Moms in Motion: The Power of Postnatal Yoga and Pilates

The Power of Postnatal Yoga and Pilates.

Postnatal Yoga and Pilates aren’t your average workouts but gentle, nurturing practices tailored for new moms.

Becoming a mom is a wild ride filled with joy but also a rollercoaster of physical and emotional changes. For new moms, the postpartum period can feel like solving a complex puzzle blindfolded. Finding a supportive yoga studio during this time can be a game-changer. 

Yoga offers stretches, calming breaths, and relaxation, while Pilates focuses on core strength and posture. Both go beyond physical recovery and help you rediscover yourself.

Every postpartum journey is unique, and postnatal yoga and Pilates respect and cater to that.

They provide safe spaces for healing, recharging, and finding your footing in motherhood. Together, they offer a holistic approach to recovery, guiding new moms through the challenges of early motherhood with a focus on both body and mind.

What exactly is postnatal yoga?

5 Reasons to Try Yoga and Pilates After Giving Birth.

Precautions for Postnatal Yoga and Pilates.

Yoga and Pilates pose for new moms. 

How Abbysan Yoga and Wellness Center can help.

Conclusion 

 

What exactly is postnatal yoga? 

Yoga is very beneficial during pregnancy as it has more relaxing effects.

A personalised Postnatal yoga program is a gentle form of yoga designed specifically for the unique needs of new mothers. Unlike the more vigorous styles often associated with yoga, postnatal yoga focuses on restoring your body after childbirth, relieving stress, and boosting your overall well-being.

This practice is like a targeted tune-up for your post-baby body. Imagine your core getting a serious workout, your pelvic floor finding its strength again, and your spine lengthening like a blooming flower. 

 

5 Reasons to Try Yoga and Pilates After Giving Birth.

Whether you’re a resident of Phuket’s vibrant Phuket or visiting the island paradise, our local yoga school in Phuket is here to support you.

We offer specialized yoga and Pilates courses tailored to the needs of new mothers, providing a safe and nurturing environment for your postpartum recovery.

 

Did you know that Pilates core strengthening exercises mixed with selected yoga stretches after six to eight weeks postpartum have even better effects on recovery? 

 

Here’s how it can help new moms:

1. Regain Strength and Flexibility: 

At our Phuket Yoga Studio, we guide you through yoga poses and Pilates exercises that help rebuild core strength and restore flexibility, essential for managing the physical demands of caring for a newborn. These practices target weakened core and pelvic floor muscles, helping prevent postpartum issues like incontinence and diastasis recti.

2. Promote Relaxation and Stress Relief: 

Our experienced yoga teachers in Phuket lead soothing practices that can help alleviate the mental and emotional strain of postpartum life, allowing you to find a peaceful oasis through the changes.

3. Reconnect with Your Body: 

In our yoga classes in Phuket, you can reestablish a deeper connection with your postpartum body through mindful movements and breathwork. Pilatus Phuket offers complementary techniques to help you feel empowered in your new role as a mother.

4. Build Community: 

Participating in a yoga retreat in Phuket provides the opportunity to connect with other new mothers, fostering a supportive network during this transformative time.

5. Cultivate Mindfulness: 

Our Phuket Island Yoga Retreat offers a serene setting to cultivate mindfulness, helping you approach motherhood with more significant presence and intention.

 

Precautions for Postnatal Yoga and Pilates.

Before embarking on postnatal yoga or Pilates at any Phuket Yoga Studio, it’s crucial to understand your body’s changes and start with pelvic floor strengthening.

A full postpartum assessment is critical to planning a safe recovery and avoiding complications like diastasis recti or incontinence.

Click here and book a 1:1 session with posture assessment for a special 50% OFF your first time.

Yoga and Pilates can improve core strength, posture, and flexibility and reduce stress – all beneficial for new moms. However, it’s vital to work with qualified instructors, like those at Abbysan, who specialize in postnatal recovery.

Consider your stress levels, delivery method, pelvic floor condition, and any existing issues. Our programs are designed to address these concerns safely.

Remember, every postnatal journey is unique. Our yoga teachers in Phuket can tailor practices to your needs, ensuring a gradual and safe return to exercise. 

Review our “Postpartum Precaution” consideration checklist before starting postpartum yoga or Pilates.

Discuss this with a professional before starting Yoga or Pilates.

  • Stress and Support: Consider your overall stress level and support system at home.
  • C-section and Scar Massage: Have you received a scar massage if you had a C-section?
  • Vaginal Delivery and Tearing: If you had a vaginal delivery, did you experience tearing?
  • Pelvic Floor Health: Assess your ability to contract pelvic floor muscles and any associated issues (e.g., bowel, bladder, gas, and heaviness).
  • Diastasis Recti: Check for abdominal muscle separation.

 

Power of Postnatal Yoga and Pilates.

Yoga and Pilates for new moms.

Remember, postpartum recovery success starts with these simple steps:

  • Pelvic floor strengthening.
  • Improving breathing.
  • Maintaining good posture.
  • Daily 10-15 minute walks.
  • Pilates core exercises for abdomen and glutes (no sit-ups).
  • Selected yoga poses to lengthen tight muscles and reduce lower back stress.

For specific concerns, try these Yoga and Pilates moves:

  • Good posture: Cat-Cow, Mountain Pose, and Pilates Shoulder Bridge. 
  • Flatter tummy: Pelvic Tilts, Pilates Hundred, and Plank variations. 
  • Sleep deprivation: Legs-Up-the-Wall, Child’s Pose, and Pilates Roll-Down. 
  • Low energy: Warrior poses, Sun Salutations, and Pilates Spine Twist. 
  • Pain relief: Parrot Pose, Cobra, and Pilates Swimming.

Remember to always consult your healthcare provider before starting any postpartum exercise routine. 

At Abbysan, we offer expert, tailored guidance for new moms, ensuring a safe and effective recovery.

 

How Abbysan Yoga and Wellness Center can help.

At Abbysan, we combine Dr Abhishek’s signature Yogkinesis® method with Phuket’s finest Pilates and yoga instructors to support your postpartum journey. 

Our team, versed in STOTT® Pilates, Original Pilates, Hatha Yoga, and Vinyasa Flow, is dedicated to your overall health and well-being. We pride ourselves on being responsible, accountable, honest, and ethical, using our drive to energize and inspire our clients.

For new mothers, we offer a range of suitable courses after initial 1:1 postpartum recovery sessions.

Our Yoga classes in Phuket follow balanced sequences with tracked progress and personalized modifications. Ashtanga Yoga offers a steady flow of poses coordinated with breath, while Hatha Yoga focuses on proper technique. Our Yoga Therapy classes address specific health issues, adapting traditional poses to promote healing.

Our Pilates classes, including the Posture Clinic and Mat Pilates, are tailored to all levels and focus on core strength and body alignment. We recommend consulting with our professional staff at our Phuket Yoga Studio to determine the most suitable postpartum exercise routine for you.

Click here and book a 1:1 session with consultation for a special 50% OFF your first time.

 

Conclusion

Pilates core strengthening exercises and selected yoga stretches after six to eight weeks of postpartum or childbirth can lead to better recovery.

Fitting postnatal yoga into a busy new mom’s schedule can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Remind yourself of your goals, find reliable childcare, and commit to making time for yourself. Small steps, like starting with just a few minutes a day, can make a big difference.

Remember, you deserve the care.

Are you interested in joining one of our classes or seeing Dr. Abhishek for a free consultation at our Phuket Boat Lagoon Koh Kaew location?

Check availability and reserve your place using our online booking system. If you have any questions about our Yoga Retreat in Phuket or Pilatus Phuket offerings, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Let Abbysan be your partner in this beautiful journey of motherhood and self-care.

Hip, Knee & Ankle Issues

The most common injury, ankle sprain or simply the lack of optimum range of motion in your ankle can set a series of imbalances and dysfunctions in your body. The most common of all is change in gait pattern, which eventually can make yours legs week, causing hip and back pain. The most acquired prolonged sitting habits are very common among high school teenagers, office or desk-job develop the joint pain for being inactive. On the contrary the cyclists, runners, sprinters, gymnasts, high jump athletes and other sports players suffer from overuse injuries of either one of the three important joints in the lower body.

If you are looking for a simple, more effective way to deal with your knee issues, hip impingements and sciatica started due to prolonged sitting habits, bad movements techniques, or posture; come and get a free assessment and movement screen or start with one of the classes from the recommendations below to help overcome your knee, ankle or hip issues.

Remember, every part of your body is inter-connected and re-building that connection takes time and effort.

Hip, Knee & Ankle Issues (Lower Body Dysfunction)

MUST ATTEND ANY OF THE CLASSES BELOW (2-3 times/week)

MAY ATTEND ANY OF THE CLASSES BELOW (2-3 times/month) 
Total Body Reset
This online program can help you reset and realign your body by releasing various muscles including the ones in shoulder, neck hips and lower back.
Learn More

Lower Back Issues

Lower back and sacrum issues are very common among office or desk-job, cyclists, runners, high jump athletes at some point in their lives tend to develop lower back pain and stiffness due to repetitive movements in the single plane.

If you are looking for a simple, more effective way to deal with your back issues started due to prolonged sitting habits, bad movements techniques, or posture; or inappropriately body position for lifting and carrying your newborn baby, come and get a free assessment and movement screen or start with one of the classes from the recommendations below to help overcome your back issues.

Lower Back Issues (Core Dysfunction)

MUST ATTEND ANY OF THE CLASSES BELOW (2-3 times/week)

MAY ATTEND ANY OF THE CLASSES BELOW (2-3 times/month) 
Total Body Reset
This online program can help you reset and realign your body by releasing various muscles including the ones in shoulder, neck hips and lower back.
Learn More

Neck & Shoulder Issues

Neck & Shoulder issues are very common among office or desk-jobs and sports players who play racket games and basketball.

If you are going through all sorts of neck and shoulder issues either happening due to sports or yoga injuries, misalignment of the joints, bad movements techniques or posture; lifting and carrying your newborn baby, come and get a free assessment and movement screen or start with one of the classes from the recommendations below to help overcome your neck shoulder issues.

Neck and Shoulder Issues (Upper Body Dysfunction)

MUST ATTEND ANY OF THE CLASSES BELOW (2-3 times/week)

MAY ATTEND ANY OF THE CLASSES BELOW (2-3 times/month) 
Total Body Reset
This online program can help you reset and realign your body by releasing various muscles including the ones in shoulder, neck hips and lower back.
Learn More

Why Should You Go to Pilates?

Abbysan Yoga & Wellness Center

With seemingly half the celebrities around the world getting their pictures taken leaving Pilates classes, and perhaps your friends and neighbors reducing aches and pains and becoming fit with Pilates, you might be wondering about Pilates lessons for yourself.

What do you expect from a Pilates class?
Most people will answer with something vaguely along the lines of “a core workout”. The truth is that Pilates works more than just your core — your entire body workout and a mindful way of exercising your muscles.

Restructure Your Core

Your core isn’t just your abs — it’s your entire body from your diaphragm all the way to your pelvic floor. Pilates can help make your abs stronger or give you better muscular endurance in your core. Although the focus of a Pilates class is primarily on your core, your inner unit “powerhouse“, the class at Abbysan centre will also work your back, chest, arms, legs, neck, and feet!

Postural Balance

Technology has created a generation of back and neck pain. Pilates programs are praised by everyone from athletes to office workers for their ability to develop strength and correct posture in the key areas of the body such as hips, lower back, upper back, and neck.
 
By releasing the typically overactive areas of the chest, upper shoulders, thoracic spine (upper back), and hip flexor muscles as well as activating and strengthening the gluteals, abdominals, and shoulder stabilizers will help to counteract the effects of slouching.
 
All of this significantly improves dynamic stability – the ability of the body to hold itself in better alignment for longer, maintaining an upright posture, stability, and responsiveness. 

Rebuild Muscle Tone. Not Bulk.

Celebrities consistently credit Pilates as the reason for their toned muscles. It makes your arms lean and toned. A great butt is a great asset for everyone its helps in maintaining pelvic stability, knee alignment, power in jumps, speed when running and make your buttocks look good in tights of course. Pilates builds longer, leaner muscles making you stand taller and look slimmer! 

Regain Sensory-Motor Control.

Pilates includes balance and standing work. Most of us don’t move our spines in all different directions. A Pilates class will take your spine and neck through a gentle various range of motions (flexion, rotation, extension, and lateral flexion). If you feel tight from sitting or standing all day, these movements will get you loose and limber again.
 
We will activate the muscles in isolation and then progressively work them in more compound and dynamic functional movements (movements that you are likely to perform during your daily life), this will help you regain the control over your movements. 

Equipment or No equipment… it works

All kinds of exercises are done on the reformer to promote length, strength, flexibility, and balance. The reformer is the key to achieving long, strong muscles without bulk. The exercises on reformer provide enough resistance and movement variety to help build strong bones.
 
Yet, you don’t need equipment — you can do a Pilates workout on Mat anywhere. Although Pilates can use a full studio, it can also be done just with your body weight. We can put together a custom pilates routine for your holiday hotel rooms. Let us know!

Dancers and Celebrities love it.

Pilates is the exercise of dancers. Think of the bodies you see in movies or on the stage — if you want long, lean muscles like the dancers, then this is the workout for you. Celebrities consistently credit Pilates as the reason for their toned muscles. It makes your arms lean and toned. 

Best fit for Prenatal or Postnatal.

Not only important for mums and mums-to-be, Pilates will strengthen your pelvic floor, which is a vital muscle for everyone. Your pelvic floor gives you control over your bladder and bowel, but can be weakened by childbirth, obesity and also if you lift a lot of heavy weights.

Athlete and Sport’s Conditioning

Pilates was initially developed as a rehabilitative tool. Joseph Pilates was a German gymnast, born in 1883, who dedicated his life to teaching his exercising techniques, believing that poor posture goes hand-in-hand with poor health. He believed that by having awareness of breath and of alignment of the spine, we can strengthen the deep torso and abdominal muscles, and reduce stress.

Elderly are not exceptions.

Elderly people have many risk factors due to aging and lack of exercise. 
Decrease in balance, gait disabilities, and falls are most common and greatly affect their mobility in day-to-day life.
 
Balance ability is a very complicated function that maintains positions through diverse functional elements, and intervention of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. In general, various sensory-motor neurons interact in response to changes in gravity, the base of support, vision, and physical stability, and the external environment, resulting in instability of the body.
 
Mat-based Pilates helps elderly males and females improve trunk stability, dynamic balance, and significantly decrease the sway length and sway speed.

Elderly are not exceptions.

Elderly people have many risk factors due to aging and lack of exercise. 
Decrease in balance, gait disabilities, and falls are most common and greatly affect their mobility in day-to-day life.
 
Balance ability is a very complicated function that maintains positions through diverse functional elements, and intervention of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. In general, various sensory-motor neurons interact in response to changes in gravity, the base of support, vision, and physical stability, and the external environment, resulting in instability of the body.
 
Mat-based Pilates helps elderly males and females improve trunk stability, dynamic balance, and significantly decrease the sway length and sway speed.
 
Clinical Pilates Is Beneficial In;
  • Chronic Low back pain (LBP)
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD)
  • Post Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment
  • Spinal Deformities
  • Degenerative Disorders like Arthritis, Osteoporosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis, etc.

Supervised Under Dedicated Instructor.

The ideal way to keep up with your training is to have an instructor design a bespoke program of exercises for you to keep up with in between your sessions in the studio, and plan a review session every so often to make sure your technique is still sound and you are getting the most out of your training and in time you’ll be amazed by the results.
 
Our instructors are certified Pilates instructors as well as hold bachelor’s degrees in physiotherapy and naturopathy. We can create bespoke rehab and exercise programs for our clients with injuries or postural issues.

Word Of Caution.

  1. If you have an injury, consider doing a few one-on-one sessions with one of our Pilates specialists first to learn the basics. On a personal level, always remember the rule that if something hurts, don’t do it.
  2. Attending classes throughout pregnancy also significantly helps and speeds up the process of getting your body back in shape after childbirth. However, as with any type of exercise, always check with your doctor first, and remember to tell your trainer that you are pregnant before commencing class.

Abbysan Studio is located at the entrance of the boat lagoon in Phuket, offering highly effective body sculpting pilates workouts. 

Based on various studies indicate people who practice Pilates with good technique over time see the following benefits:
  • Improved flexibility and mobility.
  • Trunk stability.
  • Core and pelvic floor strength.
  • Injury prevention.
  • Improved posture.
  • Improved coordination and athletic performance in some sports.
We feel most rewarded when our clients achieve their goals, especially those who became pain-free or having more ease of movement.
You can also visit the following research links for your reference
Pilates: how does it work and who needs it? [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666467/]
The Effects of Pilates Mat Exercise on the Balance Ability of Elderly Females.[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944308/]
Effects of modified Pilates on the variability of inter-joint coordination during walking in the elderly. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5276783/]
Effects of Clinical Pilates Exercises on Patients Developing Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5351459/]

3 Step Process To Build A Solid Foundation In Yoga

3 Step Process To Build A Solid Foundation In Yoga

It would be best to have a solid foundation in yoga for certain poses and prevent injuries from faulty yoga practices; this is also true of homes and education.

I will share some significant reasons you need to build a solid foundation in yoga and some tips on doing this.

1. Feet Foundation

Yoga is a barefoot practice; you use all your feet muscles almost in all yoga poses. That’s why the first thing you need to do is start with your feet. Your stance and foot placement are the most critical part of building your concrete foundation in yoga.

The foot and ankle have very complex and often opposing functional responsibilities. They must flexible to adapt to uneven surfaces. Transfer high forces, and allow movement of the body in multiple directions.

During weight-bearing activities, the foot must quickly transform into a rigid lever that allows muscular contractions to propel the body forward, upward, sideways or any combination of these motions.

Your feet will sense and report if you are about to fall, or if your body is having issues with the yoga pose, or if you need to modify the position.

The foot also has a vital role in balance, sensing body location, and maintaining an upright posture; they directly connect to your core.

Realigning your foot and ankle is the first step in avoiding injury and building a foundation for your core.

Recommended Abbysan Classes – Hatha Yoga 1 and 3

2. Leg Foundation

Establishing a solid leg foundation can help prevent you from passing out and to recognize your endurance level.

You need to develop strength in your legs without locking your knees because locking your knee can cause you to pass out in yoga classes. Preferably, find your stability in your legs and observe when your body may be feeling fatigued. Fatigue can lead to passing out and various issues.

Recommended Abbysan Classes – Hatha Yoga 1 and 3, Hip Flow.

3. Core Foundation

Whole-body awareness is the ultimate goal of building a foundation for Yoga practice.

The feet explicate your balance, your legs reveal fatigue, and your core foundation can determine if your mind and body are connected. When you can sense the disconnect, you can re-connect. This is the most considerable benefit for many people in yoga and trying to build a foundation.

Recommended Abbysan Classes – All Yoga Classes, and especially Back Stretch Vinyasa, Yoga Core, and Core Flow.

As you move through your yoga journey and practice, you will discover other reasons to make the solid foundation you need for your Asanas (Yoga Poses in Sanskrit) and daily routine.

When you have issues formulating your concrete foundation, consider a consultation with one of our yoga & wellness coaches. They can help you recognize and develop the foundation and work to make it stronger.

Join the presale list and get up to 200$ OFF on the YOGIC SCIENCE EXPERT CERTIFICATION COURSE by Dr Abhishek Agrawal opening on 9th August, 2021.

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Why Cross Training Is Not The Ultimate Solutions For Sporty’s

Why Cross Training is not the ultimate solutions for Sporty's

Most people these days are working in offices, sitting all day long on a chair and putting their backs in strange positions and under a lot of pressure. Some of them then go to a gym, and because of a lack of knowledge and a personal trainer to supervise them, they perform various exercises with a bad form. This way they put even more pressure on their back and create even worse imbalances.

Then, they might get injured, and looking for solutions they decide to try a different sport, thinking that this will make the pain or the imbalance go away. They try a different activity that involves different muscles, leaving the injured muscles involved in the primary sport to rest and heal. They think like this: “Since I can’t do bodybuilding anymore, then I’ll do Cross Fit. Since I can’t run anymore, then maybe I can bike or skate or swim”.

Sure, it’s great to try new activities and always be active. But changing the sport is not the solution and will not heal the imbalances or the pain. Even though it may help to counter the effects of sport specificity (training at only one sport), it is not the complete answer to injury prevention, injury rehabilitation, and balanced training. And there are two main reasons for that:

First of all, stopping a certain sport or activity does not fix the imbalance that was created or been aggravated by that activity. Sure, you will feel a bit better. But when you will start that activity again, the same imbalance will cause the same injury over and over again. The tightness will still be there.

The muscles don’t get longer by themselves (unless you do specific stretches and protocols). If you ran track in your high school years and now you are forty and haven’t run a day ever since your muscles are as tight as they were on the day you stopped running.

Of course that you lost your fitness and strength, but unless you have done something about it, the muscles are exactly the same length as they were in high school. Some people go through their entire life with muscle imbalances and tightness, not even realizing they have a problem or not knowing what the problem is. And in case you had an injury because of that tightness, if you decide to start running again, the same injury will return like a ghost to haunt you.

To better understand this concept, let’s take this example: you go over a big pothole with your car, which knocks the front end out of alignment. You keep on going not realizing there is a problem, and then one of the tires gets thinner until it completely breaks.

You then get a flat tire and stop in order to replace it. But as you start to drive again with the car still not aligned, the new tire will begin to wear in the exact same place, eventually breaking up again.

Lots of people got injured, took a break, then resumed the activity and developed the same injury again. So what should you do in this case? You need to fix the muscle imbalances and structural irregularities first, before starting the activity again.

There are plenty of ways to do that, and we are here to help! And we not only work with athletes or sports enthusiasts, but we also work with moms and regular people with various conditions. For example, a mom might have carried their baby on one hip for two years, and now she started running and she has knee problems. She now needs to have another baby and carry him on the other hip, or she can get our treatment services that will heal the imbalance.

The second reason is that no sport perfectly balances and complements any other in strict biomechanical terms. Some sports do go well with one another, for example, cross-country skiing and distance running, while others don’t go so well (for example basketball and running).

Some sports have a good direct muscular crossover effect (for example rollerblading and cycling or climbing and kayaking), while others have little muscular crossover effect, like cycling and running. Besides this, most people hate to shift exercising priorities to the point of letting go of the level of achievement they worked so hard to reach.

Our center provides Yoga and Pilates Classes, as well as custom therapy designed to cure imbalances, realign, build power and flexibility. Contact Us today and tell us more about what is bothering you.