After giving birth, aqua yoga exercises are the counterparts of antenatal aqua yoga helping to realign and ‘close the body’, as well as toning and strengthening the muscles of the pelvis and lower back. Water is uniquely healing for the perineum and a good medium in which to tone the pelvic floor muscles. Breathing remains an essential aspect of aqua yoga.
Rather than aiming to simply ‘get back to normal’ the new mother’s goal can be to create a new strength and stamina which are no less than those of the body before pregnancy but have been enriched by the transformation of birth and the fulfilment that being a mother can bring.
The aims of postnatal aqua yoga are:
- to realign the spine and strengthen the spinal muscles
- to tone and strengthen the abdominal muscles
- to regain full tone of the pelvic floor muscles
- to energize without strain in a short movement, relaxing at the same time
- to tone and remodel your figure safely
- to get ready to swim with your baby
After pregnancy it is necessary to realign the spine. Standing in the water allows the maximum stretch between the hip bones and ribs as arms are lifted above the head. Aqua yoga makes use of deep breathing in relaxed stretches that are easier and safer in water than on land.
Standing twists and rolls assist with recovery of the waistline. As with all yoga postures, it is the deep breathing that makes the twists effective. The combination of twisting and rolling movements helps to keep hips supple after pregnancy and prevents postnatal backache.
For swimmers, front crawl is best to elongate the spine and tone the abdominal muscles of new mothers, whatever their birth experience has been. Front crawl is suitable for those who have had a Caesarean section if it is practised as aqua yoga, using the flow of the breath combined with slow motion. This stroke helps new mothers to maintain the expanded breathing they have gained if they have done aqua yoga in pregnancy, and use it to create new strength and stamina.
For those who have had a Caesarean section some postnatal aqua yoga twists and stretches will be most beneficial, while deep breathing can help to heal the scar tissue.
Back crawl is probably the best postnatal stroke. It has a direct and effective action on the abdominal muscles, thighs and buttocks. It can be practised effectively with supports for those who are not confident swimmers.