Finding my way to Pregnancy Yoga – From Event Manager to “Mothering the Mothers”

My Birthlight Journey

A few months in, I had a clear realization: if I was going to teach yoga, I really wanted to teach pregnancy yoga. During my own pregnancy, I had missed that support deeply. The studio I attended at the time didn’t offer pregnancy yoga, and they weren’t quite sure how to guide me as a pregnant student. That experience stayed with me.

Discovering Birthlight

In 2016, I enrolled in the Birthlight pre- and postnatal yoga training. Even before starting, I had a vision of what my classes would look like: weekly sessions instead of fixed courses, a sense of flow, and a nurturing, supportive atmosphere.

I remember coming home after my very first day of training feeling incredibly inspired. This was exactly what I had been looking for. The philosophy of “mothering the mothers” resonated deeply and, looking back, it marked the beginning of a completely new career.

Creating my own classes and community

I launched my “Glow Mama” pregnancy yoga classes (named after the studio Glow), and from the very beginning, they were a success. More importantly, they felt right. I felt confident in a way I hadn’t experienced in regular yoga classes. I had found my place and purpose.

In my early classes, I asked participants for feedback. One woman shared that she would love to understand more about the purpose behind certain poses. That insight changed everything. From then on, I began explaining how movements could support labour, create space for the baby, or help manage contractions. My classes became more than just yoga; they became a space for preparation, connection, and shared understanding.

To this day, I always begin my classes with a circle (as Kirsteen taught me in the Birthlight training): sharing names, weeks of pregnancy, and how everyone is feeling. I also tell birth stories. This has proven to be incredibly valuable; these stories connect, inform, and empower.

Within a few months, I was teaching two pregnancy yoga classes a week, alongside regular yoga sessions. Then came a turning point: would I fully commit to yoga, or stay in my career in marketing, where I had already spent 20 years? I chose yoga and it turned out to be the best decision I could have made.

After my first “Glow Mamas” gave birth, I began receiving requests for postnatal classes. My decision was immediate: I wanted to create classes where mothers could bring their babies. I remember feeling quite lonely during my own postpartum period, and I would have loved a space to go to, to connect with other mothers.

So I created the “Glow Mama & Baby” classes, structured as gentle five-week courses to allow for a gradual recovery. These sessions include soft postnatal yoga for the mothers, combined with baby yoga and baby massage. Every class is beautifully chaotic; babies feeding, sleeping, crying, being changed and at the same time, incredibly meaningful. Friendships are formed, and a sense of community grows. This is exactly why I do this work.

Expanding into birth preparation

It didn’t stop there. Soon, pregnant women began asking if I also offered childbirth classes. While I had some knowledge, I didn’t yet feel confident enough to teach them. So I trained as a childbirth educator, studying both “Samen Bevallen” and HypnoBirthing. I loved it.

With this additional knowledge, I began offering partner workshops, monthly at the yoga studio and twice a week at another location. My own birth experience had felt magical, and I wanted to share that perspective: birth is not something to fear, but something powerful, a true life event. I remember I found it challenging to fully convey that sense of empowerment. But during my Birthlight training, we were asked to read several books, including ‘Vrije Geboorte’. That book had a profound impact on me. It truly embodied the empowerment I wanted to pass on. Once again, Birthlight supported me in deepening my work.

After 20 years of sitting in traffic on my way to an office job, I now cycle through Haarlem, heading to the yoga studio, the midwifery practice, or a (private) birth course.

It is, without a doubt, the most rewarding work I could imagine. At the same time, it often takes place in the evenings and weekends. I teach four evenings a week, and that’s something not to be underestimated. But the energy I receive from the women I work with is incredible. I always cycle home with a smile on my face.

A message to future teachers

For those currently training, my advice would be: trust your own path. The Birthlight training gives you beautiful tools and knowledge, but your own personality and experiences are what make your classes unique. Don’t be afraid to grow into your role, and allow your teaching to evolve over time.

Stay curious, over the years I have continued learning through additional trainings such as Rebozo and Spinning Babies, and each of these has enriched my work and shaped my classes.

And most importantly, focus on connection. The real magic often happens not in the poses, but in the space you create.

With love,

Martine