Recent feedback……

“Thank you Sally for the great experience of doing your Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training, I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I loved about it, is that it’s so inclusive and creates a relaxed way of learning. It’s adaptable to the individual and there is no pressure to perform. Everyone was really lovely and supportive and Sally is truly professional and friendly. She has a unique teaching style which make you want to learn more from her. And more importantly she has a great sense of humour. A thoroughly enjoyable course and I cannot wait to apply it outside of the course.” – Ayesha Nauth, Bikram Yoga Teacher and mother of two.

Topics covered:

• Yoga related movements for all the trimesters to stretch and strengthen the physical body and help alleviate common conditions of pregnancy.
• Mula bandha – the importance of a healthy pelvic floor and the correct alignment of the pelvis during pregnancy and the post-natal period.
• Energetics; How a dis-functional pelvic floor relates to and affects the root chakra.
• Appropriate relaxation, pranayama, visualizations and meditation.
• The spiritual aspects of pregnancy and birth.
• Working with an exercise ball or chair for both pregnancy and in preparation for labour.
• Positions for optimal foetal positioning.
• Birth and labour – description of a `normal’ birth using both anatomical images and a dummy baby and model of the pelvis. We also cover birth using induction, intervention, and caesarean section.
• Post-natal recovery including exercises and breath work following caesarean section.
• Yoga and pilates related movements for the post-natal period to stretch and strengthen the physical body and help alleviate common conditions of a post-natal woman including postural changes such as upper and low crossed syndrome.
• How simple breath work and deep relaxation can help heal a women mentally, physically and emotionally.
• Basic nutrition for new mums to aid post-natal recovery.
• Mother and baby yoga – How to plan and facilitate a class.
• How to start your business as a pre and post-natal yoga teacher.

This course teaches you to deliver classes and one to one lessons that are:

• Safe, effective and functional
• An even blend of the yoga system
• Empowering
• Uplifting
• Informative
• Non-judgemental
• Supportive

You will finish the training course with the skills to:

• You will be able to teach a Pregnancy Yoga class, a Post-Natal Yoga class and a Mother and Baby Yoga Class.
• Teach a well-rounded yoga class that honours a woman’s mind and body at this special and sacred time.
• Adapt your general classes for any pregnant ladies who also attend.
• Integrate yoga props and small equipment into your classes and one to ones to make them more bespoke.
• Adapt the class for those with injuries and/or common ailments such as lower back pain, pelvic girdle pain, low/high blood pressure and fatigue.
• Have a clear understanding of why it is important to incorporate all elements of yoga into a class.
• Have the knowledge of what actually happens to the body during pregnancy and birth.

Click HERE to view our daily schedule

As part of the 85 hour course program, this course requires you to do at least 22 hours of private study/readings as per the Yoga Alliance guide lines

Homework, Assignments and Exam:

Students will be asked to write a short pregnancy yoga sequence after the third day to teach towards the end of the course to the rest of the group. This will constitute the practical exam for the course. There are also several assignments to complete including one class observations (ideally prior to the course), teaching practice and a case study. You will also be expected to thoroughly read the course training manual. Reading list to purchase prior to and during the training:

• ‘Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful’ by Gurmukh
• ‘Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond’ by Francoise Freedman
• ‘What Mothers Do’ By Naomi Stalden
• Course training manual

Yoga Alliance and FEDANT Certification:

All graduates will receive a certificate upon completion. This training is 85 hours (including private study time) to meet with the standards of The Yoga Alliance UK and The Yoga Alliance US, and is also certified by the Federation of Antenatal Educators (FEDANT). The course is open to anyone with a keen interest in ante-natal education and a passion for sharing their knowledge after the course with mums-to be, including yoga teachers, doula’s and midwives. You will be able to register with FEDANT’s register of Ante-Natal Educators, and if you have a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training certification already, you will be permitted to register with The Yoga Alliance UK or The Yoga Alliance US as a Pregnancy Yoga Teacher.

About your teacher, Sally Parkes, BSc, EYT, SYT.

Sally has been teaching health and fitness since 1998 and has studied and taught pregnancy and post-natal yoga extensively for the past ten years. Her style of yoga is from the lineage taught by guru Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, a leader in the field of women’s well-being, whilst also weaving an element of Exercise Physiology, Pilates and movement methods gained from her studies in exercise rehabilitation in to her teaching.

Also a Doula and mother, Sally has penned many articles for major publications and is the author of The Students Guide to Yoga Anatomy. Now a certified Experienced and Senior Yoga Teacher and teacher trainer, Sally is known for her humour, warmth and all inclusive presentations, and now specialises in delivering solid and thorough pregnancy and post-natal yoga teacher training’s in the UK and internationally.