PreNatal Yoga in San Marcos

Prenatal yoga with Lisa Bandong has been serving the city of San Marcos and its surrounding communities including San Elijo Hills, La Costa, Bressi Ranch, and Twin Oaks since January 2010. I am proud to be providing accessible service through this community focused offering.

Why Prenatal Yoga? Some have asked why prenatal yoga is so important or comment that they go to a regular yoga or fitness class during pregnancy. Pregnant women can benefit from taking a prenatal yoga class for several reasons:

1.       A prenatal yoga class focuses on providing exercises specific for pregnancy. Taking a regular yoga or exercise class only provides an exercise regimen for the general population. They will provide modifications for the mom-to-be, but only in a prenatal yoga class will you obtain an entire class of exercises just for pregnancy.

2.       A prenatal yoga class provides tools/exercises to use during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum, and provides the opportunity to practice and hone the skills learned. Practice like you would practice for a marathon, one mom told me.

3.       Prenatal yoga provides women the space to commune together and share their thoughts about pregnancy, labor, and parenting. Prenatal yoga provides an open dialogue between participants and the instructor, and reassures the mom-to-be that they have a community to support them.

4.       Prenatal yoga empowers women. It helps them believe that their body has been made to create a miracle and birth it. Society and media has so much influence on how pregnancy, labor and birth are portrayed even though that is not the norm. Women can learn to hone their skills to feel confident as they get ready for labor and birth.

5.       Prenatal yoga teachers are linked into the birthing community and have a plethora of resources for the mom-to-be. Doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, birth instructors are just a few of the folks that prenatal yoga teachers can share with you.

6.       Prenatal yoga can improve birth outcomes and recovery. Who wouldn't want to have a positive birth experience and swift recovery?

Where can I find a Prenatal Yoga class? Look for a class through your local community center and or hospital. Some baby boutiques, like Babies In Bloom, have community rooms, and offer specialty classes like prenatal yoga. It is hard to find a prenatal yoga class in a yoga studio. If you do find one at a studio it is generally in the morning or an off time. Yoga Alliance, a national yoga registry, has a searchable directory of teachers, including prenatal yoga teachers.

Who teaches Prenatal Yoga? Once you find a prenatal yoga class that works with your schedule, check the teacher's credentials. At minimum, they should have a certification from a national registry. Yoga Alliance is the most common in the US. Additionally, look for specialty training in prenatal/postnatal yoga. Yoga Alliance began the Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RPYT) designation in 2010. I am an alumni of the first class of San Diego’s first Yoga Alliance Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga program at Yoga Well. I am a registered yoga teacher earning the RPYT designation in 2011. I have been teaching prenatal yoga since 2009, a year after the birth of my daughter. I owe my wonderful birth experience to the fabulous teachers who empowered me during my pregnancy, especially my prenatal yoga teacher, Liza Janda.

I hope you found this list helpful and are now compelled to take prenatal yoga as you prepare for your bundle of joy.