SHAKTI Pre-natal Yoga - Mom & Baby Yoga - Asana Prenatal Yoga - Doulas - Healthy Tips for Eating during your Pregnancy - Birthing Resources - Recommendations - Maternity Photography
 SHAKTI
Prenatal Yoga Program
SHAKTI West
*Prenatal Yoga will be cancelled until further notice.
Prenatal yoga is an effective
way to alleviate the common discomforts of pregnancy, including
back
pain, swelling, and fatigue.
 Come
and explore the art of prenatal yoga through more gentle vinyasa
flow yoga, breath work, and short meditation. Designed for women
in all stages of pregnancy, prenatal yoga will help you develop
and maintain the strength, flexibility, and internal awareness needed
for labor and the birth of your baby.
Join
this community of expectant mothers and explore a modified, yet
powerful vinyasa flow practice. As your baby grows and your body
changes, prenatal yoga will help release tension and ground you,
as you move through the joys and challenges of pregnancy.
All expecting
mothers at any trimester are encouraged to come to
this class. Your instructors are all trained in teaching prenatal
yoga
so you will be in good hands. Please wear comfortable clothes and
eat lightly one hour before.
This class is a drop-in. You may pay per class
or buy a 10 classes or a membership honored at BOTH SHAKTI East
and West studios.
FIRST TIME STUDENTS- Please bring a signed waiver
with you if you are attending our pre-natal class for the first
time. Click here to
print waiver form.
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 Mom & Baby Yoga
**This class will be cancelled until further notice.
Pre-register: TBD
Cost: TBD
Location: SHAKTI Vinyasa Yoga West,
2238 NW Market Street Ballard, Seattle, WA 98004 or call (206) 297-YOGA for more information
"Just wanted to let y'all know about the GREAT Baby Yoga Class at Shakti Vinyasa Yoga Studio-The class is on Thursdays from 1:30-3:00pm. The Teacher is AWESOME and super great with kids - which makes the class so great!!!"
- Student
Mom & Baby Yoga provides an opportunity for mothers to regain strength and flexibility in an enjoyable, supportive, community environment. Special focus is placed on developing core and back strength and stability, as well as relieving tension in areas such as the neck and shoulders (from nursing & holding your little one). Mom & Baby Yoga is a wonderful time for moms to connect with themselves, to interact with their babies, and to meet other moms! Under 1 year of age welcome (or until actively crawling).
This will be a pre-registration class to ensure that we have enough moms to support the class. We'll need a minimum of ten people to register to begin the class.
Interested? Call, e-mail or stop by SHAKTI West.
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Asana Prenatal Yoga
As you get bigger, use more props such as blocks and straps to help you work through poses, and use a wall or a chair to help you keep your balance when you’re doing balancing poses such as tree pose or triangle pose.
Drink water during a class or at-home practice whenever you want to. This tip is contrary to the standard advice against drinking water during a yoga class so as not to cool down the warmth that you build in the body during the course of the class. When doing yoga during pregnancy, as with any other exercise during pregnancy, be mindful of your body temperature and avoid becoming overheated by slowing down and staying hydrated.
Poses to Do:
 Cat-Cow (hands and knees position, arch back on inhale, round on exhale), great for strengthening low belly to support back, creating space for baby in belly, and encouraging an optimal birth position for the baby.
Warrior 2 – strengthening legs in this wide stance helps to support low back and growing belly, as well as give the pelvis plenty of space. Also, a wonderful wayto prepare for the intensity of birth. It’s a good pose to work
 on mental as well as muscular endurance.
Malasana – Squatting is a central exercise of prenatal yoga. It’s a natural position for birthing, as it opens the pelvis to its widest degree. Squatting regularly helps to increase the mobility of the pelvic and hip joints and to
bring the pelvis into the right postural position in relation to the spine.
 Balancing poses (with the aid of a wall or chair)and hip opening poses are safe pregnancy exercises if you are not experiencing any complications. Squats will help stretch your hips in preparation for delivery, and you can use blocks to support yourself when you get too big to squat comfortably without assistance.
Poses Not To Do:
When you are pregnant, avoid deep twisting poses or any pose that puts pressure on your stomach, such as forward bends. Avoid backbends, too, because they are intense poses and it is easier to strain a muscle while pregnant due to the hormonal changes in the body that increase the laxity of muscles and joints in preparation for labor and delivery.
If you are new to yoga, avoid any inversion poses such as headstands or shoulder stands while pregnant. If you are an experienced yoga practitioner and you do these poses regularly, you can continue them through the second trimester if you feel comfortable. Experienced practitioners may want to consider using a wall since pregnancy and the extra weight of pregnancy can change our balance.
After delivery you’ll be getting a new and different kind of exercise from bending, lifting, and carrying an infant. But these activities can leave you with stiff muscles and stress, not to mention sleep deprivation. Yoga is one of the best exercises to do after pregnancy because it providing an outlet for the physical and emotional stress associated with caring for a newborn.
Whether you want to return to your pre-pregnancy yoga practice or you want to start doing yoga as a way to slim down and start an exercise program, be sure to ease into your yoga practice and focus on restorative postures. Focus on releasing tension, which will help you deal with the stress of being a new mom. And don’t expect to resume yoga at the same level of intensity as your pre-pregnancy, practice the day. Don’t strain, and take your time building back up to your pre-pregnancy practice. Although we may want to hop right into yoga, remember that depending on our labor, the perineum, cesarean, and uterus need time to adequately heal. Check with your physician before resuming your practice.
Restorative poses to do in spare moments include: Downward-facing Dog, Child’s Pose, and easy forward bends and seated twists.
The relaxation and focusing skills that are part of any yoga practice can serve you well during labor and delivery. The controlled breathing taught in yoga classes is similar to the prenatal exercise techniques taught in Lamaze and other pregnancy education classes, so if you practice yoga, you will be ahead of the game.
If you can use the muscle relaxation techniques that are part of yoga during pregnancy and focus your attention away from the discomfort of labor, you may feel less nervous and stressed during your labor and delivery. The ability to relax applies if you are having a cesarean section, too. Whether your cesarean delivery is an elective or an emergency procedure, the ability to control your breathing and focus can reduce your stress level during the surgery.
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What is a Doula?
Giving birth to a baby is so much more that a physical phenomenon; it engages parents-to-be in a transformational experience, a key life event full of emotion and meaning. A doula who accompanies a woman in labor mothers the mother, taking care of her emotional needs throughout childbirth. A doula is a not a medical provider but more of an emotional provider. She can help physical discomfort through a natural approach such as massage and aromatherapy. But the emotional rewards are endless. A doula provides the mother to be with support and a sense of confidence in the new journey of becoming a mother. A doula provides support and suggestions for partners that can enhance their experiences of birth. With information on breast feeding, nutrition, maternal-child bonding, and support for the mother’s partner as well. Time and time again this has been proven to reduce the pains in child labor and help with post-partum depression. Having this kind of support and understanding gives both parents the chance to build confidence and focus on the new family.
A post partum doula continues that valuable emotional support and guidance, helping a family make a smooth transition into new family dynamics.
"As a birth doula, I accompany women in labor to help ensure a safe and satisfying birth experience. I have received education for my role as a doula from Seattle Midwifery School. I draw on my knowledge and experience to provide emotional and physical support. I can provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress, and help with relaxation, massage, positioning, and other techniques for comfort. "(Excerpt from the contract for becoming a birth doula)
Doulas
Carrie Kenner, Certified BIRTHING FROM WITHIN® Mentor; CD (DONA); CDT (DONA)
Owner Big Belly Service
Angie Dobbins, BIRTHING FROM WITHIN® Mentor, ICCE, CD (PALS)
Grateful Doula Services
www.gratefuldoula.com
Jennifer McArthur, CD (PALS), CPD (NAPS)
From Birth to Baby
www.frombirthtobaby.com
Brandy Ross, ND, LM, CPM
Moonrise Health and Birth
www.moonrisehealth.com
Alissa Wehrman, CD (DONA), CPD (NAPS)
Sunbirth Doula Services
www.sunbirth.orgorg
Noel Merkel
noelyogi2000@yahoo.com
Mara Benedict
marabenedict@hotmail.com
Shari Luchino
doulastouch@comcast.net
Northwest Doulas website
Welcome! As doulas and friends, we have joined together to create Northwest Doulas. Our shared and guiding philosophy is to provide compassionate support and education to women, their partners and their babies during all stages of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.
www.nwdoulas.com
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Healthy Tips on eating throughout your pregnancy
Make sure to eat a variety of foods to ensure you are getting all of the proper nutrients. Your diet should include all the colors of the rainbow.
Please remember to always speak to your health care practitioner before changing your diet. This is an outline only, listen to your body, in the end, you know best.
Choose foods high in fiber, such as whole grain breads, cereals, pastas and rice. Stay away from processed white flour. When in doubt, always choose brown over white.
 2-4 servings of fruit
Choose fruits that are high in Vitamin C. Some delicious choices are oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, honeydew and papaya. Women who are pregnant should be getting 70 mg of Vitamin C daily. Another great way to get your Vitamin C is through Emergen-C. Emergen-C has 1,000 Milligrams of Vitamin C in each packet plus B vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. Plus it tastes great!
4 or more servings of vegetables
Another great way to get your Vitamin C in for the day is through veggies. Some of my favorites are brussel sprouts, tomatoes and mustard greens. Veggies are also a great way to get in your calcium for the day. Broccoli is a great source of calcium, not to mention one of my favorite veggies. It has 47 mg per serving not to mention loads of potassium and it compliments any meal, enjoy raw or cooked.
 4 servings of dairy products
I’m sure you can think of all sorts of ways to get 4 servings of dairy in, I know I can! But dairy during your pregnancy is a lot more important then you may think, and a little bit trickier. You should be eating or drinking enough dairy to get in 1000-1300 mg a day! The reason calcium is so important during this time is that your baby will be taking a considerable amount from you to develop so it’s necessary to constantly replenish. If you don’t your body will take the calcium it needs from your bones to give the proper amount to the baby which could cause osteoporosis. Also, stay away from carbonated beverages throughout your pregnancy; this will deplete your Calcium levels. Also, cut down on red meat and try and stay active. This will all help in achieving strong bones and absorbing all the Calcium that you and your baby need to stay strong. Most dairy is safe to eat throughout your pregnancy but there are a few things that have been advised to stay away from. Avoid all soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and Mexican-style cheese. These cheeses are often un pasteurized and may cause Listeria Infection. Stick with the hard cheeses, processed cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
Again, Calcium is also found in foods including green veggies such as broccoli, spinach, seafood, dried peas and beans. Try and get your nutrients from a variety of foods. There are so many great sources of calcium other then dairy product, for most people eating too much dairy can cause digestion and other health problems. Not to mention, many people are lactose intolerant. If you are one of the many, try getting your calcium from other calcium enriched foods such as the veggies I mentioned earlier. And instead of milk try organic almond milk, or organic soymilk. Another milk substitute is Lactaid Milk fortified with Calcium. But if you still feel like you need a little milk, try drinking it in small amounts with meals. Milk is sometimes better tolerated with food. You may also be able to tolerate certain forms of dairy like cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese. The reason this is, is that these products have less sugar and being lactose intolerant means that you have an inability to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk.
But again, please always speak to your physician before drastically changing your diet. And last but not least, vitamin D will help your body use calcium. Adequate amounts of vitamin D can be obtained through fortified milk, eggs and fish. So think Calcium, Calcium, and more Calcium!
 3 servings of protein sources
You can get your protein from a variety of sources. Meat is probably the easiest but certainly not the only way. Nuts, eggs and mixing up some beans and rice will do the trick. So whether you are a vegetarian or a hard core carnivore, get in your 3 servings day to keep you and baby strong. Be aware of listeria in luncheon meats or cold cuts. Be sure to heat through to steaming before consuming. Finally, fish is a great protein source. Plan to consume fish with the lowest mercury content.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is important to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. All pregnant women should be getting at least 0.4mg of folic acid per day. Some good foods for this are leafy green veggies, and legumes.
 Iron
Iron is a mineral that makes up an important part of hemoglobin, the substance in blood that carries oxygen throughout the body. Iron also carries oxygen in muscles, helping them function properly. Iron helps increase your resistance to stress and disease. The body absorbs iron more efficiently during pregnancy; therefore it is important to consume more iron while you are pregnant to ensure that you and your baby are getting enough oxygen. Iron will also help you avoid symptoms of tiredness, weakness, irritability and depression. Some great sources of Iron are wheat bran or bran flakes, dried figs, lentils and cashews. Try using Thyme, curry, cinnamon and rosemary with your cooking; these are excellent sources of Iron.
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Birthing Resources
Penny Simkin
1100 23rd Avenue East
Seattle, WA. 98112
206.325.1419
penny@pennysimkin.com
Puget Sound Midwives and Birthing Center
13128 Totem Lake Blvd, NE
Suite 101
Kirkland, WA 98034
Telephone: (425) 823-1919
Fax: (425) 823-7037
Email: OfficeManager@birthcenter.com
Great Starts "Office Classroom"
2517 Eastlake Ave E
Seattle, WA 98101
Telephone: (206) 789-0883
Fax: (206) 253-0604
www.greatstarts.org
PALS
2524 16th Ave South #207A - Seattle WA 98144
Business office - 206.329-7257 | King County Doula Referral Line - 206.325.1419
info@pals-doulas.org
Big Belly Services
Big Belly Services was born in 2001 by Carrie Kenner. The Mission of Big Belly Services is to promote birth as a peace movement. This is accomplished by teaching and supporting the following tenets:
Birth matters – to babies, women and families
Pregnancy and birth are natural processes
Babies and pregnant mothers share experiences
Empowered parents will birth with confidence and in awareness
Babies are conscious, aware, and expressive
It is never too late to love and show kindness
Swedish Midwives
Certified nurse-midwives deliver at Swedish/Ballard
Every woman’s birthing experience is unique. At the Family Childbirth Center at Swedish/Ballard, our experienced, certified nurse-midwives pride themselves in partnering with you to create the most personalized childbirth experience possible – one that best reflects your personal, cultural and spiritual beliefs.
www.swedish.org/midwives
http://hypnosisforbirth.com/hypnosisforbirth/
http://birthyourdreams.com/birthyourdreams/
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Reading and Viewing Recommendations
 Healthy Mom, Happy Baby: Prenatal Yoga
with Anna Davis, PH.D, RYT and Lisa Black M.ED., CYI
The evidence is clear: when you exercise regularly and gently during your pregnancy, you help yourself and your baby. Babies born to exercising mothers are healthier, experience fewer fetal complications during labor, and may even receive neurobehavioral benefits as a result of their mom's exercise regime while they are in utero.
Yoga is regarded as the ideal form of exercise for pregnant women - a perfect way to meet the 30 minutes of exercise prescribed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Healthy Mom, Happy Baby is a gentle prenatal yoga practice designed for all three trimesters of your pregnancy.
"This video is led by two experienced yoga teachers who are also moms. It is a strong Vinyasa practice to support women through their pregnancies. I feel pregnant women everywhere would benefit from it." - Ana Forrest, Founder of Forrest Yoga and Contributing Expert to Yoga Journal
This video will help you:
• Strengthen and build stamina in the muscles used during childbirth.
• Learn meditation techniques to help you access deep relaxation - a tool you can use to replenish yourself between contractions.
• Learn breathing and visualization strategies to release tension and manage pain during labor.
• Increase your confidence and trust in the innate wisdom of your body.
• Connect with your changing body and your growing baby.
• Enjoy uninterrupted time to explore your emotions as you make the transition to motherhood.
About the Instructors: Anna Davis is a mother of two girls as well as a neurophysiologoist, science educator, and certified yoga instructor. With a doctorate in Physiology and Biophysics, Anna combines her extensive education with practical instruction to offer a comprehensive yoga practice. Lisa Black is an accomplished yoga instructor, owner of two studios and a proud new mother. Lisa was recently honored by Yoga Journal as part of a select group of instructors "...who are shaping yoga's future".
 Bend, Breathe and Conceive: Yoga for Fertility
Bend, Breathe & Conceive is an exciting new yoga program specifically created to help couples conceive. Anna Davis, Ph.D., RYT, scientist and yoga instructor, guides you through a series of physical poses, yogic breathing techniques, visualizations, and meditation practices designed to integrate your body, mind, and spirit, to cultivate balance and to promote fertility and optimal reproductive health.
www.bendbreatheandconceive.com
Sacred Birthing: Birthing a new humanity by Sunni Karll
“Sacred Birthing is an awareness of birth and the beginning of life that is ancient, yet new to most of us. When love and the Divine are invited into the mysteries of conception and birth, a unique signature of each child results. These precious signatures or energies are being recognized as Psychic or Indigo children.” - James Twyman, author
With over one million copies in print, this is one of the best-selling books about pregnancy on the market. More complete and up-to-date than any other pregnancy guide, this remarkable book is the "bible" for childbirth educators. Now revised with a greatly expanded treatment of pregnancy tests, complications, and infections
 Deepak Chopra:
Yoga and Pregnancy Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives
A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
A much-needed antidote to our modern, assembly-line approach to childbirth, this new book is designed as a guide for all who wish to participate in the wondrous process of bringing new life into the world. Its ideas derive from two sources: the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, with its emphasis on body, mind, and spirit, and the latest Western scientific prenatal research. By integrating the best information from these two very different perspectives, this remarkable book gives readers the tools to ensure that our children are nourished by thoughts, words, and actions from the very moment of conception.
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide
by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, & Ann Keppler
With over one million copies in print, this is one fo the best-selling books about pregnancy on the market. More complete and up-to-date than any other pregnancy guide, this remarkable book is the "bible" for childbirth educators, Now revised with: (1) a greatly expanded treatment of pregnancy tests, complications, and infections, (2) an expanded list of drugs and medications, plus advice for uses, (3) a brand-new chapter on creating a detailed birth plan
Called "excellent" by the "American Journal of Nursing".
 Birthing From Within
by Pam England and Rob Horowitz
This book is electrifying in the birthing world! The Birthing from Within approach prepares a mother to birth from within. She needs insights into what labor and birth will be like from her perspective, and preparation to be in labor and give birth as a mother. Birthing from Within offers guidance througth the emotional, spiritual, psychic and social mists which enshroud birth in our culture. Hightlights include: proven pain-coping techniques, inner exploration through journaling and birth art, birth from the father's perspective, how to ask questions and get information, compassionate use of drugs, and spiritual cesarean birth.
Yoga for Pregnancy:
Ninety-Two Safe, Gentle Stretches Appropriate for Pregnant Women & New Mothers
by Sandra Jordan
Sandra Jordan offers yoga as a way of developing self-reliance and calmness of mind during pregancy. Practicing yoga poses with quiet mindfulness developmes a strong, supple body and the ability to breathe deeply and relax completely. Yoga for Pregnancy provides ninety-two lyngar poses carefully chosen for their safety and effectiveness during and after pregnancy. Each pose is explained concisely, illustrated with a photograph, and clearly marked with a code that tells which postures are advised for each trimester. This is a supportive guide to safe, gentle stretches that can help pregnancy women adjust to the phsycial and mental demands of labor birth, and motherhood.
 Preparing for Birth with Yoga by Janet Balaskas
Superb look at using yoga to prepare your body and mind for pregnancy and delivery. Clear, competent instruction. Detailed discussion of physiology-anatomy of pregnancy; advises readers about delivery and parenting. Good black and white photos and sketches.
The Birth Partner, 3rd Edition
A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and Other Labor Companions
The definitive guide to helping a woman have a healthy and emotionally fulfilling childbirth experience. The third edition includes all the information that husbands, partners, relatives, friends, and doulas have relied on for nearly two decades.
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide
by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, & Ann Keppler
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn covers prenatal care, decisions revolving around where to give birth, labor support techniques, birth plans, medical interventions, relaxation, and newborn care and feeding, postpartum adjustment, and much more, with a strong emphasis on parental choice.
The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins
A breastfeeding mother's guide to nursing celebrates its twentieth anniversary with an updated and expanded version of the original that covers a wide range of subjects, with sections on breast pump models, updated resources for nursing mothers, drugs and their effects on lactation and on breast-fed babies, and more.
The Spirit of Pregnancy: An Interactive Anthology for Your Journey to Motherhood
By Bonni Goldberg
Bonni Goldberg's poems, stories, and essays have appeared in numerous publications and on public radio. She gives talks and workshops nationwide and is also the author of Room to Write and Gifts from the Heart.
 Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities:
A Guide to the Medical Literature by Henci Goer
Anyone working to improve the childbearing experience and help women avoid unnecessary intervention has encountered numerous "obstetric myths" or "old doctors' tales." And while the evidence in the medical literature may be solidly, often unequivocally, against whatever "the doctor said," without access to that evidence, the pregnant woman is quite reasonably going to follow her doctor's recommendations.
This book is an attempt to make the medical literature on a variety of key obstetric issues accessible to people who lack the time, expertise, access, or proximity to a medical library to research concerns on their own. Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities is a compact reference, scholarly yet understandable to people without medical training, and organized so that readers can easily find the information they want.
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 Maternity
Photography
Pregnancy is an amazing experience in a woman's life.
Capture the beauty of these moments with fine art photography to
treasure for a lifetime. A creative portraiture session makes an
excellent shower gift or gift for your spouse
For more information, call Nityia 206.778.0191
or visit www.nityiadesign.com |
