Mums'n'tums

BIRDS do it, bees do it, and it seems that everybody in York is doing it too, if the number of women who turned up at Sophie Carr's first Yoga For Pregnancy class is anything to go by. She was expecting about 12, but when everyone was eventually settled on their mats and blankets around the cosy, beamed eaves room at Jacob's Well in Trinity Lane, York, we were packed in like a shoal of over-excited sardines.

Some women were in the early stages of pregnancy, some were virtually on their way to the labour ward, and one wasn't sure when her baby was due because she was still breastfeeding a nine-month-old and wasn't even sure what day it was.

"Anyone can join the class at any time," said Sophie, who is herself six months pregnant. "Women can join us right up until their due date, or beyond that if their baby is hanging on in there.

"Being induced is no fun apparently, so we have a few techniques to get the baby going."

Many midwives now recommend yoga, as well as walking and swimming, to women in all stages of pregnancy.

"It opens you up and gets you ready for the whole birth experience," said Sophie, who has done yoga for 14 years and taught it for seven.

"My regular classes are quite dynamic, involving postures, breathing and meditation. My Yoga For Pregnancy classes concentrate on all these aspects too, but in a much softer way."

Women are often surprised to learn that they are naturally more flexible during pregnancy. They know their stomach is going to swell, but they do not know that their joints will become looser and potentially more mobile as their pregnancy progresses.

"Yoga can teach you how to use this increased mobility, even if it's just how to get up from lying down without any creaks and groans," said Sophie. "It gives you a sense of space in your body and teaches you how to get relief through movement.

"The postures are all about release. They help balance and strengthen your pelvic ligaments and muscles, so you can actively manipulate your pelvic floor.

"Yoga is also about strengthening yourself, about exercising without tiring yourself out. It is relaxing and energising all at the same time."

It also has all manner of practical uses. Yoga can help to combat common pregnancy complaints like constipation, swelling, leg cramps, heartburn, fatigue, pelvic and backache, headaches and, to a certain extent, sleeplessness, and can help you to cope with the trials and tribulations of labour.

"It is not a magic cure-all," said Sophie, 37, who runs Yogaco with business partners Peter Finch and Rebecca Field. "But the classes encourage you to actually think about your contractions.

"You are never going to enjoy them, but you can learn to welcome them as a positive part of the process and learn to use your breathing so you can relax in between.

"You can also use the techniques afterwards too, when you're a mum and the baby is stressing you out."

Virtually anyone can do yoga - as Sophie's class of women of all lumps, bumps and sizes proved - depending on their history of miscarriage and pre-eclampsia.

"Yoga is nothing to do with being bendy," she said.

"It's about movement; soft movements that open you up and make you feel strong.

"It's not good for anyone with high blood pressure (a major symptom of pre-eclampsia), but it can work for women who have had miscarriages in the past.

"Even if they just come along and sit taking deep breaths, they will get something out of the sessions."

During the first class, Sophie concentrated on relaxing breathing techniques and simple postures to stretch out aching backs and strengthen vaginal muscles - muscles that some members of the class clearly didn't even know they had.

It was also an opportunity for us to chat, sharing our experiences and discussing what aspects of pregnancy we were enjoying and which were driving us up the wall.

Sleeplessness, backache and general fatigue came high up on the cons list, while feeling the baby kick, being pampered and not having to deal with cat litter trays topped the pros.

"Women like to know they are experiencing the same things," said Sophie. "It's very reassuring. We try to foster a very positive attitude in the classes, as well as giving women some time and space to themselves, which is absolutely vital.

"That's why people like coming to regular yoga classes. But it's more important than ever when you are pregnant because you are making time for yourself and your baby."

Taking time out for yourself is an important part of the whole process, but it is not the most important.

"The most important thing to remember is that pregnancy and birth are the most natural things in the world," Sophie continued. "And the baby is there to help you every step of the way.

"Yoga helps you to work with your body, not against it. If you practice enough, your body will remember how to breathe and how to relax during labour even if you are completely out of it.

"It's never going to be easy, but it can be easier. Birth has been taken out of the hands of mothers to a certain extent. Yoga helps to put you back in charge."

Sophie, whose business partner Rebecca will take over the class when her baby arrives in April, has taught pregnant women before, but this time it's different.

"This is special," she said. "I'm actually part of the club now."

For details of all Yogaco's classes, phone 01904 733752 or visit the website at www.yogaco.co.uk

Updated: 10:18 Monday, January 20, 2003