Transition time

Hello lovely Yoga Mamas,

August can feel like a strange in‑between month. Still winter… but not quite the deep winter of June and July. Not yet ready for spring’s energy, but beginning to feel the faintest flicker of movement returning. A time of transition, moving towards something new and different, but maybe not being able to visualise the end of the process yet… and this is a helpful thing to keep in mind for those heading towards labour and birth! Transition is an actual physiological phase where you move from dilation time to pushing time. It’s a time where most of us want to pack up and go home because we are so done with this labouring business and it just seems to be too intense and too exhausting. But it’s really a great sign – a sign of moving towards meeting your baby, and you are just so close by then. And when you persist (because you have to, there’s no actual opt-out then) and your baby and body work together to bring forth wondrous new life…the transition time will have been 100% worth it. So hang in there Mama, and look forward with anticipation!

This transition though, from winter to spring, is made of tiny flames — small sparks of strength, warmth, and inner steadiness that help us move through the tail end of winter without sinking into heaviness. And I’d encourage you to ask yourself:

What if…strength didn’t always look like effort — sometimes it’s simply staying steady?

This month, we’re exploring that concept together through yoga.

Our poses for pre‑conception, prenatal, and post‑natal are still cosy, supported, and winter‑friendly… but each one carries a gentle thread of activation. A reminder that strength can be soft, slow, and deeply nurturing.

If these practices feel supportive, remember you can explore more inside my online courses: Pre‑conception Peace, Pre‑natal Presence, and Post‑natal Poise.

🌿 Monthly Inspiration: Tiny Flames

Earlier this year, some of you may remember we explored Tapas, the Niyama often translated as discipline, effort, or inner fire.

But Tapas doesn’t have to mean intensity. It doesn’t have to mean pushing, striving, or doing more.

In winter — especially in motherhood — Tapas can be as simple as:

• choosing one small action that steadies you
• keeping your breath warm and intentional
• holding yourself with gentle consistency
• tending to your inner flame without burning out

Think of Tapas in August as micro‑strength:

• the strength to get outside for five minutes of fresh air
• the strength to breathe deeply even when tired
• the strength to choose nourishment over depletion
• the strength to move your body just enough to feel alive again

Tapas is the warmth that keeps you from slipping into inertia. Not a blaze — just a glow.

This month’s poses reflect that glow: warm, supported shapes with a hint of activation to help you feel grounded, capable, and quietly strong.

🌸 Pose of the Month

Pre‑Conception: Supported Mermaid Side Bend - see it on YouTube

Place a bolster or stacked pillows lengthways on the mat. Option: elevate them on blocks (hint: make a T-shape for stability, and play with height settings as needed).

Sit with one hip touching the stacked props, and fold legs to one side in a comfortable mermaid position.

Lean gently against your props, resting your forearm or head on the support.

Let the top arm drape overhead or rest on the bolster – wherever you find most comfort and ease.

Breathe slowly into the side ribs, waist, and pelvic side lines. Encourage more breath into the back body too. Stay 1–3 minutes per side.

Benefits

• Encourages pelvic circulation and warmth
• Opens the side body to support fuller breath
• Gently activates obliques and waist muscles without strain
• Supports lymphatic flow and emotional ease
• A yin‑friendly feminine posture that blends softness with subtle strength

Contraindications

• Avoid deep side bending if experiencing acute hip or low‑back pain
• Elevate the bolster if recovering from abdominal tenderness
• If knees feel strained, adjust leg position or add support (e.g. couch cushions between or under knees)

Pre-natal: Puppy Pose – see it on YouTube

Come to hands and knees.

Walk your hands forward and lower onto your forearms. Elbows may be lifted for strength or rest on the mat for extra steadiness.

Allow your chest to open toward the mat, keeping hips stacked over knees or slightly in front.

Option: Rest your forehead on the mat, a block, bolster, or folded blanket for comfort.

Let your belly hang softly, allowing space for Bump.

Breathe into the back ribs and lower back, feeling warmth and length.

Stay for 5–10 slow breaths if comfortable.

Benefits

• Opens the chest and shoulders without overstretching
• Lengthens the lower back (beautiful for late pregnancy)
• Encourages breath expansion into the back body
• Awakens gentle upper‑body strength
• Grounding and winter‑friendly
• Supports emotional steadiness and nervous system softening
• Encourages baby into a good birthing position (anterior rather than posterior aka spine-to-spine). Generally safe – even beneficial – for breech and transverse babies, but if in doubt check with a health care professional.

Contraindications

• Avoid inversions in cases of high blood pressure, and take care to rise slowly when coming out in cases of low blood pressure.
• Avoid if experiencing shoulder pain
• Take care if reflux is present – if worsens during the pose ease out, if worsens after the pose skip the inversions for a while, or minimise duration and ensure it’s done at least 1-2 hours after eating.
• If pelvic girdle pain increases, reduce the depth or keep elbows bent

Post‑natal: Side Plank (with variations) - see it on YouTube

Lay on your side and prop yourself up on your forearm, elbow under shoulder.

Bend both knees and keep them on the mat.

On an exhale, engage pelvic floor + lower abs (your 360° breath support).

Lift your waist gently away from the floor towards the end of the exhale, creating a long line through the side body from shoulder through hip to knee.

Hold steady for 2–3 breaths, or gently lift and lower without touching the mat.

Lower to rest on the mat slowly, with control.

Repeat 4–6 times per side.

Options as your strength increases:

a) keep your bottom knee on the mat; extend your top leg long, or

b) extend both legs and stack the feet; and/or

c) lift off the elbow and place the hand flat on the mat, stacked under elbow and shoulder.

Benefits

• Awakens oblique strength and lateral stability
• Supports pressure management and deep core control
• Warms the side body — perfect for late winter
• Generally safe for both pelvic floor and abdominal midline, as the pressure shouldn’t be increasing while holding this position - especially when done with awareness of 360° pressure management.
• A gentle strength‑builder before returning to higher‑impact exercise

Contraindications

• Wait until >6-8 weeks postpartum, especially post c-section, some may need to wait longer (let “orange lights” like breath holding or pelvic floor/midline pressure guide you – adjust your hold and if no improvement, rest).
• Pelvic heaviness is another orange light – if it increases, reduce the lift or shorten the hold, and if these adjustments don’t work, consider it a red light and try again another day, working the strength up from the gentlest option (knees and elbows) to stronger versions over weeks to months.
• Strain, pain* or increasing pressure are red lights - lower to the mat and rest, try again another day. Any persistent pain – see a healthcare professional.

*e.g. shoulder pain or instability, neck or jaw tightening, abdominal or pelvic pain

💬 I’d love to hear from you

If one of these poses helps you feel a little stronger, a little steadier, or a little more alive this August, 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 are always here for you.

🌿 Until next time

May your breath warm your body, your body awaken your strength, and your strength remind you of the Mama you are becoming.

With love,

— Emma