Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga - Teaching Foundations within Joymamma
with Carrie Jeff
Founder of Joymamma · Prenatal Yoga Educator & Mentor
Lead Trainer, Joymamma Registered Prenatal Yoga School
Founder of Joymamma · Prenatal Yoga Educator & Mentor
Lead Trainer, Joymamma Registered Prenatal Yoga School
A note on this work
For many years, prenatal yoga and postnatal (Mums & Bubs) yoga formed the heart of my day-to-day teaching work with women.
These classes and the thousands of hours spent observing and supporting pregnant and postnatal bodies are the foundation upon which my work as a teacher trainer and mentor is built today.
While Joymamma has evolved to focus primarily on training and mentoring teachers, this work remains a vital part of my professional lineage. The principles of safe movement, breath awareness and nervous system regulation that sit at the core of pregnancy and postnatal yoga continue to shape how I educate teachers to work responsibly and ethically in the perinatal space.
These classes and the thousands of hours spent observing and supporting pregnant and postnatal bodies are the foundation upon which my work as a teacher trainer and mentor is built today.
While Joymamma has evolved to focus primarily on training and mentoring teachers, this work remains a vital part of my professional lineage. The principles of safe movement, breath awareness and nervous system regulation that sit at the core of pregnancy and postnatal yoga continue to shape how I educate teachers to work responsibly and ethically in the perinatal space.
Why Prenatal Yoga Requires Specialised Teaching
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Prenatal yoga is fundamentally different from general yoga practice and requires specialised understanding, skill and care.
During pregnancy, women produce the hormone relaxin, which increases flexibility and allows the pelvis to soften and adapt in preparation for birth. While this is a remarkable and necessary physiological process, it also makes the body - particularly the pelvis and surrounding joints - more vulnerable to strain and injury if movement is not approached mindfully. For this reason, prenatal yoga does not include fast-moving sequences, prone or supine postures, breath retention or other yogic practices that may be inappropriate or unsafe during this time. Instead, it emphasises stability, awareness, adaptability and responsiveness to the changing pregnant body. |
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Pregnancy can also place limitations on how the body moves from day to day. In prenatal yoga, modifications are always essential - not only for women experiencing discomfort or complications, but also for experienced yoga practitioners learning to work with a body that is changing continuously.
This understanding forms a key foundation of how I now train teachers. Prenatal yoga is not about performance or intensity, but about learning to move safely with respect for the profound physiological changes taking place.
This understanding forms a key foundation of how I now train teachers. Prenatal yoga is not about performance or intensity, but about learning to move safely with respect for the profound physiological changes taking place.
Postnatal Yoga (Mums & Bubs): Teaching Foundations
Postnatal yoga formed an important part of my teaching work for women in the early weeks and months after birth - a time of profound physical and emotional transition for both mother and baby.
These sessions were designed to gently support women as they reconnected with their bodies following pregnancy and birth. The emphasis was never on “getting back” to anything, but on restoring strength and stability in a body that had undergone significant change.
In my postnatal teaching, gentle yoga, breath awareness and moments of stillness were central. Practices focused on re-awakening the postnatal body with care, supporting the pelvic floor and abdominal wall and easing tension commonly held in the shoulders, neck and back. Equal importance was placed on nervous system support - recognising the emotional load, fatigue and vulnerability that often accompany early motherhood.
Teaching in a space where babies are present requires a different kind of attentiveness and flexibility. Classes need to accommodate feeding, settling, movement and unpredictability, while still offering mothers a sense of grounding, connection and support. This taught me - and now informs how I train teachers - the importance of holding space without rigid expectations.
This postnatal teaching experience continues to shape how I educate prenatal yoga teachers today, particularly in understanding the transition from pregnancy to motherhood, the realities of early postpartum life and the responsibility teachers hold when supporting women during this sensitive period.
These sessions were designed to gently support women as they reconnected with their bodies following pregnancy and birth. The emphasis was never on “getting back” to anything, but on restoring strength and stability in a body that had undergone significant change.
In my postnatal teaching, gentle yoga, breath awareness and moments of stillness were central. Practices focused on re-awakening the postnatal body with care, supporting the pelvic floor and abdominal wall and easing tension commonly held in the shoulders, neck and back. Equal importance was placed on nervous system support - recognising the emotional load, fatigue and vulnerability that often accompany early motherhood.
Teaching in a space where babies are present requires a different kind of attentiveness and flexibility. Classes need to accommodate feeding, settling, movement and unpredictability, while still offering mothers a sense of grounding, connection and support. This taught me - and now informs how I train teachers - the importance of holding space without rigid expectations.
This postnatal teaching experience continues to shape how I educate prenatal yoga teachers today, particularly in understanding the transition from pregnancy to motherhood, the realities of early postpartum life and the responsibility teachers hold when supporting women during this sensitive period.
Graduates of the Joymamma Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training
The following teachers have completed the Joymamma Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training and are teaching pregnancy and postnatal yoga in their communities.
Kristy Graham - Shine Yoga Studio
Kate Gregg - Bearth Yoga
Bec Simpson - Mama Soul
Dr Carmen Atkinston - The Health Studio
Rebecca Eadie - Birthing Energy
Eloise Davis - Hinterland HypnoBirthing
Fleur Harber - Birthing Instincts
Elaine Francis - Birth Rites
Amalia Barbieri - The Yoga Studio
Carly Cullen
Natashja Scott
Elaine Joe
Kristy Graham - Shine Yoga Studio
Kate Gregg - Bearth Yoga
Bec Simpson - Mama Soul
Dr Carmen Atkinston - The Health Studio
Rebecca Eadie - Birthing Energy
Eloise Davis - Hinterland HypnoBirthing
Fleur Harber - Birthing Instincts
Elaine Francis - Birth Rites
Amalia Barbieri - The Yoga Studio
Carly Cullen
Natashja Scott
Elaine Joe