Recommended reading for pregnancy yoga
Pregnant women who attend your classes will expect clear and knowledgeable explanations of how doing yoga during pregnancy will facilitate a happy and healthy birth. Your expertise in Pregnancy Anatomy, Pelvic Girdle Pain, Optimal Foetus Positioning, and Oxytocin, will offer reassurance to those anxious about childbirth.
While these areas and more are covered during your pregnancy yoga teacher training course, it’s important to complement that knowledge with self-directed learning. Whether you’re a yoga teacher who wants to allow pregnant women to attend their general classes or someone who wishes to offer pregnancy yoga-specific classes, these 5 books will provide an excellent foundation for your learning experience.
Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond by Francoise Barbira Freedman
Published in 2004, Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond is divided into helpful sections covering early, mid, late pregnancy, and postnatal. The author offers a step-by-step guide to different yoga postures adapted for each trimester, as well as relaxation techniques and simple breathing exercises. It recommends which poses are best for heartburn, pelvic pain, sciatic pain, etc. And, it even has a chapter on poses that can be done with a new-born. Throughout, beautiful photographs help illustrate the straightforward descriptions and explanations.
The Oxytocin Factor by Kerstin Uvnas Moberg
Oxytocin plays a significant role in regulating the body during bonding, sex, and childbirth. The Oxytocin Factor provides readers with easy-to-understand explanations of how this hormone can reduce anxiety, stress, addictions, and problems of childbirth. Published in 2003, it was the first book to offer insight into the oxytocin system for a general audience. Although science-heavy, readers will not be overwhelmed by any complex ideas or jargon. Rather, the content is ideal for anyone who wants to learn more about birth.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
Ina May Gaskin is a world-famous midwife. In Guide to Childbirth (2003), she provides readers with several inspiring stories of natural childbirth. These are presented alongside information about the biological process that occurs during labour. The book offers advice on how to create a safe, comfortable environment for birth in any setting. Reducing the pain of labour without drugs, and through massage and breathing, are also discussed. Its focus on the mind-body connection helps pregnancy yoga teachers communicate the true capabilities of the female body during childbirth.
Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz
Birthing From Within (1998) offers practical advice on how to prepare for a natural childbirth. Activities such as journaling, meditation, and painting, the authors argue, can help expectant mothers acknowledge and overcome their fears leading up to giving birth. Several proven techniques for coping with pain without drugs are discussed. By emphasising how pain is a necessary part of birth, however, the book reminds women that they shouldn’t be ashamed of experiencing it. This is another valuable text for yoga teachers wishing to explore different childbearing methods.
Hypnobirthing by Siobhan Miller
Hypnobirthing combines self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques to help reduce fear, anxiety, and pain during childbirth. The concept emerged during the late 1980s and is now practised worldwide. In her 2019 book, Siobhan Miller reveals the science behind hypnobirthing. She explains how women can train their bodies at a muscular and hormonal level to relax, get muscles working properly, and divert blood and oxygen to the right places. This book enables prenatal yoga teachers to talk confidently about hypnobirthing while emphasising the importance of being relaxed and calm during labour.
Interested in becoming a pregnancy yoga teacher?
The Newcastle Yoga School Online Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training Course is suitable for qualified yoga teachers, as well as midwives, doulas, and Drs who would like to use Pregnancy Yoga in their jobs. Click here to find out more.