How to get better sleep and rest with an infant
Last week I gave a talk to students of The Cradle Coach Academy (TCCA), who are training to become infant and child sleep consultants, about how to incorporate yoga therapy tools into their work with mothers and babies.
I trained with TCCA years ago, too, because I became fascinated with infant sleep after our own family struggles.
There was a time when Bodhi was up EVERY HOUR for weeks and weeks and weeks. It was BRUTAL. I don’t say that lightly. We definitely sought support through a sleep consultant, but not in the common ways one would think.
For me, I don’t believe so much in sleep training as much as I do sleep support. So while I am technically a sleep consultant, it’s in a way that honors the mother-baby dyad, nervous system, and true infant sleep needs.
What I learned in the time of helping Bodhi to sleep was that my emotional and physical well-being affected him, because our nervous systems as mama and baby were/are connected. Bodhi could (and still can) read my cues, because babies and children all have a magnificent intelligence.
During my early postpartum weeks after his birth, I was anxious, exhausted, healing from nerve damage, often alone, overwhelmed, and also running a business at the same time.
A lightbulb went off one day, and I started practicing certain yoga tools to help settle my own nervous system, relieve my own anxiety, and return to presence. I mainly practiced breathwork and meditation with a baby in my arms - and it worked. This alongside help from a sleep consultant to set up our sleep environment and rule out certain diagnoses in our baby.
This is a core part of how I’ve supported postpartum mothers with sleep and rest in the years since - a gentle, nurturing way of promoting infant, toddler, and child sleep (as well as your own!), knowing there is no going back to the ways we slept before children.
I’m sharing some of these tools with you in this free [short] workshop - Yoga Therapy Tools for Better Rest During Postpartum. We cover:
The basics of the human nervous system and why this awareness is so important
The definition of the Mother-Baby Dyad
The period of exogestation, i.e. gestating outside of the womb and how this affects rest and sleep
Safe + supportive breathing practices for mama
Meditation practices and sleep environment considerations
It’s in the Free Movement + Meditation Library as a resource that all can access, so please also share with a friend who needs it! There are no sales pitches - just 30 minutes of information and a breath - pranayama - practice for you.
Remember that the Early Bird rates for the Afterglow Perinatal Yoga Training closes today at midnight. You’ll receive $300 off the regular rate and a waived Certification fee of $300.
If you have any questions, just let me know. We’ll be expanding on topics like supporting rest and sleep for women, mothers, babies, and children in the training. Maybe one day I’ll return to one on one sleep consults, but for now, I’ll offer some resources for free and then do more in the group training
Jai Ma.
With love and sweet dreams,
Leanne
P.S. I’ve answered many of your questions about the Perinatal Yoga Training in the FAQ section of the Afterglow page (scroll to the bottom). Get answers to:
When does the Perinatal Yoga Training begin?
How long do I have access to the material?
What are the prerequisites?
What credentials will I receive?
What if I can’t afford the investment?
What is your refund policy?
Is this an RYS with Yoga Alliance?
What will I receive at the end of the training?
E-mail me with any questions that I have not covered. :) Sending you warmth and hope to see you in September. This will likely be my last email for a while. <3
P.P.S. If you're new here, I have several recent essays and articles to take a peek at for your own health and/or if you're interested in being a part of Afterglow:
A newfound nervous system response to help you thrive
Low back pain, its root causes, and the pelvic floor
Is Yoga good for the female body?
Why you can't just change your mindset
