A feminine approach to yoga
Tailoring yoga for the ups and downs of a feminine life. By Nadine O’Mara
Reading time: 3-4 minutes
Did you ever consider that the traditional practice of yoga was created by men for men? It’s only in our contemporary times that women (and female-identifying people) have also embraced yoga. Yet many women don’t know how to adapt this traditional practice to the specific needs of their bodies and cycles. At Bliss Baby Yoga we recognise a feminine approach to yoga reduces stress and injury, boosting health and vitality throughout the unique feminine monthly and life phases.
What exactly is a feminine approach?
It’s yoga to support the demands placed on the body during pregnancy. It’s also yoga to support your reproductive cycle, potentially promoting fertility or healthy menstruation. Feminine yoga is an intelligent, nurturing way of adapting yoga to suit your changing body and hormones throughout preconception, pregnancy, birth and into parenthood. Feminine yoga teaches you beneficial ways to adapt for common pelvic instability issues and to support the healthy tone of the pelvic floor – pre- and post-birth. Most of all, it teaches you to honour the feminine wisdom already residing in your beautiful body.
Heart-womb mudra and breath practice
At Bliss Baby Yoga, we recommend this practice as a beautiful connection with your baby while pregnant, or with your womb for conception.
Place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your belly or ‘womb space’. Take a couple of relaxed breaths to prepare and then on your next inhale visualise your breath as moving from your heart through your left palm, up your left arm and along your left shoulder. As you exhale, ‘see’ your breath as moving along your right shoulder, down your right arm through your palm to your baby or womb.
Continue this visualisation, see your breath as carrying the love you have in your heart to your baby or womb. Imagine that you’re flooding loving shakti-prana to your baby or womb.
Nadine O’Mara is the director, yoga teacher & trainer and doula at Bliss Baby Yoga (blissbabyyoga.com)
Om Magazine
First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.
