A Love Letter to Yoga in the Transition into Motherhood
Yoga has been a part of my life for about 15 years. It has supported me through many different phases and transitions, and entering motherhood is no exception. Over the years, yoga has been a practice I return to when life shifts, when my body changes, and when I need grounding, strength, or simply space to breathe.
Pregnancy has been a powerful transition, physically, emotionally, and mentally. It has asked me to slow down, to listen more closely, and to meet myself with greater care. Yoga has been one of the practices helping me move through this season with a little more presence and trust.
Recently, I learned the word matrescence. It describes the developmental transition into motherhood, much like adolescence. A time of profound change in the body, identity, and nervous system. Learning this term felt validating. It reminded me that this is not something to rush through or fix, but something to move through slowly and with support.
Yoga has offered me that support.
These last few months, I have found so much joy and ease in practicing pregnancy yoga. One thing that surprised me is how complete this practice is. It is not just “regular yoga, modified.” Pregnancy yoga stands on its own and meets the pregnant body exactly where it is. It feels supportive and genuinely helpful for this season of life.
I love how pregnancy yoga can be both soft and strong. Yes, we focus on rest and slowing down, but there is also real power in the practice. It feels good to connect to my strength in a way that feels safe and nourishing, both for me and for the baby growing inside me.
The practice has also helped me tune into my breath and stay connected to the little one I am carrying. It reminds me that birth is not just something that happens to me, but something I am actively preparing for.
Alongside pregnancy yoga, I recently completed a Mom & Baby Yoga Teacher Training. This training felt very different and incredibly eye opening. Mom & baby yoga changes the whole idea of what a yoga class looks like. Babies are in the room. Needs are unpredictable. The practice adapts moment by moment, and that is exactly the point.
Mom & baby yoga is for the baby, for the mom, and for the relationship between them. Sometimes the baby is part of the practice. Sometimes the baby is resting. Sometimes the practice is simply being together on the mat. It is real, imperfect, and deeply beautiful.
One thing that surprised me in mom and baby yoga was the use of singing. Instead of traditional breathwork, we sing to the babies, using simple songs and sounds as a way to calm the breath and regulate the nervous system.
I found this surprisingly challenging. Trusting my own singing voice did not come naturally to me because singing is not something I usually feel confident doing. But I learned that singing does not have to sound “good” in this practice. The voice becomes a tool for connection, soothing, and presence. Letting go of perfection and control in this way felt like a powerful practice in itself, and one that feels very aligned with motherhood.
I have completed teacher trainings in both pregnancy yoga and mom & baby yoga, and I’m really looking forward to guiding others through these practices in the future. I’m excited to step into the by pregnancy yoga- and mom & baby yoga-teacher role by offering courses, events and 1:1 sessions down the line.
For now, though, I’m taking off my yoga teacher hat for a while to just enjoy practicing pregnancy yoga myself the last few weeks of this pregnancy. And in a few months, I look forward to exploring mom & baby yoga with my little one. Yoga continues to meet me in transition, and I am deeply grateful for that.
What do you think? I’d love to hear if anything resonates with you. DM me on Instagram to share your thoughts with me!
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