While yoga has long been linked to helping men, women, and children of all ages manage stress, reduce anxiety, and promote an overall sense of well-being and relaxation, the ancient art form is being tailored locally toward a very specific demographic: expectant (and hopeful) mothers.
Prana Prenatal Yoga & Education (14-20 Willett Ave #203, Port Chester; www.pranaprenatalyoga.com) has classes and workshops for women at all stages of motherhood. The facility, which moved from Harrison to its location in Port Chester in October 2018, offers programs for mommys-to-be that include prenatal yoga, “pranabirthing” (a two-week workshop focused on meditation), the popular yoga for labor, and even a breastfeeding workshop.
Prana Prenatal also offers mama-and-baby classes, postpartum doulas, toddler yoga, and parenting workshops, among other programs.
Owner Dee Yergo, a certified meditation coach, yoga teacher, and prenatal-and-postnatal specialist, explains that a regular yoga class “can make birth easier from a physical perspective and an emotional perspective,” and the prenatal classes are focused on “connecting a woman’s intuition into her body.” All workshops are offered to the expecting woman’s partner as well, to help strengthen relationships. Classes are so popular that the facility also runs a program at White Plains Hospital. Yergo says doctors have seen the difference the programs have made in patients’ deliveries.
As many couples have difficulty conceiving, Yoga Haven (62 Main St, Tuckahoe; 91 Montgomery Ave, Scarsdale) offers a four-week series of yoga for fertility. The series is focused on poses, breathing, and meditation to help diminish stress, improve circulation, and boost the immune system to help keep ovaries healthy and balance the endocrine system. The classes promote community and a safe environment for women who can support each other through the similar struggle and experience.