Om Births Prenatal Yoga

12/06/2025

The first place to start relieving pelvic discomfort isn’t on the yoga mat, it’s in our daily lives!

P***c Symphysis Dysfunction is a seriously annoying and uncomfortable thing to be dealing with during pregnancy, but often what precipitates it is our own habitual movements along with the general tone of our connective tissue.

The simple first step is to think of the pelvis as a crystal punch bowl that right now has a crack in it. While that crack is being repaired we don’t want to lift the bowl by only one side, or push weight into the healing area.

So what does that mean functionally?

Draw your weight off the front line by avoiding tucking and thrusting the hips- especially when standing!

Transition from sitting to standing through both feet with even weight side to side.

Narrow the stance of yoga postures- especially asymmetrical ones.

Reduce the range in external rotation poses like Baddhakonasana, and prioritize internal rotation actions such as in Virasana.

Focus on developing strength in the glutes to build stability
Consider checking in with a pelvic floor PT as pelvic pain can often indicate a pelvic floor imbalance that might need professional assistance.

Above all, p***c bone pain doesn’t have to rule your pregnancy or life. We just need to be conscious about how we address it.

I teach all of this in Om Births Prenatal Yoga classes and it’s a core principle in our Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training.
Check the Bio for links to both.

***cBonePain

12/05/2025

P***c bone pain can be so frustrating! That aching or even sometimes shooting pain right in the front of your pelvis.

Much of this is due to the Relaxin hormone softening the connective tissues in our bodies and exacerbating existing imbalances we might have had. Despite being called a none, the p***c region is actually a joining of 2 bones together to complete the pelvic bowl.

But that’s cold comfort for anyone dealing with it!

While the true rebalancing can take some time to discover where things need to tone up to take the pressure off the front pelvic bones, in the meantime we can help with direct tissue release in some cases.

Sinking a tennis ball into your inner thigh can help unwind fascial and muscular tension in the adductor muscle groups which insert into the sides of the p***c symphysis.

If we can release the tension in this muscle group then we may have less pulling directly at the joint which can give some temporary relief.

While we have that relief, it’s also going to be key to be mindful of our everyday posture and movements, promoting symmetry and smaller ranges of motion rather than just going on as if everything is all better.

And often the key to finding balance is actually developing strength in the glutes and inner thighs so they are able to support the joints which are now more flexible.

I teach all of this each week in Prenatal Yoga classes and it’s a key focus in The Om Births Teacher Training.

Check the Bio for links to both!

***cBonePain FascialRelease

12/04/2025

Oh the fun of that Charlie horse cramp in the middle of the night!

When we sleep our feet naturally point as you sleep, subtly shortening the calf fibers. And the muscles may be fatigued from the work they do throughout the day. Put those together and the perfect storm for cramping arrives right around 2 a.m.

But this actually signals an opportunity to help your body balance both for pregnancy and birth!

Why? because the calf is part of our posterior muscle chain connecting up into the sitz bones and posterior pelvis. Back leg tension reduces the hip hinge movement which limits the ability of the sacrum to move backwards- one of the key movements of birth! Plus tension here contributes to low back pain.

So it’s not something to just endure, it’s worth finding relief!

Immediate relief options:
*Flex the foot — toes toward the knees
*If you can, get out of bed and put weight on it. This often forces the muscle to let go.

Preventative options:
*Calf stretches over a rolled towel or blanket throughout the day. (Think movement snacks, not stretching it all out at one time.)
*Down Dog while pedaling the feet
*And ask your provider about calcium or topical magnesium. We need those to break a muscle contraction on a cellular level.

Small movement choices throughout the day can change how you feel at night.

Join us each week for prenatal yoga tips to help prepare your body for birth, or learn how to teach with skill and confidence in the Om Births Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training.

12/03/2025

There’s more to heartburn than just food acidity! And NO this isn’t just a side effect of pregnancy!

That’s an explanation from a world which doesn’t respect women’s body physiology and assumes it’s somehow built wrong!

For many students, body imbalances can lead to twists within their fascial network can lead to a torsion along the midline of the body around the junction of the esophageal sphincter and the diaphragm.

The result? Excessive compression when the uterus begins pushing the organs upwards as it grows out of the pelvic bowl, and an inability to fully close in the esophageal sphincter.

Yes eating smaller meals can help- but so can allowing that fascial twist to unwind.

And if that wasn’t reason enough to want to find better balance, the movement of the diaphragm influences the action of the pelvic floor. So finding ways to release the heartburn, can actually help the body release during the birth process!

The body’s so amazing!

Check out more stuff this this in the Om Births Prenatal Yoga classes, or come take the deep dive in our upcoming Prenatal Teacher Training (First module is open to birth workers as well! Links in Bio

12/03/2025

Did I mention that I'm teaching 2 new HypnoBirthing series. One beginning Jan 7th, the other starting Feb 25th.
These classes will be a combination of online and in-person, with 4 online sessions and 1 in-person segment to learn about movements, massage, and all things physical!

Anyone who has been looking for a class that will cover birth and so much more, come check it out!

www.ombirths.com/hypnobirthing

When birthing families learn HypnoBirthing techniques, they’re not just “relaxing” — they’re shifting their physiology.

This is the heart of what we teach. Every class, every script, every practice session helps families tap into their body’s natural design.

Let’s keep spreading the science of calm and supporting births that feel safe, gentle, and informed.

✨ Slow breathing = More oxygen + calmer muscles
✨ Deep relaxation = Lower stress hormones
✨ Positive imagery = Higher oxytocin flow

This combination supports a calmer, smoother birthing experience… and it’s exactly why HypnoBirthing parents often describe birth as peaceful, empowering, and even transformative.

📷JenniferMasonPhotography

11/27/2025

Gratitude isn’t an intellectual practice, it’s an embodied one- and we often leave the body out.

Here’s a quick gratitude practice for those finding those lists around the table a bit hollow.

You can do this in about 30 seconds—no turkey timer required.

1. Think of one thing or one person you are grateful for today.
Not the perfect answer—just the real one.

2. Pause. Take one fuller breath.

3. Imagine your life today without that person or thing.
Just for a moment. Feel the absence.

4. Now bring it back into your awareness.
Notice how your body shifts knowing it is in your life.

5. See what sensations arise.
Warmth in the chest? Softening in the belly? A little smile?
No need to analyze—just notice.

There. That’s gratitude.
Not a list.
Not a performance.
Just a felt experience of appreciation in real time.

May our days be well-fed, well-held, and maybe even a little bit more embodied. I’m grateful for all of you!

11/26/2025

Trusting your body means also trusting yourself- and let’s face it, that’s hard sometimes!

As women we are not usually encouraged to trust our own intuition. To love the shapes we come in, or to celebrate our menstrual and physical cycles.

We’re taught to suck it in, tone it up, perfume it all, and cover all blemishes….

And then in birth we’re supposed to embrace the natural power within? Yeah right!

This is why I say Prenatal Yoga isn’t just about movement- it’s about agency, and acceptance of our inner human nature.

At Om Births we strive to help students reconnect to their strength, intuition, and breath in a time of massive change.

If that kind of teaching calls to you, you already have the most important quality of a prenatal yoga teacher: compassion.

✨ The OmBirths Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training will give you the tools to bring that compassion to life. Join the waitlist (link in bio).

11/24/2025

I’m going to get into trouble with some people for saying this.

There are a bunch of amazing providers out there who are doing great pelvic floor release work with the consent of their clients during the labor process- and to those people I say Thank you and keep going.

But I have also seen (and heard tell of) some providers who effectively over stretched and even tore birthing people’s perineal areas by being overly aggressive during the pushing process with taking their fingers and tugging on the perineum as the baby’s head was crowning. I have even seen a provider try to tear the perineum with their hands rather than give an episiotomy! GAHHH!

The truth is that some tissues are more likely to tear just because of your body’s connective tissue integrity, but that can be mitigated by going slow during the pushing stage, using different positions to minimize excessive pressure, recruiting tools like tubs and warm washcloths to help soften the muscles, and lastly having someone who is skilled at helping maintain an intact perineum.

I’m sure all of these providers meant well, and thought their efforts would result in a less degree of tear, but here’s the thing, when we start pulling and stretching without consent and without safety- our pelvic floor muscles tighten up. Try doing a deep forward fold with someone leaning on your back without you asking for them- you don’t release into the stretch!

Preparing the pelvic floor to be yielding and pliable ahead of labor can make a big difference- again NOT stretching! But getting to know these muscles. But birth takes the time it takes, and we need perineal support during that last phase of pushing rather than rushing and creating more damage than needed.

OK, getting off the soapbox…for now.

**na **na

11/21/2025

No you do not have to stretch your va**na to have a baby!

I get the fear that exists about tearing during birth and the desire to minimize it. And I get how one could then think that stretching the tissue of the va**na might help reduce the chances of tearing…
But here’s the truth.

Stretching delicate tissue like that- especially when we pull to the point of pain tell the body it needs to reinforce these tissues, not make them more elastic. So we wind up with a perineal area that is more reinforced and rigid rather than yielding and pliable. The exact opposite of what we were wanting!

But learning how to release the PELVIC FLOOR muscles is a worthwhile practice- please note I said release not stretch there!

What does release mean? It means finding ways to let the tissue soften. To let the muscles let go and re-discover their inherent resting length.
A few ways we can promote this?

360 breathing allowing the PF to descend on the inhale

Placing a bolster (soft ball or rolled blanket) under the perineum and feeling for movement

Practicing reverse Kegels (focused on releasing, not on tightening)

And how to avoid tearing during birth?

1. Try different positions

2. Push gently- and don’t hold your breath

3. Use warm compresses (wet washcloths) or be in a warm tub

4. Use oil (NOT SOAP!!) to augment the natural va**nal lubrication (note there are some providers who try using soap, that dries the skin not lubricates it)

5. Find a provider who is skilled in perineal support- Just ask what they would do to support an intact perineum

This is about releasing and opening, not stretching and pulling.

**na

11/19/2025

I can’t believe this is the big 50!

Which means I’ve been doing this work for more than 25 years now!

When I started this journey back in NYC I could never have imagined where it would take me! Nor could I have envisioned the lessons and insights I would gain along the way from working with so many amazing moms and people!

Thank you to all who have trusted me to be a part of your birth and matrescence journey. I’m right there in the thick of it with you, and it’s quite a ride!

Now I’m going to go have some cake!

#50

11/18/2025

Yes you can lie on your back if you understand HOW!

The key to adapting supine yoga positions is to both pay attention to how your body is responding, and also think about what action we are trying to get from this shape.

If the aim is to be reclining to be able to move and mobilize the hips and pelvis, or to release and work on say the shoulders, then the key is to find a way to avoid the potential compression of the blood vessels in the back of the pelvis.

This is where lying propped up against a bolster or blocks can help. Note: always give your pelvis the blanket cradle to help better support the SI joints and reduce pressure on the tailbone and lower sacrum

If we are looking for deeper relaxation, then pure supine positioning may not be so comfortable, depending on where we are in the gestational process. First and even second trimester might feel just fine, in which case they can lie, maybe with some modest propping and use classic shavasana.

The signals we are feeling for that indicate we need to get off our back would be:

Dizziness/Wooziness

Nausea

Shortness of breath

Pain in the sacrum or lower back- though this isn’t a sign of decreasing blood flow

A feeling of “wrongness”

And in those cases, which usually don’t show up until the 3rd trimester, Shavasana would want to be on our side.
For more comfort in side lying try extending the bottom leg out fully, propping the top knee AND ankle, and then slightly rolling your weight towards the front of the body. This takes the pressure off the outer hip bones and also helps baby align better for birth.

11/14/2025

I started The Om Births Teacher Training over 15 years ago to bring a bigger picture to the practice of yoga during pregnancy.

Since then I have learned as much from my students as I have imparted, and this training has grown and expanded to not only include what I feel are the foundations of good yoga during pregnancy, but also how the whole practice of mindfulness and yoga can benefit women’s health, and women’s identity in itself.

I love each weekend module because we dive in so deeply to the topics of birth and movement, but also because we explore what it means to be a mom. To make the transition from one role to another.

And ultimately what it means for each teacher trainee to find her own voice as they take their own seat at the head of the class.

If you’ve been looking for a training that will give you tool not just for helping women, but finding your own pathway- in yoga and beyond. I hope you’ll consider joining us and find out what “holding space” really means.