Learning to Slow Down, Soften, Release and Restore

“When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world. Your innermost sense of self, of who you are, is inseparable from stillness.” – Eckhart Tolle

As our lives become ever busier, more hectic and stressful, there is a greater need than ever for us to take regular time to stop, slow down, release and restore. Modern day life has us running around firing on all cylinders and in “fight or flight” mode (activated by the body’s sympathetic nervous system) most of the time.  The effect of this increases our blood pressure, speeds up our heart, raises blood sugar levels, elevates levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, causes problems with our digestion, redirects blood away from our internal organs (making them function less effectively) and makes our breathing faster and shallower. Doesn’t sound so great does it?

It’s not a problem if the sympathetic nervous system is activated for short periods of time, which evolution designed it to do back when we were fleeing tigers in the jungle. The problem is that the stress and relentless pace of modern life leads to people being in this state most of the time and that’s when the problems with our body and mind start to happen.

Restorative yoga can combat the effects of all of this running around at high speed by kick-starting our “rest and digest” or para-sympathetic nervous system and bringing our whole system back into more harmony. This enables our body to rest, recover, and regenerate itself. Activation of the “rest and digest” or relaxation response helps to lower blood pressure, slow our heart rate, boost immune function, restore good digestion, reduce our anxiety and stress levels and improves our sleep.

Restorative yoga is by nature a receptive practice rather than an active practice, and in that receptivity you can guide yourself towards a more healthy and balanced state of being. It is a practice of consciously turning inwards, of quietening the body and mind, and kindly nurturing ourselves. Restorative yoga is a more internal practice like meditation, relaxation or yoga nidra rather than like other more dynamic forms of yoga. Restorative poses are be held for anything between 5 and 20 minutes and you are always supported and held in these shapes with the aid of blocks, bolsters, cushions and blankets. When you are in these passive postures supported by props, and thereby using no muscular effort, the focus can really be on releasing the grip of deep muscular and inner tension, and you can begin to feel more spacious and receptive, both physically, mentally and emotionally.

The beauty of restorative yoga is that there are no goals of stretching, strengthening or “getting somewhere” in the pose. All you need to do is set up the pose and then simply be there, tuning into your body, your breath and exploring what happens when you slowly release your habitual ways of holding. Since restorative poses are held longer than more active yoga poses, they have time to really penetrate our bodies’ systems, including our mind and emotions, and thus creating significant shifts in both physical and mental health.

Restorative yoga is an incredible way of helping to heal the whole body and mind. In activating the para-sympathetic or relaxation response it helps to balance the whole nervous system and sets up the whole body for deep healing, growth and repair. Specific sequences of restorative poses can be used to help with numerous issues, including relieving back pain, menstrual and menopausal symptoms, stress, anxiety and depression, digestive disorders, insomnia, exhaustion, headaches and asthma.

As we settle into and stay in these longer held poses we slowly begin to create more space in those places that are holding tension, settling our awareness on them so they begin to change or loosen in ways they maybe haven’t for months or years. As we are so accustomed these days to holding ourselves together at all cost, it can sometimes be a little unnerving to begin to let go and surrender that rigidity, and for some people it can be very challenging to just “be”. But as we continue to stay and soften we can begin to find more ease in both our bodies and minds, and shift into a different way of being, both during our practice and in our daily life.

Restorative yoga can be seen as a special treat, and time to really slow down and let go, a little like having a massage. As with all practices though, the more often we do these slower and longer held poses, the more we can reap the benefits. It’s also worth remembering that in order for us to be able to really surrender and release deeply held tensions it’s important to take time and care when setting up our props for these poses, so that we can feel completely at ease and almost cocooned in each pose.

Another great benefit of restorative yoga is that is that it can be a great segue between more active yoga practices and meditation. As the body begins to really settle in these poses, so the breath can slow down and the mind can also begin to find more stillness and spaciousness. So it makes it a perfect preparation for meditation practice. And indeed we can bring many of the main tenets of mindfulness meditation into our restorative practice, as we aim to stay aware of our bodies, the sensations that arise as we remain in the poses and the feelings and emotions that may come up, observing all of these without judgement. Both practices have the same qualities of acceptance, allowing, surrendering to the present moment and stillness. It’s also a great preparation for yoga nidra.

The American philosopher Ken Wilber writes beautifully about the need for balance in all aspects of our being, and these slower practices of restorative yoga can help us to find that inner harmony in our minds, bodies and lives:

“In addition to learning how to take control and assume responsibility, a person also needs to learn when and how to let go, to surrender, to go with the flow and not resist or fight it. Letting go versus taking control — this is, of course, just another version of being versus doing, that primordial polarity of yin and yang that assumes a thousand different forms and is never exhausted. It’s not yin or yang [that] is right, that being is better than doing — it’s a question of finding the right balance, the natural harmony between yin and yang that the ancient Chinese called the Tao — between doing and being, controlling and allowing, resisting and opening, fighting and surrendering, willing and accepting.” 

So why not take some time out to let go, slow down and just see what happens? You may soon find yourself wanting to carve out time to do this every day!

Sarah teaches regular Sunday afternoon workshops in East London focusing on slowing down and finding more inner space and tranquility through the practices of gentle movement, restorative yoga, yin yoga, pranayama, yoga nidra and meditation. More details can be found here

She is also available to teach 1-2-1 restorative yoga sessions in your home or at various locations in Hackney and Bethnal Green.

The Benefits of Post-Natal Yoga for both Mums & Babies

Practising post-natal yoga has many benefits for new mums and also for their babies. In this article we explore in more detail exactly what those benefits are.

Giving birth transforms women’s lives in profound and often unexpected ways. Each experience is different but all births call for a new integration of physical and emotional well-being. The steady flow of breath in yoga helps to open a steady calm path in the midst of all the changes and emotions that come with being a new mother.

Post-natal yoga can help significantly in women’s recovery from childbirth, on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. It can also be extremely helpful in the first weeks and months of parenting, helping to relieve some of the physical aches and pains that come from caring for a baby, as well as helping women with all of the emotional and psychological challenges that she can face during this period. 

Doing yoga with their babies can also really help with bonding between new mums and their little ones, helping babies to feel more secure and loved. 

As  her  baby grows, a regular yoga practice will help to keep a woman strong, grounded and emotionally and mentally stable and balanced, helping her to be a better parent to her child. Yoga at this time will also help a woman with the neck, shoulder, back and postural problems that can often result from repeatedly lifting and carrying a toddler and a heavy buggy. And even if a woman only comes back to yoga many years after the birth of her child, yoga can be an extremely useful tool at this point in helping women to re-establish their own identities after years of focussing on their children, and can give them some much needed space to begin nurturing themselves again. 

I have seen this first hand with a friend of mine who is only now finding the time to return to her yoga practice when her children are 4 ½ and 7 years old. She is finding her daily 30 minute practice of mainly restorative yoga incredibly helpful and valuable on many levels, including re-finding a sense of self, helping to calm and restore herself at the end of a busy day of being a mother and finding joy in a practice that was an important part of her life before her children were born.

Returning to a post-natal yoga class in the early months of motherhood can provide a great sense of support and community for new mums, a time to share and also time to focus on their own bodies which can get a bit neglected when there is so much focus and attention placed on babies on a day to day basis.

Yoga gives women permission to rest and reconnect with themselves, their emotions, their bodies, and their breath; it helps build strength and stamina; and it helps women to deeply relax and let go of anxieties, worries, stress and daily concerns. As such it is an extremely beneficial practice for all women post-natally.

Post-natal yoga can really help to bring the focus back to the woman and can help her to feel nurtured and cared for. Post-natal yoga classes can be a space for women to share their stories and experiences of birth in a safe environment, and to bond with other women. This is extremely important as post-natal depression often arises because women feel isolated, alone and unable to find the support they need at this time. Coming to class can help them to feel cared for, listened to and supported. All of this will mean that women in turn can better care not just for themselves but also for their babies.

Research (¹) sadly shows that one in three women report their births as being traumatic and many more are disappointed by the birth or view it negatively. Post-natal yoga can help women to come to terms with what happened during the birth and to begin a healing process be it days, weeks, months or even years after the birth. The Birthlight approach to post-natal recovery (in which I trained) is that “it is never too late, there is always a way and it can always be repaired”, be that on a physical, emotional or psychological level.

Even after the most wonderful, active, natural birth a woman’s body will need to heal from the pregnancy and birth and she will still be faced with all of the challenges of caring for a new born baby, so yoga is just as important after the birth as before. The immediate post-natal period can be a time of great joy and elation, but can also be one of vulnerability, exhaustion and depression. Yoga can help women to navigate all of these deep and wide-ranging feelings and emotions, whilst also enabling a woman to cope with the dramatic changes in her life and to build a strong foundation to her relationship with her new baby.

Post-natal yoga can also help:

• To heal a woman’s body after pregnancy and birth, especially her abdominal muscles and pelvic floor
• To stabilise and realign the pelvis after pregnancy
• To stay calm and focussed in the midst of all of the new challenges of caring for her baby
• To bond with her baby, and her partner in their new family unit
• To heal emotionally and psychologically after a traumatic birth or one that has not gone how the woman had wished/planned for
• To relieve other common postnatal problems including loose, aching joints, swollen ankles and lower back pain
• To relieve the physical side effects of caring for a baby including stiff necks, shoulder issues and lower back pain from carrying and feeding a baby
• To cope more skilfully with tiredness, sleep deprivation and emotional instability
• As an on-going tool throughout her life with her children, yoga can help a woman to feel more centred and grounded, stronger both physically and emotionally, healthier and better equipped to capably and skilfully deal with all of life’s challenges as a mother and a woman

Many of the breathing techniques learned during pregnancy yoga will now help new mothers to find a sense of inner space and calm and to steady the mind, and will also be calming for the baby, who will recognise his/her mother’s breath and respond positively to it. Full yogic breathing is one of the most effective ways for new mothers to restore balance in their nervous systems after the shock that childbirth (even the shortest, easiest, most natural and active births) will cause to a woman’s body and mind. If the birth was particularly traumatic then there will be an even stronger need for women to begin healing through the use of pranayama and other yoga relaxation and gentle asana practices. Golden thread breath can be helpful as a pain-reliever if there are post-birth pains or nipple pain from breast-feeding. And the practice of post-natal breathing is essential in helping both the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to heal. 

All deep breathing will help to promote and aid deeper relaxation, better sleep and will lead to a greater release of oxytocin, helping with both breastfeeding and bonding between mother and baby. Immediately after a hospital birth, full, deep yogic breath can be very beneficial in helping a woman to fall into a much-needed deep sleep amidst all of the noise and disturbance of the hospital environment. (Full yogic breath encourages women to breath in from their abdomen, up into their rib cage and chest and then to down through their body on the exhale, feeling the abdomen, rib cage and chest fully expanding with breath on the inhalation and contracting on the exhale, with the navel and lower abdomen gently moving towards the back body at the end of the exhalation. The breath is experienced like a wave moving up the body on the inhalation and down through the body on the exhalation.)

In terms of physical healing, the most common physical difficulties after pregnancy and childbirth will include lower back pain, weak abdominal muscles, weak pelvic floor muscles and potential injuries to the perineum, all of which can make finding a comfortable sitting position quite challenging. If there was a Caesarean birth then the weakness in the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles caused by the pregnancy will be exacerbated by the tenderness of the wound. Yoga can help with all of these difficulties. Gentle post-natal exercises focussing on the breath and on releasing through the pelvis can be done hours after the birth, and yoga exercises and post-natal breathing to strengthen and re-knit the pelvic floor can be done from one+ week after the birth, once the bruising has healed. 

Post-natal yoga exercises can also help women to relearn to walk and stretch safely, and recreate or create for the first time their core strength or hara. 

Post-natal breathing is an essential tool for women to learn and practice as part of their physical healing and can save them from years of discomfort caused by overstretched perineal muscles, preventing stress incontinence and womb prolapse. With post-natal breathing we are helping women to close the space  between their abdomen and spine, and to connect to, engage and strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. Post-natal breathing also soothes the adrenal glands around the kidneys which is very beneficial as kidney energy gets much depleted during childbirth.

Post-natal yoga should always be simple so that women can easily incorporate it into their busy daily lives, rather than just coming to class once a week or every couple of weeks, and then not feeling able to find the time to do anything at home. Post-natal yoga with babies can be a great bonding experience between the mother and baby and in class we teach women lots of ways in which they can incorporate their babies into their postural, pranayama and relaxation practices.  

In addition to yoga poses and breathing exercises, relaxation is also extremely important for new mothers. Relaxation techniques learned during pregnancy yoga can be of great benefit to women post-natally as they will enable them to access a deep state of relaxation in a short space of time, so that they can rest deeply when their babies are asleep, and can also use their own sense of calm and relaxed state to help calm and relax their babies too. 

In the post-natal period, womens’ bodies will recover better from slow, small movements and stretches and deep breath work rather than strong, challenging postures. In Birthlight post-natal yoga we teach women a series of slow, subtle but nevertheless very powerful exercises that will be extremely beneficial if practiced regularly and attentively, and will help them to find ‘zero balance’ in their pelvic alignment, to close the abdomen and to re-align their spine. And we also want to help women to better cope with all of the expectations that they face not only as new mums but also as women, with society’s expectations and pressure that they will ‘snap’ straight back into shape, become a super mum and will be wearing their skinny jeans again within a week! The use of positive affirmations, meditation and sharing in a class group environment can all be very helpful with this.

So whilst it’s clear what the benefits of attending post-natal yoga classes are for new mums, what about babies?

For babies the benefits of attending Post-Natal Mum & Baby yoga classes are also numerous and include:

• The classes are an opportunity for them to begin socialising with other babies
• It allows them to bond more deeply with their mothers during the poses that involve both mums and babies
• The simple baby yoga that we do in each class has a calming effect on babies and can help them to sleep more easily

• Mothers can learn movements and relaxed holds that can help babies with their digestion and also colic. Touch and gentle movement really help to regulate a baby’s digestive system. And whilst there is no ready treatment for colic, relaxed holds and rhythmic walks can also help mums to calm their distressed babies (and also themselves) effectively.
• Babies get to participate in a joyful and uplifting practice and also to share baby yoga songs with their new little friends
• They become more confident and more at ease in the world around them
• They also begin to learn that it’s ok to be relaxed and content on their own whilst mummy spends some time focussing on her yoga practice
• The gentle stretches of the baby yoga help to open up babies’ joints, and mothers can discover how babies’ bodies move and begin to feel more confident in handling their babies.

So to conclude, attending post-natal yoga classes can help women to recover from the emotional, physical and mental shock and potential trauma of birth, to feel supported and nurtured after the birth, to connect with other mothers and to share anxieties, advice and experiences,  and to bond more intimately and deeply with their babies and partners. 

Ultimately, the most important benefit for both mums and babies in attending yoga classes together is the sense of joy that both can share in these practices and which they can carry with them into their daily life.

Sarah teaches a weekly post-natal class for mums and babies every Thursday morning from 10:15 – 11:15 at Fieldworks Studio in Hackney E8 3QW. 

She is also available to teach 1-2-1 sessions for women wishing to focus on particular areas of post-natal recovery, or who are looking to transition back to regular yoga classes after their pregnancies.

(1) Gamble, Jenny and Creedy, Debra and Moyle, Wendy and Webster, Joan and McAllister, Margaret and Dickson, Paul

(2005) Effectiveness of a counselling intervention following a traumatic childbirth: A randomized controlled trial. Birth 32(1):pp. 11-19. Copyright 2005 Blackwell Publishing

© Sarah Burgess 2025

Dates: Sundays 6th April; 18th May; 29th June 2025
Time:  3.30pm – 5.30pm
Venue: The Canvas, 27 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, E2 9PJ
Cost: £25.00
Pre-booking required via St Margaret’s House

In the society in which we live, which emphasises productivity over everything, rest isn’t given proper credit and self-care is often deemed indulgent and selfish rather than essential. The truth is, when you make time to rest and care for yourself, you’re actually more productive. In carving out time to gently move your body and to really rest, you will feel more energetic and show up better for those around you as well as for yourself.

So why not join me for these monthly Sunday afternoon workshops that are all about taking care of yourself? They will be an opportunity to really slow down, turn inwards, take care of yourself and explore practices that soothe and rejuvenate the mind, body and whole nervous system.

Dedicating some extra time away from the busyness of daily life, screens and to do lists can be so beneficial. Our mind can begin to quieten, our body can release deeply held tension and tightness and find more ease and our nervous system can begin to calm down and help us to feel soothed, rested and relaxed.

You’ll begin the afternoon with a series of gentle, grounding, mindful and somatic movements to release stress and tension, allowing energy to flow freely but calmly through the body again. You will also explore a number of soothing and calming practices, including breath work, mudras and self-massage, before eventually settling into some longer-held restorative poses (supported by props) to soak up some deep rest and connect to a place of inner calm and stillness.

The afternoon will finish with a grounding and calming yoga nidra (deep yoga sleep) practice. Yoga nidra has been described as “an effortless state of restfulness in the form of a horizontal meditation that takes place just on the threshold of sleep.” (Uma Dinsmore Tuli). Thirty minutes of yoga nidra is said to be the equivalent of three hours of sleep, and this practice is deeply nourishing and restorative. By the end of the afternoon, you will feel deeply rested, refreshed, recharged and ready to step into the new week ahead.

No previous experience of yoga is necessary. If you are new to yoga, you are most welcome.

 “Stillness is like water
moving deep inside the earth
seeping slowly between rocks
trickling down 
in the dark
a tide moving inwards.

Stillness is the space
between breaths
inside heartbeats
the silence of the gathering wave
that never breaks.”

Judith Prest

Sogyal Rinpoche, Tibetan Lama

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Next Dates: 
Thursdays 26th June – 24th July 2025 – booking now open
Thursdays 31st July – 28th August 2025
Thursdays 18th Sept – 16th October 2025
Thursdays 30th October – 4th December 2025 (six week course)
More dates to be announced shortly
Time: 10:15 – 11:15
Cost: £74.00 for 5 week course/ £85.00 for six week course
Location: FieldWorks Dance, 274 Richmond Road, London E8 3QW
Pre-booking required for the 5 weeks – spaces are limited to ensure everyone feels comfortable and has enough space

A fun, engaging and relaxing class for mums & babies and a great way to get moving safely again after your pregnancy and birth

This 5 week course is specially designed to help with new mothers’ postnatal recovery whilst also allowing time for engaging, bonding and relaxing with baby.

The course is suitable for all news mums from 6+ weeks postnatal (8 weeks after a Caesarean birth) up until babies are fully crawling.

Each week the focus will be on helping new mothers to begin moving their body again in a safe and gentle way, to regain strength, to open and release areas of tightness and tension in the back, neck and shoulders, and to find space for relaxation. We will also include some gentle yoga stretches, movements and songs for babies.

The course will include movements and breath work to safely and gently tone the abdominal muscles from deep within, allowing them to ‘knit back’ together, and to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles in conjunction with the breath: a ‘closing of the body’ after pregnancy and labour.

The classes also focus on the re-alignment of the spine and pelvis, and encourage an awareness of posture in all movements, including the care and handling of babies.

An emphasis on the breath throughout the classes will help to develop a sense of wellbeing, and we build in time for relaxation so both mothers and babies feel nurtured.

We explore postures and practices mums can do with and without their babies so they can easily continue their yoga at home.

The classes will be informal, fun and relaxed, and mums are free to feed, change, comfort or soothe babies to sleep whenever necessary.

The benefits of regularly attending postnatal classes in the form of a course include:

• the course allows us to build on practices and progress each week
• regular attendance allows you to really feel the benefits of the practice
• it also allows babies to feel more comfortable and at ease in the class, and with other babies
• a regular group builds a greater sense of support and community amongst new mums and babies

The course is a great opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces from pregnancy yoga classes and to get to know other new mums in the local area, and many long-term friendships have been made in these classes.

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding the course or would like to book a place.

T&Cs: please note that the course is non-refundable.