A Balanced Pregnancy
Om Births Prenatal Yoga classes are spectacular, but you want to go deeper into practicing while pregnant! Augment your weekly live yoga class with these specialized guided videos with Om Births founder Bec Conant, or use them as your primary practice throughout your pregnancy! These were each filmed during her 35th week of pregnancy, but they can be used at any trimester or stage of pregnancy! Learn the proper way to squat, energize your body and mind, connect to baby with deep relaxation and meditation, and be fully prepared and excited for your upcoming birth!
Meet your instructor: Bec Conant
Bec has spent the past 20 years teaching pregnant women and new moms the benefits of Yoga and meditation during pregnancy, and has attended almost 300 births as a doula. She hold certifications in HypnoBirthing, Spinning Babies, and Childbirth Education.
Through her years of teaching and attending birthing women, Bec has seen a deep connection between the body, the mind and the heart; a connection she hopes to share with her students and birthing mothers. Bec's classes focus on developing strength and flexibility while learning to respect and listen to the body's wisdom. Her gentle teaching style allows students to deepen their practice while working at their own pace.
My goal is for every woman to feel more comfortable during pregnancy, to feel empowered to work with the birth experience whatever happens, and to find joy and mindfulness during motherhood.
What’s included?
Prenatal Yoga Online is divided into 10 different chapters to help you fully understand and best work with your body throughout pregnancy, and to prepare for birth. Each chapter contains a practice video, and subsequent short workshop videos to clarify specific aspects of each stage and component of the practice
1: Sun Salutations for Pregnancy: 20 min practice
A daily practice with a gentle modification of Yoga's Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) for pregnancy and postpartum. This video features a gentle series of forward and backward bending postures to mobilize and free the spine. Postures are also done from Table position
Additional chapter videos:
Spinal alignment during pregnancy.
Why we modify the Sun Salutation for pregnancy?
“Being in” your body
2: Energizing Warrior Mama: 15 min practice
Continuing on from the Sun Salutation or simply standing by itself, Energizing Warrior Mama focuses on standing postures such as Warrior 1 and 2 as well as Trikonasana. Standing postures strengthen and tone the legs and body, while side bending sequences help to relieve lower back pain. Included are also special mantras for labor and birth inspire mental focus and stamina.
Additional chapter videos:
The Four Cornerstones to working with your labor
Prenatal Modifications for standing postures- hip placement
Lunges! When, how, and why?
3: Psoas/Quad Release: 13:40 min practice
Your Psoas and Quads are powerful hip flexors. Releasing there muscles is critical in both relieving back pain and allowing optimal room for the uterus and baby. Gentle backbends stretch the hips flexors and then lead into deeper Quad stretches.
Additional chapter videos:
The impact of the psoas on uterine space and baby position
Hip flexors and lower back pain
Stretching vs releasing
4: Sciatica/ Hip Opening series: 14:50 min practice
Sciatica is a specific pain which occurs from a compression of the nerves in the back of the pelvis. It can be due to overly tight gluteus and piriformis muscles, or from excessive laxity in the pelvic joints. Hip openers help stretch the hip rotator muscles, and when done to the appropriate degree can also be used to stabilize hyper-mobile joints. Gentle movements release muscles while promoting pelvic symmetry and stability. Bec used this sequence herself during her pregnancy and afterwards to alleviate her own sciatica.
Additional chapter videos:
Pelvic structure and movement- what is the SI joint?
Hip stability vs mobility
The mechanics of the squat (Malasana)
5: Prenatal Abdominals: 13 min practice
Yes you read that right, abdominals for during pregnancy and immediately post-partum. Pelvic rocking, deep breathing, and appropriate level abdominal work help to activate the deepest transverse abdominal layers and also work to awaken the pelvic floor. Appropriate for any stage of pregnancy, and the perfect sequence to begin rebuilding abdominal control 4 weeks post birth! Also appropriate for those suffering from Diastasis Recti
Additional videos:
Diastasis Recti and how to minimize it?
Pelvic floor toning
The back core
6: Shoulder opening: 10 min practice
Especially good for not only prenatal, but postpartum as well. Shoulder opening postures and sequences restore flexibility and range of motion to the upper chest and neck. This sequence combats the extra weight on the front of the body during pregnancy, and then the rounded "New Mommy" posture common during postpartum
Additional videos:
Upper body posture during pregnancy
Bolster release work for shoulders
Anti-heartburn postures
7: Restorative Slow Flow: 22 min practice
A slow, restorative sequence for winding down at the end of the day. Slow mindful movements help to bring attention to the present moment and release the thinking mind. This mindfulness is combined with fully supported postures to encourage deep rest and relaxation. Pillows from your couch or bed are recommended. Especially useful during pregnancy
Additional videos:
Yoga Nidra for pregnancy
Using props for Shavasana and other restorative postures
Resting to help baby find optimal positioning
8: Guided Body Scan: 20 minutes
The guided body scan meditation from the Om Births Calm Mom, Calm Baby, Calm Birth workshop. Perfect for at home daily relaxation practice after a hard day. Regular relaxation helps the body function better and also inhibits the release of stress hormones which can interfere with labor and the birth process.
9: "Prenatal Yoga with Bec Conant" Full DVD: 90 minute practice in 7 segments
Wanting a more full practice? You got it! Enter Bec's full Prenatal Yoga class DVD filmed in 2008 by Heart of the Moon Media. This includes all the sections: Warm-up, Sun Salutations, Standing Postures, Wall Work, Seated Postures, Backbends, and a Guided Shavasana. Segments vary from kneeling cat/cow sequences to mobilize and free the spine, to active standing postures which strengthen and tone the legs. Wall based postures focus on improving balance and relieving heartburn, and guided Shavasana brings deep relaxation and calm to finish it all out.
