To support this mission, we talk a lot about (and practice!) mindfulness. Mindfulness is about not reacting, not judging, not elaborating on what we experience. Ultimately it is about not knowing and being okay with it. We encourage couples to be open to all possibilities (both internal and external) in their birth experience, and to release expectation of how it will feel or progress or look like, painful or not.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”When should I take this class?” open=”no”]
The best time to take this class is at the beginning of your third trimester. If you are new to yoga and meditation you might want to sign up sooner (around your sixth month of pregnancy). Pregnancy lasts for nine months for a reason, and not only because your baby needs this long to get ready for birth. You need that time too, and this class is an invitation to make good use of this time.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”I am pregnant with my second baby. What will I get out of this class?” open=”no”]
Each pregnancy and birth is different, and not only because you have already done it once. You are different too. You have changed and grown since your first baby was born, and you continue to do so. The Yoga Way to Birth assists you in this process, and helps you understand where you need to grow to meet the challenges and gifts of this next birth. The various practices and exercises in our class provide you and your partner with a chance to witness the creative unfolding of your personal growth while spending valuable time together.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Do my partner or I need to have any yoga experience?” open=”no”]
You don’t have to have any experience with yoga or meditation; in fact, the Yoga Way to Birth is a great introduction to yoga if you are new to it. The postures we practice in class are safe and accessible for beginners and for pregnant bodies.

Most people in the West think of yoga as a physical practice and associate it with yoga postures. Though the Yoga Way to Birth uses some of those postures to highlight practices which access birthing wisdom, the class goes further than that. We also look at other aspects of yoga, like self-awareness and mindfulness practices, and how they serve you during birth.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Will this class benefit my partner?” open=”no”]
Aside from learning how to support the birthing person in labor with comfort measures and positioning, birth partner will learn how to stay centered and balanced, how to pace themselves and avoid getting fatigued. They will better understand their special role in birth, and come to appreciate the power of presence in labor support. They will get a chance to find out what supporting the birth mother in labor may be like, and learn more about themselves as individuals.[/toggle]

[toggle title=”How is this course different from a prenatal yoga course?” open=”no”]
The Yoga Way to Birth is not a yoga class – it is a childbirth preparation class that includes yoga postures, breathing and meditation into the curriculum. Those practices are used as a teaching tool to cultivate a healthy relationship and dialog with your body as we believe they are the context in which labor and birth will be unfolding.

Aside from a short yoga sequence in the beginning of each class using postures and movement, yoga is used conceptually throughout class. The following two components of yoga are of particular importance: self-inquiry (svadhyaya) and discipline (tapas). Being physically in good shape is not enough to labor and birth with ease, just as it is not enough to know everything that is to know about labor and birth (though we share facts and information as well).[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Will we learn yoga postures for labor?” open=”no”]
Yoga postures as you may learn them in a yoga class serve the purpose of optimizing the body’s ability to be functional, strong and flexible, and thus more comfortable. They are also practiced to become more attuned to and comfortable with the sensations and internal processes of one’s body.

This is exactly what a birthing person in labor tries to do: use positions that are guided by their body’s desire to relax into the work of birth. While we will introduce labor positions in class that serve this purpose, you will not learn yoga postures as you may learn them in a yoga class. Labor doesn’t take place on a yoga mat. Instead, it urges the birthing person to listen to their body so that they move and position themselves with the greatest possible comfort and ease.[/toggle]

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