Although it made be challenging to find extra time, don’t stop after the baby is born. Continuing your yoga practice after the baby comes can restore hormonal balance, help reduce anxiety and depression, and provide you with the much-needed rest and relaxation that your body will desperately crave. Physically, Postnatal Yoga can help rebuild and strengthen your pelvic floor, repair damaged tissues back to their former state, help tone and re-establish the deep abdominal muscles that may have been torn in labor, encourages detoxification and the movement of fluids out of the body, and stimulates new cell growth and repair.

'Yoga provides you with the much-needed rest and relaxation that your body will desperately crave.'

Now that you know about all the amazing benefits yoga can bring you, have you given any thought as to what kind of mat you practice on? Does it affect your health or the health of your baby? As I have shared in a previous post, Has Your Yoga Practice Become Toxic, most yoga mats are made out of toxic chemicals, synthetic dyes, and binding agents to hold the mats together. During my research when starting Bennd, I found many studies showing that these chemicals were huge endocrine disruptors linking to miscarriages, sperm damage, and impaired reproductive development in males. What a way to give a newly pregnant woman more anxiety, hey? 

So I set out on a mission to offer something better for both women and men! I wanted a yoga mat that is healthy and wouldn’t disrupt the body. A yoga mat that could be practiced on with confidence knowing that what you are absorbing into your bloodstream is helping your body and your child, not harming it with toxic chemicals. When you practice on a Bennd mat or meditation pillow you are absorbing medicines like Turmeric which is an amazing anti-inflammatory, Indigo which helps strengthen the immune system, Madder Root which supports reproductive health, and so much more. That’s a whole lot better than absorbing or inhaling carcinogens, phthalates, and whatever other toxic chemicals are leaching out from your mat.  

We've teamed up with yoga/meditation teacher and mama of two, Heather Dawn, to bring you a gentle yoga flow on our Bennd IGTV channel. In this flow, Heather combines yoga, meditation, and healing techniques to provide the support and care every mama needs through every stage of Motherhood. Heather's mission is to create a holistic, fully integrated experience where women can find a deeper connection to themselves and reclaim the freedom to be the Mother and Woman she desires to be.

There are a couple of great resources for mamas that Heather offers. One is a  Virtual Mama Circle. Every month she provides the space for mamas to gather in community and receive the support they need. Each month has a different theme but is always be a combination of breathwork, movement, meditation, and a mama topic.

She is also co-hosting Motherhood Aligned, a 6-week coaching experience to Empower the Mother Within. For the mama who is ready to release the mom guilt and any limiting beliefs that hold you back and to re-connect you to the core of who you are, and the mother you are meant to be.

We hope you enjoy the flow!

xo ~ Heather