FROM 20th December our new telephone number will be 01473 728 377 or contact mobile 07951 291 775 If you’d like to enjoy some gentle yoga inspired exercise and relaxation during your pregnancy, to help your developing body and prepare you for an active birth too, try YogaCise. Our unique classes have been taught in Ipswich for over three years and have helped many women achieve a more confident, relaxed and comfortable  birth experience.  Drawing on the teacher's qualifications in antenatal exercise, massage for labour, birth partnering & holistic therapies (along with HypnoBirting), you are assured of an all embracing and NATURAL class. These wonderful and extremely gentle antenatal movement classes help you to wind down, relax (taking time out to focus on actually being pregnant and listening to what your body is telling you) and to begin to bond with your baby.  At the same time you learn to understand the anatomy and physiology of your birthing body, feel in tune with how the birth muscle works and experience how to use movement to help the birthing process become more efficient and more gentle.  These Ipswich based courses run continuously throughout the year and are pre-bookable in six, twelve or eighteen week blocks. Frequently Asked Question When is your next course .... I don't want to start until I'm 5 months .... how do I set a start date These are weekly sessions which run (other than illness & holidays) for approx 50 weeks of the year.  You simply slot into a space in your chosen class time, as one becomes available (i.e. as a lady leaves to have her baby).  Most ladies try to start classes early in their 2nd trimester, as benefits really arise over a number of weeks of practise.  This said, some ladies don't find us until week 36 of their pregnancy and feel even just 3 weeks of classes or a one to one session, can make a huge difference to their confidence and their birth.   When booking simply state whether you would like the next available space OR whether you would like to defer your start date to a certain month/week.  You can also elect to book a one to one alongside your weekly class, to give you a more tailored tuition. Phones are generally not answered after 6pm so for queries after this time, try emailing!      These classes draw together yoga, dance, breath work, massage & deep relaxation (self hypnosis) to offer so much more than just another exercise or yoga class.  In these sessions we aim to provide a complete holistic education for birth and discuss issues such as: Which hormones are key to birth and how fear affects these? How can gravity can help the birthing process? How can we deal with positioning of baby Why does the jaw need to be relaxed? How does self hypnosis work? What are positive affirmations? What is a Reebozo and how can it help with birth? Why is hip circling good for labour? How can light pressure and traditional massage help? Which position can help increase the pelvic outlet by 30%?

We aim to give you inspiration for breath techniques to help you relax between surges (contractions), to work with your surges and to ease your baby into the world. However, the most important thing is just to be comfortable with your own rhythm of breath and to use this rhythm to assist your focus and state of relaxation.    We will help you to become sensitive to your own deep breathing and to channel this energy to focus your mind, calm your spirits and power your movements.

In traditional yoga you are taught to inhale and exhale through the nose;  not in our class however!  Remember, we are tailored for your pregnant needs and exhaling through an open mouth is so important for relaxing the jaw and pelvic girdle and helping you to use sound!

YogaCise routines are all about fluid, gentle and soft movements.  We use the beauty, shape and form of certain traditional yoga postures to inspire our flowing routines and to introduce you to movements which seem familiar and yet so different.  We ‘salute the sun’, use ‘cats’ and ‘cows’, practise pelvic floor ‘kegels’, stretch into ’swan’ and ‘pigeon’ pose and marvel at our pregnant poise during balances.  Every move has a purpose in that it is designed to assist your body’s and your baby’s well being in these changing months.

Laugh out loud and feel how great it is; how your facial muscles loose tension, your spine and hips seem to relax and your happy hormones being to kick in.  This is ten times better therapy than chocolate and that ‘thing’ which got you into this situation in the first place.

Isn’t yoga all about discipline and serious practices?  Maybe for some but not in our class.  Anyone whose already been to class and ‘swung the rope’ with us will understand!!!  Click here to find out about our main aims

Classes run 49 weeks of the year and spaces become available as and when existing ladies leave to have their babies.  The average wait is 4-5weeks (depending on the time of year however, this could be slightly shorter or slightly longer).  The more flexible you are about your session time, the quicker we can fit you in.  

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for giving me a lot more confidence over the past few weeks .... joining your antenatal yoga has made my whole pregnancy experience a much more enjoyable one" AP 08/05

"I felt incredibly confident in coping with the birth through breathing and was amazed that I got through the main part of the night just using the relaxation techniques and breathing.  I couldn't have done it the same way without you and the yoga.  It all helped make the birth just amazing.  thank you so much". NJ 07/06

"All of the midwives commented on my excellent breathing .... thanks to your yoga techniques I was able to remain calm and felt in control" HH 10/06

"I am convinced that the exercises before hand trying to keep him in optimum position and the breathing etc throughout the short labour really helped me.  I obviously had no pain relief but it really was the best birth experience ever for me .........I would definitely come again, much earlier next time and will definitely recommend the classes to any of my friends should they get pregnant" AH 03/07  

We have succumbed to demand from all our yummy expectant mummies and from time to time, timetabled a Post Natal class for groups of 4-5 mums. 

If there is not a course scheduled when you need one, why not get together with a group of friends and enjoy a one to one session (or a number of one to one sessions).  Cost is £45 so divided between 5 friends this makes a relaxing and affordable session.

What a wonderful testimony as to how much our pregnant mums feel their YogaCise classes have enhanced their way of being and the quality of their free time!

This much requested class will allow New mums (6weeks postpartum through to 20weeks postpartum) to enjoy gentle, toning and closing stretches, strengthening breath work and of course our trade mark relaxation (filled with positive parenting affirmations).

Reminiscent of pregnancy YogaCise in that the moves are gentle (yet powerful), fluid and dance like, the key difference is that we are closing the body (rather than opening) and of course, invariably mummy will have a little guest in tow.  Yes your babies are welcome to come too and we will interact with them through eye contact, voice and breath as we enjoy our practice.

Darren J. Long
Copyright © 2006 Lazy Daisy. All rights reserved.
Revised: 14-Mar-2008.