World Down Syndrome Day – Meet Aiden

By Zilla Bowell

What is Down Syndrome?

Down Syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal condition. 40,000 people in the UK live with it. And yet the care you receive when you are pregnant and you find out that your baby has it, or might have it, is poor, partial, and lacking many basic facts. I think this allows fear to take over, and I think that is partly why around 9 in 10 women in that position choose not to go ahead with their pregnancy.

21st March each year is World Down Syndrome Day, given that Down Syndrome means that a person has 3 copies of the 21st chromosome.

So what do I want you to be aware of, today? I would like you to be aware that if you are in the position of receiving a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome for your baby, or a high chance screening result, there are organisations that you can speak to, to help you understand the condition, and what it could mean for you and your baby. The Down Syndrome Association and the Positive About Down Syndrome charity are two that I think are very good.

Second, that the life that you and your baby will have, will be as happy as you want to make it. Having a child with a learning disability and some degree of physical disability, because Down Syndrome is both, is sometimes different and sometimes absolutely the same. You just have a head start on knowing what some of your child’s challenges will be, whereas with a typical child you don’t.

Aiden, My Beautiful Boy

His Name Is Aiden. Down Syndrome Doesn’t Define Him.

I am being deliberate with my language. This is because inclusion and inclusive language is also something I want you to be aware of. Aiden is not abnormal. He is not a Downs baby. He is not slow, weak, floppy, behind, delayed and dysmorphic. These are not words I want him to repeatedly hear and be defined by. And all of these words have been used repeatedly by people and medical professionals, directly or by inference, in his presence.

His name is Aiden. He has a disability. He has Down Syndrome. He will achieve what he wants to, and it will sometimes be in a longer timeframe than for a typical child. That is fine. Being careless with your language and identifying Aiden only by his condition fails to put him first, and fails to recognise his individuality. This makes me angry, just as you might be angry if someone picked a physical characteristic that you or your child have, and called you only according to that. Most people realise that inclusive and non offensive language is important to use when it comes to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and many other characteristics. But sometimes with disability people seem to be stuck in the dark ages, and this needs to change.

So please do talk to us, if you’re in a shop and you see my beautiful baby cackling in his pram. If you are an occupational therapist, a nurse, a pharmacist, a parent doing a drop off at nursery or school, at the swings in the playground, or checking Aiden’s heart in hospital. But please be mindful of your language, and know that Aiden can hear you and understand you too. Some of my friends with children with Down Syndrome have had people ignore them because they don’t know what to say, and I find that incredibly sad. What I want for my child is for him to be included, and to have every opportunity to thrive, and that starts from now.

YogaBirth Yoga With Caroline

Moving onto the positive! And the reason I was asked to write this. I have done yoga with Caroline during both my pregnancies and post-natally. All of the circumstances I’ve described have created a lot of anxiety for me, and yoga is the time and the place in the week where I can calm down, breathe, quiet my mind, and focus on my health and peace. I find it hard to do that some of the time, and the relaxation and discipline from a Zoom session on a Tuesday morning is something I really enjoy. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the studio too.

Caroline has been my teacher for a few years, and her incredibly relaxed and understanding presence has guided me through lots of these times. She was very helpful whilst I was preparing for a Caesarean birth, and the inclusivity I mentioned that I find important, she has always extended to me. I used breathing and hypnobirthing techniques during both of my births, that she taught me, to enable me to walk myself into an operating theatre and have surgery while conscious, to ensure the safe delivery of my babies.

On a physical level being a mum can be hard! You are always holding your baby, feeding them, burping them. Dealing with your body that has changed a lot, with posture that can be uncomfortable, and Caroline always tailors what our class wants to focus on that week, to tackle our aching shoulders, backs, pelvises – or whatever it might be. The women I’ve met during her classes are friends now as well, which is an extra bonus, and I can’t recommend the classes enough.

How can I find out more?

If you’d like to find out more about Down Syndrome and what it can mean for new parents, head to https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/for-new-parents/.

Find out more about Caroline’s yoga classes, head to https://yogawithcaroline.co.uk/

YogaBirth pregnancy yoga classes lovingly support women through the joy and effort of labour and birthing, and the incredible journey of the birth of a mother

I’m pregnant….!!!

Your response is probably many questions and a colourful spectrum of emotions…happiness, excitement, anxiety and even fear. What will the experience of pregnancy, labour and birth look and feel like for me? Will everything be ok? Will I bond and love my baby? How will my body change and will being a mother change my relationships?

One of the things that I love about teaching YogaBirth prenatal yoga is the transformation of women as they settle week by week into the class. Early days some women are quite nervous, and as the weeks go by I see them with their eyes closed, following their breath during a posture – deeply present and connected to their body and their growing baby. A transformation starts to blossom, a quiet confidence begins to grow. Slowly they are able to accept their fears and look forward to excitement and joy in the effort of the journey.

When I was pregnant, I remember that my attention was constantly drawn to my baby. Some women might be hoping for a connection to their baby. But whether it is their first class, or yoga is already part of their life, the gaze begins to turns inward and they begin to build a connection to their changing body and the growing baby in their Uterus. They begin to develop a deeper awareness and start to develop trust in their innate ability to birth.

What is Scaravelli Yoga?

‘You have to learn how to listen to your body, going with it and not against it, avoiding all effort or strain…. You will be amazed to discover that, if you are kind to your body, it will respond in an incredible way’… Vanda Scaravelli

Vanda Scaravelli studied with many teachers including B.K Iyengar, and her yoga evolved through many years of self-practice, and is beautifully explained in her book ‘Awakening the Spine’. Scaravelli yoga is deeply intuitive yoga, rooted in the practice of connection with gravity to the earth, to gain support and stability.

It hinges around practising full awareness of the breath, experiencing an expanding and lengthening of the spine to the flow of the breath, creating freedom and lightness of movement. There is a wonderful strength in its gentleness, which the body responds to with a deep release.

Breath and movement synchronise. As a slow wave of breath creates space flowing up and down the spine, like the ebb and flow of waves on the shore…like night and day…the changing seasons, growing this new mother’s connection to Mother Earth.

Why Scaravelli yoga works so well during pregnancy?

Where does awareness begin? How do we learn to look inside and connect with our body? Like new life, it starts with the breath. By simple watching and staying with the breath, we become present, and begin to relax.

As the breath slows a physiological change takes place with the activation of the Parasympathetic Nervous system. Hormones release, relaxing mind and body, reducing anxiety and even strengthening the Immune System.

In YogaBirth classes, postures are adapted for pregnancy, and women are encouraged to listen to their body. Movements are connected to strengthen, making space for the baby. We explain and practise postures and movement for the optimal birthing position of the baby, encouraging women to be mindful of the movement of their body.

In a YogaBirth class

At the start of my classes we have a chat, and each mother takes a turn to share. They are encouraged to share how they feel, ask questions about appointments, or ask others for advice, sometimes even shedding a few tears, particularly through Covid-19. Last Monday one woman who had joined the week before, said that after the class she felt in a place she hadn’t experienced before – deep relaxation. She articulated so well. “That’s the feeling I want to take into labour and birth!” We know that the shy hormones of birth flow best when the body and mind are relaxed, helping labour to progress, and this practise throughout pregnancy strengthens that response.

The benefits

The benefits of a YogaBirth practise during pregnancy is perhaps deepening awareness, a growing understanding and confidence in the body, the breath and the mind. Letting go of self-doubt and judgement of how birth should be brings freedom through this regular practise, which can lead to an acceptance of her individual body and her needs during labour and birth. The tools that she has practised through YogaBirth yoga naturally become a part of her labour.

Birth is so different for every woman, there is no right way or right choices to make. For each woman, feeling safe is subjective; she is unique, her baby is unique and so it follows that her birth will be unique….

Why is what we offer mothers in our postnatal yoga classes so important?

Having a baby is life changing – it is different to any other experience a person has. It is hard which is why it is life changing for both parents.  It gives you a new perspective of life and relationships and new ways of understanding yourself – having a baby teaches you a new way to be. But how women react and respond to this huge change in their lives can give rise to problems and it can also bring great joy and a more creative approach to life.

Find your village in your postnatal yoga class

Running a postnatal class gives you an opportunity to see how the mother is responding to her baby and any issues she may be having, most commonly around feeding her baby. We are offering the women a support network – the village green. This can be where relationships between the women can develop and seeing other mums with their babies make women realise that what they are experiencing is normal.

These classes are for mothers and babies so there are certain practical as well as health and safety issues to consider.  The mother should feel that the baby is well accommodated for and that the class is ‘baby led’.  Easy access is essential as is a safe and clean environment for a new baby. We are creating a safe environment for women to come together as a group – where they will make life-long friendships.

A baby led approach

As teachers, we will explain at the beginning of the class that it is ‘baby led’. Sometimes they will achieve everything – sometimes all they will do is feed their baby. But that is okay. It can be really helpful when you have someone coming back who’s done it all before as they reassure everyone that the class can be chaotic.

Postnatal yoga

The yoga element of the postnatal class in part is the bringing together of the women and breathing. Just being there is so important. If they actually manage to do some yoga, that is even better! Much of the work is about giving something back to the mother. It may be the first time she has done something for herself since having her baby. Observing how her body feels post birth. Noticing where the areas of tension are. Noticing the changes in her body post birth, her posture, her core strength and beginning to engage the pelvic floor for essential recovery. Also finding time to relax in the class – a moment of time out.

It is a challenging class to teach but incredibly satisfying as you truly are supporting the women at this transitional time in their lives. I incorporate baby massage in my classes which I think works very effectively. It is a good opportunity to get the mothers to bond with the baby and the feedback I get is that it is wonderful to do a class that is for the ‘mother and the baby’.

YogaBirth Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training is accredited by the Royal College of Midwives.

What does this mean?

In 2016, the Royal College of Midwives awarded their accreditation to our Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training Course. The RCM recognises a relatively small number of courses that enable midwives (and other birth practitioners) to expand their professional and personal development, with the aim of improving safe and effective care in childbirth. As I write this, and for the past several years, YogaBirth is the only perinatal yoga training to hold this endorsement.

RCM accreditation is incredibly dear to us because it gives a valuable message to the women who attend our classes. It says that their YogaBirth teacher has come through a course of study, practice and self-reflection, as judged by one of the UK’s highest medical bodies, that was carefully devised and well-taught to develop safe, intelligent pregnancy yoga teachers.  

Why Train With YogaBirth?

To potential teachers who are wondering why train with YogaBirth (amongst the many courses available)- that small blue RCM logo at the bottom of our course information signifies the professional quality and in-depth learning experience that YogaBirth provides.

YogaBirth came into being around the turn of the millennium, founded by a group of Active Birth teachers who had received phenomenal training in perinatal yoga and birth education with Janet Balaskas, Lolly Stirk and Yvonne Moore. Very soon, we launched our own training for antenatal yoga teachers with specialised childbirth knowledge. 

Our training has evolved over 20 years but has stayed true to the fundamental premise that the best way a woman can prepare for the tremendous physical and emotional experience of labour and birth, and for the transition into motherhood, is through yoga. Any yoga is beneficial. Yoga with layers of birthing wisdom and practical knowledge sown into it is as good as it gets. This is YogaBirth.

YogaBirth Training

YogaBirth training is a 12-month immersion into pregnancy yoga teaching and childbirth knowledge. This is not a quick supplemental course. It is designed for people who want to explore these subjects in depth and to build strong skills, to be able to teach exceptional classes with confidence and enjoyment.

Each student is followed through the training by a personal mentor – one tutor who regularly discusses her progress and her experience of the course. The group tends to be fairly small so there is ample personal attention, and the tutor-mentor adds an individualised dimension to each person’s learning. Mentoring continues during the first few months as our newly qualified YogaBirth teachers establish their own classes.

YogaBirth offer pregnancy yoga classes with a difference. We invite every woman bringing new life into the world to connect with her innate wisdom through yoga. What women experience through our unique YogaBirth style of pregnancy yoga influenced by the work of Vanda Scaravelli is incredible, as this passage by YogaBirth founding member Lolly Stirk can attest to.

Yoga from the inside out

YogaBirth classes are different for many reasons. The most important difference are the teachers. Michel Odent said that midwives are born, not trained and I suspect this also goes for YogaBirth teachers. The yoga we teach does indeed work from the inside out, working with the body rather than against it and each class is a mini rehearsal for labour and birth. Through the breathwork, positions and movements we are opening up the possibility of women having the courage and tools to let go to the most natural of all processes without fear. We love being ‘with’ women and their growing families and imparting our knowledge and experience. Through creating community and passing on not only the intellectual but the physical information in our classes we hope to make a difference to their lives.

What is Scaravelli inspired yoga and why is so perfect for pregnancy?

“You have to learn how to listen to your body, going with it not against it, avoiding all effort or strain…..” (Vanda Scaravelli).

“How could this work in yoga?” I hear you say and an even more extraordinary question, “How could that possibly work in childbirth?” Well it does, that’s the thing! Perhaps I can explain how. Although, I hesitate,  the reason for my hesitation is that words can get in the way. But I will have a go….

Yoga is about attention…..and ultimately it is about freedom. It is about transcending suffering (dukha) and discovering hidden potential (sukha) – literally “good space” – space that could be considered as clarity, as compassion, or as joy. Ultimately to realise our interconnectedness with everything – a deep peace and calm understanding that “I am That. I am All.”

As a midwife and as a YogaBirth teacher I have come across many methods and formulae – with women believing that just doing “this type of breathing” or “that type of breathing” would assure them the best possible birth experience,  often it did but – and there is a big BUT – the breath is what leads you there and then you have to surrender and trust to what is. You have to have the courage to leave the technique behind. This is why birth is different for every woman, every time. In YogaBirth, through Scaravelli yoga we believe that it is possible for a woman to embrace the moment fully without falling apart. We consider this to offer a more truthful, honest and complete experience – an experience that could stay with the woman forever – as a lifelong strength.

But all births are different….

We know that it is impossible to plan or steer birth in the direction you want it to go. Not from your head at least. We forget that giving birth is as much about the birth of a baby as it is about the birth of a mother and that lifelong strength – a strength that goes deep – a felt sense of being and what is.

In yoga we begin with the breath and see it as key. In childbirth education classes too. So if yoga is something to do with the breath, movement and gravity – and birth also is something to do with the breath, movement and gravity – surely we can use one to support the other.

Find your own Yoga…

Those who were lucky enough to meet and study with Vanda found their idea of yoga completely transformed because Vanda did not ask them to follow a method. She worked with each of her students individually to enable them to find their own yoga. The guiding principles to this journey of self-discovery was the ground, the breath and the release of the Spine.

Diane Long who studied with Vanda for nearly 30 years, talks about the deep wisdom within the body, “There is wisdom to be received from the body, a memory of lightness and simple symmetry….”

Sandra Sabatini, another of Vanda’s closest students, when describing giving birth to her children says, “During labour I observed an unknown intelligence at work. The more passive, soft and elastic I became, the more powerfully this physical cleverness acted.”

No method, formula or trick can get you there. You have to find it for yourself under the guidance of a teacher. In YogaBirth we offer that support by allowing women to discover “the deep inner calm”, described by John Stirk, “what lies beneath”. This inner calm is the source of our strength and resilience and is there for all of us, should we choose to take time to let go of what is no longer required.

Movement that relates to the ground is what animates us – the breath being part of that movement. The delightful interplay between the two offers opportunity for the spine to release. When this happens, so much more becomes possible. We start moving from inside, to the cues not only from the natural intelligence of our bodies but something even deeper. So that in the depths of labour there is a seamless transition as the rhythms of breath and movements combine with the rhythms of labour.

Every woman births differently

As a midwife I remember being fortunate enough to have supported women from my class in their  labour. Some seemed to display a need to move very gently and quietly – movements which were punctuated with moments of simply being in the quietness of their space, and yet, their presence filled the room, albeit for the most part, in silence. Others writhed about the floor, uttering the most primal of sounds and roaring as if giving birth to the universe itself – and yet feeling good for it. Not emitting the sounds of despair, but sounds of true realisation.

These amazing women discovered for themselves a way to meet the extraordinary surges of labour. They met with a Yoga that was more authentic and more meaningful to welcome their baby into the world. And when they said “I did it!” they uttered this from the very depths of their souls – almost as if they were saying “Now I understand!”

YogaBirth classes

So how might we begin in a YogaBirth class if there is no method and no formula, you might ask. I think back to John Stirk talking about “the deep calm which lies beneath”…….about deep silence and the breath which arises from and dissolves into this silence.

Enabling women to move towards stillness can serve as both our starting point and the end of a class. For this reason YogaBirth teachers always begin their classes with a tuning into the Breath…..then finding the breath through movement, connecting with the deepest of sensations, through the ground and through touch. At the end of a class we return to stillness, to the state of going even deeper, to connect with the deep inner calm, and the most ancient of wisdom. So that the woman – the whole of her body, she and her baby can rest back in the stillness of the moment. Through gentle exploration she has discovered her oldest friend, the Breath. And it is so simple – nothing more is required but for her to trust her body and follow the breath.