The syllabus

Topics you’ll explore:

• The Childbearing Year: Step into the world of birth culture in America. Discussion includes societal expectations of birthing people in America, maternal mortality, and intervention focused nature of the birther's experience. 

• Why Prenatal Yoga: Discussion will include benefits of prenatal yoga, guidelines, and warning signs. Discussion will include general considerations for each trimester. 

• Four Trimesters: Lecture on four trimesters, changes that take place in the body, how to read your students' abilities, and applying modifications, the energetic focus of each trimester. 

• Physiological Childbirth: Lecture regarding the process that they body performs during late pregnancy, labor, birth, and immediate postpartum Discussion to include optimal fetal positioning, stages of labor, signs of labor, and the first 40 days post birth. This topic is extremely important as it informs the prenatal yoga teacher why specific postures, flows, and guidance to the student can improve birth outcomes, prepare for her birth, and move effectively through the labor process. Students will learn exercises that they can educate their clients to perform during active and early labor.

• Anatomy: The Birthing Person’s shifting body: Overview of what is normal anatomy and physiology during conception, pregnancy, and immediate postpartum so that the prenatal yoga teacher may understand better how to cue, inform, and guide her students depending upon where they are in pregnancy, or what has happened prior to pregnancy. How uterus, pelvic floor, joints, connective tissue and other organs function during pregnancy informs the teacher to always presents safe and effective asana practice that is designed to address complaints, while avoiding movement that may be contraindicated. Overview of the complications, including, but not limited to: miscarriage, premature labor, hypertension, and preeclampsia as it relates to shifting the prenatal yoga practice, or when prenatal yoga is contraindicated. 

• Integrating Core/Pelvic Floor Work into the Practice, Part One: Students will learn fundamentals of core work during pregnancy. Special considerations to working each muscle group, specific sequences, asana, and breath work that safely build core strength.

• Integrating Core/Pelvic Floor Work into the Practice, Part Two: Now that we know the exercises to use, how do we best integrate them into the practice to challenge and build strength without exhausting or overextending the pregnant student.

• Teaching to the Transforming Body: Asana, sequencing, cuing, language, and atmosphere for your best perinatal yoga class. We’ll break down each posture, transitions, and special modifications to support every student, encourage optimal fetal positioning, and prepare your students for birth/postpartum.

• Building Your Class: Lecture will include learning formats to utilize in order to create a comprehensive prenatal class.

• Props for Pregnancy: Learn how to utilize props in prenatal instruction to encourage proper alignment, support, and modifications for pregnancy. Props include but are not limited to blocks, bolsters, blankets, straps, wall, and chairs.
  

• Holistic Health for Pregnancy: Lecture and discussion on how to utilize Ayurvedic principals and nutritional guidelines to guide recommendations for prenatal yoga clients including essential oils, herbs, sleep, healthy eating and mediation practices. Students will learn how to incorporate a yogic lifestyle throughout the pregnancy so that they may assist their clients in coping with common pregnancy complaints. This session will also guide the prenatal yoga teacher to what essential oils and herbal teas to utilize during and after sessions with pregnant clients.

• Meditation + Pranayama: Breath work and mindfulness are wonderful tools for the pregnant mother to learn and use to in pregnancy and birth to reduce pain, reduced stress, and be fully present in her journey. Students will learn nuances of prenatal breath work and how to write meditations specific to each stage of the childbearing year.

• Ethical Considerations for Prenatal Yoga Teachers: Via lecture and discussion, students will learn the role of a prenatal yoga instructor, when to refer, and who to refer to. Discussion to include Lactation support, chiropractic care, midwife/ob, mental health specialists. Students will be given guidelines to adhere and will role play interactions with students.

• Practice: Meditation + Pranayama: Students will be guided through a prenatal mediation and pranayama that incorporates diaphragmatic breathing and down toning of pelvic floor.  

• The Whole Prenatal Yoga Student: This section will begin with lecture regarding how we can meet our prenatal yoga students where they are, how we can challenge our pregnant students, and grow their practice throughout their pregnancy. Students will then be given case studies of potential clients they may see in classes or private sessions, they will created a 30 min sequence to teach to the student and explain, why they choose this sequence, asana, and pranayama, and make any further recommendations and referrals.

• The Business of Birth: Now that you're working in the birth world, learn how to market yourself, who to network with, how to provide your offerings, and how to standout as a Meraki Mama Prenatal Yoga teacher.

• Prenatal Practice: Guided practice of gentle vinyasa flow for prenatal students 1-2 hours each day followed by discussion and breakdown prop usage and sequencing.
  

Homework/TESTs

• Reading List: my favorite books for deeper understanding and reference.

• Observing other RPYTs: Students will observe four 60 minute prenatal yoga classes lead by outside RPYTs

• Build Your Village: Build your resource list. One way to really help your clients to create and share a resource list from your community.

• Lead Prenatal Meditation & Breath work (recorded and submitted via YouTube link.)

• Lead a 10 minute sequence (recorded and submitted via YouTube link.)

• Teach a 60 minute Prenatal Yoga class ( (recorded and submitted via YouTube link.)

• Take Home test (PDF)