Sophie Carr and Alison Goodwin are mothers with a combined 40 years experience in yoga. They have long been recognised as the leading exponents of pregnancy and postnatal yoga in Yorkshire.

Sophie and Alison work in close contact with local NHS community midwives and doctors, the National Childbirth Trust and with Yorkshire Storks, the independent midwifery practice for the area. They have extensive training in perinatal yoga with the British Wheel of Yoga, Jean Sutton, and Uma Dinsmore-Tuli. Sophie teaches Birth Preparation and Mindful Birthing and is registered with Mindfulness Training Institute. She is a recognised and beloved birth doula. As well as yoga for
pregnancy, Alison teaches our nourishing, supportive post-natal classes, a highlight of maternity leave for the people of York!

Our weekly pregnancy classes are great fun, with a strong sense of mutual support. Sophie and Alison have a wonderful way of weaving their extensive knowledge of pregnancy and birth into the yoga classes. Many women make lasting friendships and come back for more yoga through their second, third and fourth pregnancies.

Yoga can help with back pain, cramps, nausea, heartburn, rib pain, insomnia, carpal tunnel syndrome. It can relieve anxiety and stress. It teaches postural awareness and helps in realigning your changing body. You will develop strength in the legs and softness and openness in the pelvis, and learn to support your vulnerable back. Gentle stretches opening chest and shoulders provide more space to breathe, more room for the growing baby, and counteract “feeding hunch” before it begins. By balancing hormonal upsets yoga can support your emotions, while yogic relaxation is essential for rejuvenating a tired pregnant body, and for helping you deal with uncomfortable nights.

If you have SPD, PGP or LBP, we offer you adaptations – do come, we will look after you.

Yoga is deeply steadying and grounding. In class you have proper time to connect with your mothering instincts before birth, developing your inner resources and preparing for the big day. We spend time each week discussing pregnancy pros and cons, and birth issues such as where to give birth, active birth, what helps and what hinders a normal birth. This is an essential part of the class, and mums-to-be find it good for widening their knowledge and choices around birth, as well as for making lasting friendships.

Yoga is an essential tool for childbirth. The inner focus helps access the instinctual state which facilitates normal birth. The breathing techniques give you confidence and calmness to deal with the intensity of contractions, while relaxation techniques enable you to conserve energy between them. Your strength work will give you stamina, and your softening work will ease the birth. If your birth becomes complicated, using your breathing will help you remain calm, able to make decisions without panicking. 

Yoga helps you to trust yourself as a mother. Trusting yourself means that bonding with your baby and breastfeeding are easier. Relaxation helps you to cope with sleepless nights and promotes let-down of breast milk. Your pelvic floor will recover quickly. Good posture helps combat “feeding hunch” and aching backs.

We can signpost you to many useful practitioners, with whom we maintain close contacts and can personally recommend – doulas, independent midwives, hypnobirthing teachers, breastfeeding counsellors, places to rent tens machines, sling library, birth pool loaners, the local home birth support group, real nappy specialists, pregnancy massage and reflexology, as well as the following professionals who all specialise in maternity, post-natal and babies: osteopaths, acupuncturists, psychotherapists and chiropractors.

We have a team of volunteer mentors with whom you can discuss staying pregnant post-42-weeks, home birth after caesarean, vaginal breech birth, gentle caesarean, options for group B strep, obstetric diabetes, natural birth with high BMI and many other topics.