What is Active Birth Yoga?

The Industrial Revolution saw the disintegration of community and the development of the nuclear family. Modern medicine saw doctors taking a predominant role in birth, with midwives relegated to the role of assistant. Throughout the 20th Century, the rates of intervention in birth increased rapidly. Today, 1 in 4 babies in the Western World is born by caesarian section, breastfeeding rates are on the decline, postnatal depression is on the increase. And the rate of divorce is higher than ever before. 

The Active Birth Movement grew out of a reaction to all of the above. At its heart is a desire to reclaim natural birth for the normal life event that it is. 

Active Birth teachers seek to empower women to trust their instinctive ability to give birth and be confident mothers. It aims to fully involve fathers and to encourage them to share the experiences of pregnancy, birth and parenting with their partners. Core to the principles of Active Birth and Parenting is an understanding of the importance of community and support.  

A typical Active Birth Yoga class might include:

• stretches for comfort
• postures for birth
• pelvic floor work
• breathwork, visualisation and meditation
• guided relaxation
• time to connect with other women
• birth stories 

What is Gestalt Therapy? 

Our approach is grounded in Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy first developed by Fritz and Laura Perls in the 1950’s.  Gestalt therapy comes from the humanistic branch of psychology that looks at the whole person not just fragmented parts of the personality or brain functioning.   Gestalt therapy is holistic and focus is given to cognitive, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects as well as a person’s relationship with their environment. 

Rather than purely cognitive understanding, a change in behaviour or attitude is most likely to occur when it is grounded in a person’s actual experience.  Gestalt therapy is therefore focused on increasing awareness in the present moment and creating opportunities to practice new ways of being.  

Thoughts, feelings and behaviour are moulded in early life and some of our early patterns may become a hindrance if they are fixed patterns.  Through awareness and with support we may start to try out new ways of being, acting and relating to others. We may gain “response-ability” – an ability to choose to respond differently in different situations.