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Lotus Yoga

Prenatal Yoga

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world." ~Anonymous

Giving birth was an act of surrender,

suddenly I was no longer the center of the

universe. The light so bright that the love

for this child will lift you out of the middle into

celebration. Let your "self" fall away and become

something greater than what you have ever

imagined." ~Gurmukh Khalsa

What is Prenatal Yoga?

Prenatal Yoga is an empowering class designed to inspire women to give birth as naturally and actively as possible, enabling the expectant mother to feel in control of her pregnancy and delivery. Prenatal Yoga prepares you both physically and mindfully for your journey of labor and passage into motherhood.

This class is designed to keep you comfortable throughout your pregnancy, by addressing specific needs of each expectant mother. It also focuses on preparing the physical self with strengthening, stretching and breathing; and the mindful self with vocal toning, breath, and visualization. This unique combination helps you discover your own body wisdom allowing you to instinctually listen and trust your inner voice. Your intuitive awareness of your unborn baby will deepen, creating a lifelong bond between you and this new life within.

Yoga will support you as you make appropriate decisions for a safe and healthful pregnancy and birth.

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Melissa Little is the certified prenatal yoga instructor at Lotus Yoga. Melissa has 10 years experience (since 2003) teaching prenatal yoga, not only to expectant moms, but has also taught prenatal yoga at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health's professional yoga teacher trainings for several years. She has helped hundreds of woman enjoy the benefits of prenatal yoga, offering them comfort, experience and the knowledge needed for a happy, healthy pregnancy and birth. She has also been fortunate enough to have many of her prenatal yoga students return with their second, third and even fourth pregnancies. Melissa has first hand experience of her own, with the pregnancies and the births of her three beautiful grown daughters.

Lotus Yoga dedicates its time and efforts to offering prenatal yoga twice a week and has since we opened in 2006. This offers flexibility for busy schedules, if you are able to make one class, simply come to the other (offered on Mondays at 6pm- 7:30pm and Saturdays at 10:45 am - 12:15pm). You are welcome to stick with a particular day or feel free to switch back and forth as life changes. Some prenatal students even choose to come twice a week. Melissa also offers a supplemental Couples Prenatal Yoga class to help your partner support you during your labour, with hands on techniques and valuable information. This class is offered only to participating prenatal students and their partners.

After prenatal classes, we offer Baby and Mom yoga which is open first to our prenatal students, securing your space in our family oriented programs. A mom and me class is also offered once a month for children 18 months to 6 years old), this class is also only open to those who have attended either our Baby and Me or our prenatal programs. Whatever works best for you is our mission.

We also support our prenatal program with the teachings of a second prenatal yoga certified in-house instructor, for the rare occasions Melissa is unable to teach.

We offer your first class free, just come in and try a class!! No further obligations!!

Welcome to Lotus Yoga's prenatal program...offering our best since 2006!!

Be sure to consult your physician or midwife before beginning a prenatal yoga practice or any other form of physical exercise.

Child Pose

Cat and Cow Stretch

Testimonials from Prenatal Students

"I want to thank you for just being you! Your yoga classes were such a wonderful part of my pregnancy and continuing on with the mommy and me classes has been such a pleasure. You have a warm and welcoming spirit that just permeates every part of your class. You teach great yoga classes - but for me the experience went far beyond the practice of yoga. You create a welcoming community for all that practice with you. I was amazed how you got to know each and every individual that came to class, remembering everyone by name. I was expecting a great yoga class - what I wasn't expecting were the friendships that would develop in class. It has been a great help meeting other pregnant women and other women with small children. You do so much more than teach yoga - you help build communities of support in your studio. The whole experience has enriched my life. So again, thank you for being you. You are a wonderful person and a talented teacher. I gladly drive my 40 minutes from Simsbury to be in your class each week!"

~ Christy Murray-Carmody

"I want to thank you for everything you did to help me during my pregnancy. You provided such a caring, supportive, nurturing environment, which made me feel welcome and at home from the very first class I attended. Your “come as you are” mentality allows your students to feel comfortable, especially at a time when our bodies, hormones and lives are changing. The yoga poses and stretches you taught during class helped me to feel comfortable throughout my pregnancy (even after my due date!) and aided in my recovery process as well. I really enjoyed meeting the other woman in class and sharing our experiences, knowing we were all going through the same thing. I looked forward to class every week (and sometimes twice a week!) and got much more out of it than just the physical benefits of yoga and have developed friendships in the process. I now attend the mommy and me class with my daughter and continue to reap the benefits of your teachings, in yoga and other areas of life. Thank you again for everything!"

~Amy Elliot

"I wanted to thank you for all your support and care during my pregnancy. Being at Lotus Yoga prenatal class was one of the best parts of my pregnancy. The class helped lift my spirit, and to stay focused while meeting other woman who were going through the same experiences. Your teachings helped me incredibly and the Couples Yoga class was key for us during labor. We have a healthy and happy boy, and some of that we owe to you! I highly recommend your class...It was truly a blessing for us. Thanks again!"

~Lorna, David and Baby Davien

"I can't begin to tell you how beneficial I found Melissa's prenatal class! The environment she creates is so nurturing and supportive that I felt her class was a perfect fit from day one! I only wish I had found it sooner....Regularly practicing the poses and stretches she showed us kept leg cramps away, and eased the pain in my back considerably. If that was all I got from prenatal yoga, I would have been grateful, but there was so much more to the class than the physical benefits....Thanks for all you do, Melissa!"

~Allison Arey

"I am so thankful for all the help Melissa gave me during my pregnancy, delivery and postpartum period. Melissa's prenatal class gave me confidence during pregnancy, a coping mechanism during labor and reassurance during my phase of being a new mom....I cherished the prenatal classes....I thank her for sharing her beautiful womanly/motherly wisdom with us."

~Jennifer Perry-Hildalgo