Early Days My baby-swimming journey started with the birth of my eldest daughter in 1975. I had some time between her birth and returning with her to my work in the Amazon. I needed to get her used to being in the water, crossing rivers with me and playing in […]
The fertility journey can be an emotional roller coaster. When women come into the yoga space for a fertility workshop there is usually a mixed feel in the room. As a teacher I’m aware that fertility yoga is not a celebration, like pregnancy yoga can be, nor should it be […]
Baby massage has been around for hundreds of years, from ancient India, to China, Africa, South East Asia and around the globe. Indeed, I suspect that parents have been lovingly stroking their babies forever. Whilst baby massage classes are a relatively new trend for the western world (classes in the […]
I began my Perinatal Yoga Diploma with Birthlight in 2017 when I was in the 2nd trimester with my son and began teaching other pregnant women from my 7th month of pregnancy and was able to complete the full course work once my son was born and became a toddler. […]
“The more we do our yoga, our yoga, our yoga, the more we do our yoga the healthier we’ll be. We’re bendy and stretchy and peaceful and happy. The more we do our yoga, the healthier we’ll be.” I sing this song regularly in my Yoga Babies classes, but the […]
As a Swim teacher and a Yoga Teacher for the past 20+ yrs, when I found Birthlight it was like winning the lottery. Being a part of this community allows me to teach and tutor Aqua natal, and Baby Swim in the holistic Birthlight way. As a practice for preparation […]
In July 2020 I trained to teach Toddler Yoga with Birthlight. I have been teaching baby massage and baby yoga for the past 10 years and wanted to expand this valuable work to parents and young children. I have also worked as a Speech and Language Therapist for 18 years […]
‘Embodied Postpartum’.An essential Birthlight initiative for 2022 What is it? A package of our best selected practices for ‘holding and handling’ new babies, that we believe can make the most significant difference to the quality of care and attachment between parents and their newborns in the community. Why are we […]
Aquanatal Yoga. Women’s Body Empowerment. In the past year I had an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge and become an Aquanatal Yoga Practitioner with Birthlight. Three years ago I became a teacher for baby and toddler swimming which I love and going down the antenatal route just felt right. […]
We send well wishes and a big congratulations to Becky Minihan, owner of Dolphin Academy Swim School, on the birth of her little girl. Just wanted to let you know that I had my baby girl on Saturday morning (October 16 th )Margot Jane Harrington She was born at home in […]
Cathy Welch shares how Well Woman Yoga supports women through all kinds of life transitions As an experienced childbirth educator it felt very natural to move into teaching first Pregnancy Yoga and then Postnatal Yoga – extending my relationship with the women on my courses and offering a gentle and […]
Spot interview with Liese van Dam Ayurveda Practitioner & Yoga teacher- Birthlight trained teacher for Perinatal, Postnatal, Baby Yoga and Well Woman YogaTeacher at Delight Academy of Ayurveda, Amsterdam Praktijk voor Yoga & Ayurvedawww.liesevandam.nl So Liese, like many of us in the beginning, you had pregnant women show up in your […]
What’s different about Aquanatal Yoga with Birthlight? There is now a great deal of research about the benefits of yoga during pregnancy: as a practice which targets body and mind together with a focus on the breath, it is not surprising that yoga has gone centre-stage with relaxation and anxiety […]
The Birthlight school first changed my perspective on teaching yoga to women in 2014-15, when I studied pre- and postnatal yoga with Kirsteen Ruffell. I had been teaching traditional hatha yoga and yoga nidra for seven years, and found the ‘Birthlight way’ to be a game changer – the micro-movements, […]
The role of the mother’s biochemistry in foetal development is well known. Good nutrition and avoiding toxins are advocated in all maternity care programs. There is less awareness however about the information relayed by mothers to their unborn babies about their perceptions of the world around them, including their attitudes […]
Is it fair to say that my WW Yoga training has changed my life? I’m not someone prone to emotional outbursts, but in this case, the answer is most definitely YES! I first met Françoise in 2007 when I was pregnant with my 2nd son – I was part way […]
I first found Well Woman Yoga in 2011. I had been teaching yoga already for 22 years. In 2009 I donated a kidney to my son, aged 15. Needless to say, this was an enormous transition on all levels for me-not least because I was 51 and at the same […]
Baby Communication Week Day 7 14 – 21st June Soon after the birth of my first granddaughter Rosie, it became clear that Grandpa Gerry had a uniquely effective way of soothing her. Cradling her in his arms, he bounced left and right in small rhythmical steps, then forwards and back […]
Baby Communication Week Day 6 14 – 21st June Singing is one easy way to communicate and bond with your baby before birth, it doesn’t necessarily have to have words, you could just hum a melody to your baby in the womb when you feel happy and relaxed. Make sure […]
Baby Communication Week Day 5 14 – 21st June My name is Liz Thompson and I am a Birthlight baby massage, and mother & baby yoga instructor. A while back, I was asked to share my experience with you regarding our 2017-2018 yearlong audit at the Royal London Hospital, Barts […]
Baby Communication Week Day 5 14 – 21st June Thanks to Jay Ehrlich winning The Lady Allen of Hurtwood Award for her work as a Hospital Play Specialist she was able to travel to the Brazelton Institute in New York City and further her research on supporting baby communication in […]
Baby Communication Week Day 4 14 – 21st June Lockdown hit new mums hard. Wonderful Nurturing Baby Massage and Yoga teachers stepped in to fill the void of live classes by serving their families well with livestream sessions. In virtual space we enjoyed the ease of the Zoom Casual while […]
Baby Communication Awareness Week Day 3 14 – 20th June The adorable Crystal Faith and lovely mummy Yemi have known only pandemic life together. They have used the time to joyfully grow their relationship. Newborn Crystal with mum Yemi attended Marion’s livestream BabyYogaMassage sessions where they enjoyed nurturing the strong […]
Baby Communication Awareness Week Day 2 14 – 20th June 2021 ‘So what about now at the start of your newborn’s life? Figuring out how she shows you what she needs, and how you can respond effectively, is the first job, and it happens without the support of language. It’s […]
Baby Communication Awareness Week Day 1 14 – 20th June 2021 After months of waiting, preparation and imagining, meeting a new baby unlocks an unexpected set of physiological, sensory and behavioural responses that parents can never fully anticipate. Many of these responses are mammalian traits, such as checking and exploring […]
Why Birthlight Yoga for the Menopause? Menopause is a key time of change for women. Whether this transition is experienced easily or with difficulty, women welcome a chance to be in the company of other women who are going through or have been through the menopause. At Birthlight we pay […]
Mirror Learning Webinar With Hugo Lavalle, Acquarella, Italy. Co-hosted by STA and Birthlight How do babies pattern their movements in water long before they can follow instructions or even stories that captivate their imagination? Babies grow their brains and their sense of self through movement in interactive, ideally loving, relationships […]
Francoise Freedman talks to “Green Parent” magazine regarding what’s different about Birthlight Baby Swimming! Baby baths – every parent knows about baby baths. We do them on a regular basis! But Francoise Freedman in her article in “Green Parent” magazine shows us that bathtime can be more than just about […]
Françoise Freedman will be speaking at the BeYogaBeyond Symposium running from 23- 25th April 2021. The Symposium is organised by the European Yoga Federation and will be the first symposium held by them. The focus of the meeting, featuring over 25 speakers, 10 special guests and 10 musicians, is to […]
Together with 899 other people, I registered to hear the findings of the Report on the ‘Maternal Pandemic’ in an event jointly organised by the Centre for Mental Health and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and funded by Comic Relief. A ‘bitter-sweet’ day, as the Chair of MMHA put it. […]