“Loved the course and highly recommend it. Came away feeling confident to teach pregnancy yoga as well as feeling like I had been on yoga retreat.”    Amanda, yoga teacher

This course is for you if you are,

• A qualified yoga teacher or trainee yoga teacher
• You want to better understand how to adapt yoga to safely teach pregnant students in your general classes
• You want to expand your offerings to teach pregnancy yoga classes, courses and workshops.
• You want to gain CPD hours, keep learning and expand and deepen your understanding of yoga
• You know the power of yoga to support us through life’s challenges and want to share that with parents to be as they are going through one of the most transformational times in their lives.

It is not for you if you have not yet completed your 200 hour  yoga teacher training course.

Pregnancy is a transformative time but it can be scary, challenging and isolated.

Many women come to yoga for the first time when they are pregnant. They want to exercise safely and do the best for themselves and their baby. Yoga is so much more than exercise, it is one of the best tools for pregnancy, birth and coping with early motherhood.

Teaching pregnancy yoga is amazingly rewarding. We get to share what we love with people at a time when they really need it. Here’s an example of the kind of feedback pregnancy yoga teachers hear all the time.

“Your classes were amazing, the midwife kept asking if I wanted pain relief and I told her, no, go away and don’t ask me again, if I want it I’ll tell you, that was the yoga. I couldn’t have done that without it.”  Bridget, Co. Galway

When you teach pregnancy yoga you teach more than asana, you empower a new parent and build her confidence in herself, her body,  her connection with baby.

You share yoga breathing and asana for a positive labour and birth experience and give them tools to help them cope when things are tough.

It’s so rewarding.

Pregnancy yoga gives us the opportunity to teach some of the most important life skills for pregnancy, labour and beyond.

“I really enjoyed this,  fantastic course. ”                                             Judy Watkin, owner  of Yago yoga 

This course will

• prepare you to teach prenatal yoga classes and courses safely, confidently and professionally.

• build on your knowledge of yoga for pregnancy so you can advise and modify for pregnant students in the general yoga class.

• provide you with deeper knowledge, skills and understanding of yoga asana, pranayama and yoga nidra

• bring out your own authentic joyful inner yoga teacher.

Course syllabus

The Anatomy and Physiology of Pregnancy and Birth

• Anatomy of the female pelvis
• Physiology of pregnancy: the three trimesters
• Labour and birth
• Pain management and common medical interventions

Asana for Pregnancy

• What to do and what to avoid
• How to modify the classical poses
• Gentle Flow’ – prenatal yoga practice the power of finding ease.
• Centring, limbering, strengthening, and quietening postures

Course planning and the power of intention

• Lesson plans for pregnancy yoga
• Course planning

Integrated Yoga Philosophy teaching 

• The eight limbs revisited
• Yamas and niyamas revisited
• Ida and pingala revisited
• The yoga sutras: Effortless effort
• Ethical questions around pregnancy and birth, your personal philosophy

Pranayama – Breathing Techniques for pregnancy and labour

• Breathe awareness
• Calming breaths
• Breathe for labour
• Mantra and mudra

Relaxation

• Yoga Nidra for pregnancy and birth
• Rotation of consciousness, visualisation and Sankalpa

Length of course (hours) 40 hours (28 – 32 live contact hours + practical assignments) 

I originally met Clare back when I started my yoga teacher training journey back in 2016. Immediately I recognised the passion and knowledge that Clare possesses and brings to each of the courses she runs. 

I jumped at the chance to attend her pregnancy teacher training course in 2018 and loved every minute of it. I really appreciate the way Clare delivers her training. She manages to effortlessly weave wisdom into all parts of the course, breaking it down in such a way that it simply makes sense. 

She is calm and calming, wise, strong, funny, compassionate and easy to approach. Her knowledge of yoga and the body is astounding. I hope I have the opportunity to attend one of her courses in the very near future.

  Anna Pavlides 

Entry requirements

Candidates must be fully qualified; trainee yoga teachers may be accepted onto the course but will only receive their cert on completion of their level one 200 hour teacher training.

Lead Tutor: Clare Bassett

Guest Experts TBC – Emma Cahalan from Gentle birth and Michael McCann yogic philosophy teacher.

Investment: €550 Early bird: €495

Payment plans available,  €200 deposit needed to secure your place.

Minimum participants: 4

Maximum participants: 12

FAQ 

Do I need to have kids or have been pregnant to teach pregnancy yoga? 

No, your students will know about how pregnancy is for them, what they want to learn from you is yoga.

You don’t need to be pregnant or have been pregnant to teach pregnancy yoga, every pregnancy is different and even if you have 6 kids, your experiences will be different to your students.

Is yoga safe in pregnancy? 

Short answer is yes! Mostly, like with any activity there is some risk.  There is a lot of fear around pregnancy, to gain a deeper understanding of what is safe and super beneficial for mum and baby, book your place on the course.

Can I do the course when I am pregnant? 

Of course you can! All the yoga practices we are doing are designed to support you when you are pregnant. In fact I love having pregnant yoga teachers on the course, it makes it more real. every pregnancy, every person is unique and having a pregnant trainee on the course is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn more.

What happens if I miss a session? 

The course is live and attendance is important. As a yoga alliance specialist course you should have 28  live contact hours. This course is between 30 – 32 hours so there is a bit of leeway.

No one wants to miss out on training but life happens. If you miss one session you can catch up with the recording or come along to the same session on another course.

If you are going to miss more than one session you should discuss it with the course tutor.  You may need  to make it up on the another course, attend a class or book a one to one in order to complete your learning.

How is the course assessed? 

Assessment is  formative. That means that there are practical assignments and teaching practice which will take place throughout the course and you will get feedback so that you can learn as you go along.

Do we have to do observations? 

Trainee prenatal teachers are encouraged to make arrangements with qualified prenatal yoga teachers to attend or if possible, assist in their class in order to gain valuable extra teaching practice, however you are already a qualified yoga teacher. You don’t have to do a required amount of observations to complete your course.

What qualification will I get at the end of the course? 

A Yoga Alliance Professionals accredited Certificate in teaching yoga for pregnancy will be awarded to you on successful completion of the course. This is internationally recognised. Most insurance providers will add pregnancy yoga to your cover without any additional cost.

Now I feel prepared if a pregnant student comes to my class.

Katie, Barefoot yoga