Video: Baby Yoga session at Escape Yoga in Matlock

New mums are being encouraged to bend over backwards with their babies at a Baby Yoga class in Matlock.

Escape Yoga Studio in Olde Englishe Road has started to offer Pregnancy, Post Natal and Baby Yoga Classes to help pregnant women and new mums make new friends and learn valuable techniques to help with labour and recovery after birth. Staff Nurse Holly Cooper (30) said, “I practice what I’ve learned here at home and it certainly stops my son Jack crying.”

Tutors Jane Collins and Wendy Snongjati have trained with Birthlight, an educational charity promoting an integrated, holistic approach to pregnancy, birth and babyhood, using yoga techniques, and have been teaching in Matlock for over 6 years. Jane is now a Birthlight tutor and teaches yoga teachers and midwives from all over the world the skills necessary to teach this specialised type of yoga.

Operational Coach Amanda Scotter (29) said, “I’ve learned different ways to hold him and soothe him in the evening and it has certainly helped with my son Alexander’s colic.”

Baby Yoga takes place on Wednesdays at 11am for babies from 6 weeks to crawling and on Mondays at 1pm for crawlers and early walkers. The sessions aim to provide quality physical stimulation and deep relaxation for both parent and baby and an opportunity for parents and babies to bond over gentle exercises, rhymes and songs. Occupational Therapist Karen Rogers (35) said “My daughter Daisy and her friend Eliza love it.”

Escape also offers Pregnancy Yoga on Tuesday evenings at 7pm, suitable for anyone after their 15th week of pregnancy. Using specially adapted yoga stretches, designed to create extra space in the abdomen for the growing child, as well as for strengthening the body in preparation for labour, this class also helps to stimulate systems of the body, to keep mother and baby in good health. Post Natal Yoga on Tuesdays at 10.45am is suitable for new mums with babies between 6 weeks and crawling and is designed to help new mums regain fitness, strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, and realign the spine after pregnancy. The relaxation methods help new mums to stay calm and focused on new motherhood.

Take a look at our videos from the session below.