postnatal yoga with allison russell
Allison Russell is not only incredibly knowledgeable about prenatal and postnatal issues, she brings her entire heart to her students. As she prepares for her upcoming Postnatal series, learn more about Allison and her offering to our community.
What has you most excited about offering this series?
RECONNECTION. To so many things. My first, immediate response is the RECONNECTION of the community we’ve built through our Prenatal Yoga offerings. I am so excited to see my students after they’ve crossed the threshold into parenthood, whether for the first, second, third, etc time. I also am excited to see new faces on the postnatal journey – whether they’ve birthed or adopted – and are finding their way to their yoga mat, for the desire to seek out community with others, whether for the first time or after a long time. Once I dive deeper into my excitement, from my own experience in being postpartum twice, I understand and recognize the complexity and necessity of RECONNECTION to the self and to the body. As I always do in my teachings, I will bring my own experiences to the mat, taking time for each student to explore their body through movement and breath by carving out this designated and special time as they RECONNECT in ways most meaningful for them.
You could offer this series any time – why now?
I’ve personally experienced postpartum during two very different times: one without the pandemic and one with. I personally have felt the emotional weight of the world and the emotional weight of postpartum throughout the first year of my second daughter’s life living through the time of Covid-19. Now more than ever, I am craving connection to the community I once saw in person, to students after bringing baby home, to others who may have a similar (or even different) perspective to me. There is great POWER in coming together during times of darkness. And as I’ve watched my prenatal students journey through their pregnancies to the other side both before and during the pandemic, I find it increasingly important to maintain the connection on our mats, to ourselves, to our body’s, to each other, and to the world around us. I also want to create a space for new faces to feel welcome, held, and heard.
Who would you recommend for this series?
Postnatal yoga is ideal for:
- Any new mother who feels they would benefit from being in space and in discussion with other new mothers.
- Any student who considers themselves in the postpartum chapter of their story and would benefit from mindful movement – to reawaken the body, reconnect, and start moving again.
- Any student who needs a place to be introduced or reintroduced to movement after pregnancy.
- Any student who needs time away – to RECONNECT to the self (this is what sets this class apart from a baby & me).
- Any student who needs to move the areas of the body that tend to get tight while caring for a newborn or toddler.
**You do not need to take prenatal yoga to take this class. There are absolutely no prerequisites.
We’ve discussed that postnatal lasts so much longer than just the 6-8 weeks after birth. Say more on this.
One of my biggest frustrations with our society and culture is that “postpartum” is commonly described as the first 6 weeks after birth. This is such an individual and unique experience for every parent. I also believe the length of time that a mother nurses will ultimately affect the length of the postpartum period. As long as there are pregnancy/postpartum hormones present in the body, it will continue to influence the body both emotionally and physically. In addition, from my own personal experience, postpartum for me lasted long into the first year after birthing both of my children, both from how I felt somatically and psychologically. For me, I needed time to mourn the loss of the body I once had before carrying and birthing my daughters, in addition to the acceptance of this new body I was in, learning how to move with integrity and mindfulness, all while trying to care for my child and meet their needs. There is so much to unpack here and so much to share, which I often do throughout Postnatal Yoga. My hope is that my students can give themselves permission to feel whatever they feel and that students give themselves grace as they navigate their own journey through this period. Bottom line, the postpartum period is different for everyone, and is felt very differently for every single body, with no set definition.
You’re now a Mom to 2! How has your postnatal experience varied?
My postnatal experience has been so different between my two children. It’s unclear to me if it’s situational or due to the fact that their personalities are so drastically different. I’ve been postnatal with and without a pandemic. I’ve been postnatal both while mourning the loss of two loved ones and without. I’ve been postnatal both with having another child at home and with just having one. What I do know to be true, however, is that what I’ve felt and experienced both times is real and often outside of my own control, through the hormonal changes that are present after pregnancy and the physical changes that took place within my body that take time and patience to understand. What I also know to be true is that I’ve gotten through both postnatal experiences because of the support system I built around me. I believe it takes a village to raise a child. We are not meant to do this alone. My hope is that this offering provides additional support to mothers and to build the village I believe it takes and is necessary to raise this next generation, whether it’s 6 weeks, 6 months, or way after the first year postpartum.
DATES: Wednesdays, 7:30-8:45p, February 3-24