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

Royal College of Midwives Accreditation Poem

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.

Teacher Training
Ground trough legs

How did we become Royal College of Midwives Accredited?

In seeking RCM accreditation, we had to demonstrate the many dimensions of the course and how teachers develop through it.

Our training takes participants on a journey to learn about yoga and birth from all aspects: emotional, social, spiritual, physiological, medical; and from the perspectives of both the teacher and the pregnant mother.

We examine nuances of communication, challenges of holding a group, the ability to offer non-judgmental information and to listen authentically. We put a strong emphasis on self-reflection- so that each person is conscious about the experiences that brought them to this work, and how those may influence their teaching. There is group learning, self-guided study of online sessions, reading, class observation, teaching practice, a pregnancy yoga portfolio project, and vibrant discussion.

Royal College of Midwives accredited Logo

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.

Training suitable for all…

YogaBirth teachers include midwives, previously trained yoga teachers, doulas, childbirth educators, hypnobirthing teachers, practitioners of cranio-sacral therapy, acupuncture, physiotherapy, shiatsu and reflexology…  All have come with huge dedication to women and yoga and are endlessly intrigued by birth. Our training course is an intersection of participants who bring different skills and experiences, sharing their perspectives to enrich and expand what we already teach.

YogaBirth organisation, which teachers join after they certify through the course, is a dynamic professional network offering regular CPD and constant inspiration.

Teacher Training

How can I find out more?

Our next course begins in May 2021. Applications are currently being accepted.

If you are interested in training to become a YogaBirth teacher, we would love to speak with you.

Jill Benjoya Miller
Mother
YogaBirth Course Co-Director and Tutor
Active Birth Teacher
Doula

Lolly Stirk tecaching pregnancy yoga