Spring Unwinding

Hello lovely Yoga Mamas,

Spring is the season where everything begins to unwind. If winter was a time of dormancy, spring is for unboxing that stored energy and setting it free.

In yoga, there's a beautiful principle called sthira and sukham - often translated as steadiness and ease.

It's a reminder that the body functions best when support and softness exist together. Too much effort can create tension. Too much softness can leave us feeling unstable. The sweet spot lies somewhere in between.

This is especially true during conception, pregnancy, and postpartum, when the body is constantly adapting and reorganising.

Last month we explored activation through the pelvic kinetic chain, turning on the muscles that help create healthy pelvic support. This month, we're exploring the equally important counterpart: release.

Creating space. Softening tension. Unwinding the places that work harder than they need to.

Many of us instinctively respond to discomfort by gripping tighter. We hold our shoulders when we're overwhelmed. We clench our glutes when our pelvis feels unstable. We brace our bellies, jaws, and hips in an attempt to create support.

But true stability doesn't come from tension everywhere. It comes from the right muscles doing their job at the right time – leaving the rest of the body free to do the same.

Because when hamstrings, hip flexors, chest muscles, or glutes are carrying more than their share, they can pull the whole chain out of balance. Sometimes that shows up as pelvic pain, sometimes as back tension, tight shoulders or jaw. Even butt gripping - especially in late pregnancy, and somewhat counterintuitively, this overactivation actually leads to that ‘postpartum flat butt’ appearance. Or maybe your symptoms are more subtle - a sense that some movements simply feels harder than they should, or that you can’t quite ‘speak to’ some areas of the body to request that they activate.

May I ask you to consider this: Where am I working harder than I need to?

Sometimes that single question reveals exactly where the body is asking for help. And though it is tempting to assume these areas need more strength, sometimes they actually need…release.

This month's practices offer a gentle opportunity to unwind those patterns, creating more ease, more space, and often, surprisingly, more support for TTC, pregnancy, and postnatal recovery.

And if you enjoy these, I really hope you’ll enjoy what’s in store next month – as previously alluded to, I’ll run a pre-release viewing of a postpartum core and pelvic stability rebuild practice. It’s aimed at those 2 months or more postpartum, and it’s filled with important info for all postpartum women. And since postpartum is forever, it’ll still be relevant whether you’re 2 or 20 years postpartum – so be sure to check it out.

My newsletter subscribers will be the only ones with opportunity to see it before it goes to Insight Timer - as a premium subscriber edition, meaning it’ll be paid viewing only.

P.S If you’re a pregnant Mama, stay tuned (for a bit longer) as I have something in mind for you and your pelvis too!

🌸 Pose of the Month

Pre-conception (TTC): Supta Padangusthasana – see it on YouTube

Lie on your back and extend one leg upward, using a strap, scarf, or dressing‑gown tie around the arch of the foot.

Keep the opposite leg long or bent, whichever feels most supportive.

Let the hamstring lengthen gradually, without pulling or forcing.

Breathe into the back body and soften the shoulders. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits

• Creates spaciousness in the pelvic bowl (emotionally and physically supportive for TTC)
• Encourages circulation and warmth through the pelvis
• Softens hip flexors and low‑back tension, lengthens hamstrings
• Calms the nervous system and supports parasympathetic (“rest and reproduce”) tone
• Helps balance the kinetic chain before conception

Contraindications

• Acute hamstring strain
• Sciatic irritation (bend knee or reduce angle – for those with medically diagnosed narrowing of spine causing sciatica, ask your doctor before attempting)
• Low‑back pain that worsens with leg extension

Prenatal: Pyramid with Chair – see it on YouTube

Stand with one foot forward and one 2-4 foot-lengths back. Feet are around hip width apart, or wider if needed for balance or comfort.

Soften the front knee, hinge at the hips and lean forward to wherever is comfortable. Keep the two halves of the pelvis as square as you can.

Inhale to expand the whole torso, exhale and allow lengthening through the spine. Keep the belly soft and spacious, leaving room for Bump.

Option for resting hands or forearms on blocks or a chair for support.

Repeat on the other side.

Benefits

• Lengthens hamstrings + calves to reduce pregnancy back tension
• Creates space in the lower back and sacrum
• Supports pelvic stability by reducing posterior‑chain tightness
• Safe and accessible for late pregnancy
• Encourages grounding and breath expansion
• Helps counterbalance the forward‑shifted centre of gravity

Contraindications

• Symptomatic SPD (shorten and widen stance or reduce depth of forward fold)
• Dizziness or low blood pressure (rise slowly)
• Hamstring pain (bend knees more)

Postnatal: Doorway Pec + Hip Flexor Combo – see it on YouTube

Place one forearm and hand on a doorframe with the elbow at a right angle, the same height as the shoulder (think ‘cactus’ shape arm). Step the opposite leg forward, until you feel a pectoral stretch. Land in a gentle staggered stance.

Let the chest open softly as the front of the hip lengthens.

Keep ribs relaxed and breath steady, and be sure to repeat on the other side.

Option to do this while holding baby, also great on your ‘escape’ after putting them in the cot for a nap!

Benefits

• Releases pecs tightened by feeding, carrying, pram pushing
• Frees a ‘stuck’ rib cage → improves deep TA + pelvic floor coordination

• Softens hip flexors that contribute to pelvic tilt and low‑back tension
• Supports upper‑body posture and breath mechanics
• Easy to do without a mat, safe from 1-day post-partum — perfect for weaving into daily life
• Helps rebalance the kinetic chain from top to bottom

  Contraindications

  • Symptomatic SPD (shorten and widen stance or reduce depth of forward fold)
  • Dizziness or low blood pressure (rise slowly)
  • Hip flexor pain or ongoing SPD symptoms (shorten stance)

💬 I’d love to hear from you

If one of these poses helps you feel a little more open, a little more spacious, or simply more you this month, reply and let me know. Your reflections help shape this community and guide the practices I create for you.

And if you’re craving longer, guided practices that weave breath, comfort, strength, and emotional steadiness together, my online courses — Preconception Peace, Prenatal Presence, and Postnatal Poise — are always here for you. If something’s been holding you back from starting one, please reply and let me know what it is – if I can help, I will.

Or if you haven’t yet tried the free mini-course, it gives a good introduction to my teaching style.

🌿 Until next time

May your breath soften your body, your body create space for strength, and your strength remind you of the Mama you are becoming.

With love, — Emma