I’ve just had a catch up with one of LushTums students, who is now a friend, and we were talking about “how, when and what for exactly” does retuning to exercise look like for most women post having a baby.

This month we’re catching up with one of the newest members of the LushTums teaching family, Candy Myhill. Candy has recently completed her Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training with us and will soon start teaching LushTums classes in Chichester , West Sussex.

Just wanted to let you know that I have had my baby. I was booked in for induction on Sunday but it got cancelled. I was disappointed but figured if he came on his own, it would be better anyway.

I was one of your yoga mamas throughout the latter part of 2014...I wanted to write and let you know we had a beautiful baby boy over the Christmas period (27/12)… Wilfie Robert. He's a beaut!!

We had planned to have our baby as naturally as possible using water and active birthing principles. However, when he was still breech at 37 weeks, I was booked in for an ECV to try to turn him. Clair helped by discussing this in class as well as other options. The breathing techniques learned at LushTums came in use

So, it turns out it is OK to cry uncontrollably during a pregnancy yoga class. I must point out that it should be OK to cry pretty much anywhere when you are pregnant. There should be signs up that say this and leaflets handed out to all women of child bearing age. And to men, to help them cope. It's OK to sob like a baby when you are growing one, because it's bloody hard work.

My journey that eventually led to me becoming a Lushtums Yoga Instructor, began when I was just in my early 20’s. I was living in London and after a series of attacks in which a knife was held to my throat, I was punched in the face and almost forced into the trunk of a car, I developed terrible anxiety- possibly brought on by post traumatic stress (PTSD). I was afraid to leave the house I thought everyone was going to hurt me. Two things got me through it; cognitive behavioural therapy, and yoga.

LushTums Ipswich is branching out! We have had such a fantastically positive response to what we do in Ipswich, so we are so excited to announce we will soon be bringing our happy, healthy and informative approach to pregnancy and birth to mamas-to-be and their birth partners from all around Suffolk!

Lots of people think yoga is not for them. I often hear people say they like to sweat when they exercise (I always suggest Bikram), or they like to know how many calories they are burning- perhaps they feel that in order for exercise to be beneficial it should be punishing in some way. But I believe the many physical and emotional benefits of yoga can help everyone. And so I ask, shamelessly ripping off John Cleese and Monty Python …

So, the festivities are over and here we are, one week in to a brand new year. I love the idea of putting last year to bed and being given the chance to start afresh. This is especially relevant if you feel the last year has not been kind to you. 2016 has been a strange one- we have said a lot of goodbyes and seen some surprising decisions made, so I am sure many of you are ready to move on in the hope of a better year to come. 

What does the festive season mean to you? Do you get stressed thinking about buying presents and trying to find the time and energy to keep everyone happy? Are you feeling completely overwhelmed and wishing it was over already? Has the festive season become a time you dread, rather than the celebration it should be?