I recently sat down with Uju Asika at Babes About Town to talk about My Pregnancy Yoga Journal, co-written with Clare Daniell — why we chose a journal format, what yoga can really offer expecting mums (spoiler: it’s not about being bendy!), and how partners can get involved too.
Here are a few highlights from the conversation:
On why we made it a journal, not just a book: “We wanted it to feel like a companion rather than a book you simply read once and put on a shelf. Pregnancy changes so quickly, physically and emotionally, and the journal format allows you to check in with yourself each week.”
On what yoga really prepares you for: “One of the most valuable things yoga teaches you is how to stay present when something feels intense… Of course, no yoga practice can guarantee a particular type of birth. Birth is unpredictable. But yoga can give you a toolkit to draw on, whatever path your birth takes.”
On the biggest misconception about pregnancy yoga: “Probably the biggest is that you need to be flexible to do it. You absolutely don’t… Yoga isn’t about performance. It’s about listening to your body and learning to respond to what it needs.”
We also talked about how dads and birth partners can benefit from learning some of the breathing and relaxation techniques too, and what I hope every woman takes away from using the journal: a little more trust in her body, and a little more permission to pause.
Read the full interview over on Babes About Town →
My Pregnancy Yoga Journal, co-authored with Clare Daniell, is out now — find out more here.
