prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher training

 

Photo of Gabrielle Marie Luo

 

Become a yoga teacher for pregnant women.

Pregnancy is a very sacred time in a woman’s life. Life is growing inside her body and she is a walking, breathing temple for this life to enter earthside. Everything she surrounds herself with will ultimately be the beginning of her child’s life experience, and future generations to come. Experience the Magic of Transformation!

Mystical Mama Prenatal training is more than a Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training Course, it is an opportunity to dive deep into the experience of what it really means to be pregnant, in all of its facets. We uncover the “hidden” mysteries of our cycles and rhythms with the earth, moon, and universe.

 We live and breathe each of the four phases or trimesters (including postpartum) during pregnancy and motherhood while in tune with the four directions of the ancient medicine wheel. Every aspect of pregnancy and prenatal yoga will be incorporated with the goal of feeling fully confident to work with this very special population.


”This training was one of the most magical and healing experiences of my life.”

“You will be taken on your own magical journey through this course, embodying pregnancy, birth and postpartum with many sacred and special moments along the way that will forever transform your life.”

“You will not be the same person you were before this course reaches completion. Filled with knowledge, wisdom, and newly transformed, you will leave fully ready, capable and excited to assist women through pre and post natal yoga. Creating your own sacred work out in the world, bringing us all home to who we truly are. Healing, supporting and assisting the next generation of humans in the world.”

 
 



Interested in Joining our Prenatal & Postnatal YTT?


In-Person Prenatal & Postnatal Dates:
December 12-17, 2023 - Prenatal YTT in Guatemala with Gabriella & Mara
December 17-19, 2023 - Postnatal YTT in Guatemala with Gabriella & Mara

Join us for an incredible retreat at Mystical Yoga Farm located in beautiful Lake Atitlan, Guatemala!

We choose Lake Atitlan, Guatemala for our retreat location intentionally. The Mystical Yoga Farm is an intentional Spiritual living community that is surrounded by three volcanic mountains and is at the shores of Lake Atitlan, the great Womb herself. The energy of this magical place is expansive, creative and the perfect place to manifest. We embody the ‘seed of pregnancy’ along this immersive course and feel the magic and wisdom of this sacred time and bring it back into our current lives as inspiration.

“If this training calls to you, you must answer. You and your soul will not be disappointed!”

 
 


All Inclusive Price
$1295 - Prenatal YTT Only
$1550 - Bundle Prenatal & Postnatal YTT
$350 - Postnatal YTT Only

All prices are in USD and include the course, lodging & meals

These courses are offered through School Yoga Institute.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dive into the Sacred Feminine


Learn to teach yoga to pregnant women, support them through pregnancy and birth, and be a part of raising consciousness in our future generations.

In this Journey, we will flow through the trimesters as well as through the Peruvian Medicine Wheel as we dive into the Divine Feminine and Mother Archetype. As we move through our own transformations we reveal what it is we are called to share with the future children of the world, inside of the pregnant mother.

Mothers hold the seeds of the next generation of conscious creators inside the heart of their wombs, making it imperative for us to hold space for this transformation. Within this very sacred time of being pregnant a mother is a moving temple and all that she thinks, eats, and does is imprinted on the baby inside of her. Yoga provides a precious gift of translating that sacredness into everyday life and into the baby within, motherhood and beyond.

Yoga teachers, doulas, midwives, birth workers, nurses, mothers, or anyone wanting to learn more about this sacred time, are all invited to share in this Mystical Mama Journey.

We will be joined by midwives as they share their wisdoms, all called to this way of life by their dreams. We will also be connected to Midwives in the Western World as they share their own wisdoms of being with pregnant women before, during, and after birth.

You will leave this training feeling empowered and prepared to guide pregnant women on their journey, either through yoga classes or in a support role. As well as gaining in depth knowledge of anatomy and physiology, the fundamentals of building a safe prenatal class and the importance of nutrition, we will break down numerous common poses in detail. We will also explore the importance of ancient wisdoms, such as placenta as medicine and undisturbed birth. This training is a merging of the heart and science of becoming a mother and how yoga can serve as both.




In-Person Prenatal YTT Core Curriculum

Mystical Mama Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice. True to its Mystical Mama roots, this prenatal practice is derived from different yoga traditions, such as Ashtanga Vinyasa, Sivananda and Iyengar. It is designed beyond form and tradition and aims to encompass the essence of yoga and spirituality as a practice of Union. We guide each class with ease, intention and with the highest regard for the pregnant mother.

We focus on the roots of our yoga tradition, where yoga is used as an instrument to reveal the truth of our existence as spiritual beings. Our Yoga Teacher Training is a holistic program; to understand Yoga you must first understand Self… body, mind, and spirit. We use the four directions of the Native American Medicine wheel as a guide and foundational structure for the course. Within each direction, we will focus on different types of movement, nourishment and meditation to meet the mother Goddess. We bring to life the ancient teachings of wise wimyn all over the world, through accessible and intuitive based teaching methods.

During the teacher training program you will:

  • Work through the traditional Peruvian Shamanic Medicine Wheel in a process of embodying the transformation that a pregnant womyn undergoes.

  • Learn tools to modify numerous yoga poses to accommodate mother at differing stages of gestation through detailed anatomy and physiology modules, as well as guidance and feedback on creating your own unique sequences.

  • Continue to live the yogic lifestyle, improve your personal practice and develop a deep appreciation for the role of Mother and the Goddess archetype.

  • Incorporate daily Meditation, Pranayama and Asana specific to prenatal fertility.

  • Explore the Art of Teaching through interactive daily workshops and learn through regular peer-teaching starting day one.

  • Hone in on the art of creating sacred space and honoring the divine feminine through Ceremonies of the Blessing Way, the Birth Labyrinth, belly casting, henna painting, sacred pregnancy and birthspecial songs, poetry, mother art, natural self care and creative writing.

  • Participate in daily Satsang, evening gathering, and learn traditional Kirtan chants from India and the rest of the world

  • Study the wisdom passed down from the sages on topics pertaining to pregnancy and birth through our Tea With The Sages module. Daily discussions based on material from our recommended reading list.

  • Learn the ancient art of placenta medicine, as well as how to create a 30 day baby moon for mother and baby.

  • Explore yoga for labour preparation and poses for birth.

  • Discuss the important roles that birth partners play in the mother’s life, as well as creating conscious community, sisterhood and a sense of belonging. Mothers must be mothered in order to mother their babies.

  • Discuss how to support a womyn through infertility, miscarriage and infant loss, using our knowledge of yoga, meditation, ritual, ceremony, self care and community.

This comprehensive program will leave you feeling fully empowered to not only guide a pregnant mother through a safe and effective yoga experience, but to walk with her on this most sacred transformational journey.






In Person Postnatal YTT Core Curriculum


  • During the Postnatal yoga teacher training, the same outline and container for sharing the information will be maintained, though emphasis will shift toward the time immediately following birth to the years following

  • The Postnatal training also discusses the appropriate time a woman may return back to a yoga class and what she may be doing in her time before merging out into her community with her new baby.

  • Mystical Mama supports the internal wisdom of the mother at all stages of pregnancy and postpartum.  

  • Power and wisdom gained in fully embodying this time of her life is what will flow over into her community and generations to come.


Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training

In today’s world, it is commonly believed that once a woman has her baby, she bounces back effortlessly into life just as it once was.  This is a big misconception since she has just come out of a pivotal life transformation.  She needs her community, her sisters and gentle guidance to bring her into this new empowered self and role that she plays within her community.

 

 Postpartum yoga is the yoga a woman practices following birth up to about two years postpartum.  This is commonly seen as the “fourth trimester” and beyond. It is treated as another aspect of the grand transformation that accompanies giving birth and motherhood.  This is the transition time that a mother will take to fully claim her new role as a mother, or a mother with a(n) additional child(ren). Within this course, students will learn how to fully support new mothers within their postpartum transitions.  They will learn physical asana and pranayama techniques coupled with time-honored traditional wisdom from cultures worldwide.   These are the ingredients to bring strength and vitality back into new mothers.

 

This training is not only for yoga teachers, but also very complementary for midwives, birthkeepers, doulas, nurses, massage therapists, movement practitioners or anyone wanting to understand this vital time in a woman's life.




In-Person Prenatal/Postnatal YTT Daily Schedule


6:30-7:00 am Guided/Self Meditation

7:00-9:00 am Asana

9:00-10:00 am Breakfast Nourishment

10:00-11:00 am Anatomy/Physiology

11:00-1:00 pm Special Topic (Sacred Fertility, Nutrition, Miscarriage, World Traditions, Maternal Positioning, Cacao Workshop, BlessingWay, Placenta Medicine, etc.)

1:00-3:00 pm Lunch Nourishment & Self Sadhana

3:00-5:00 pm Art of Asana

6:00-7:00 pm Dinner Nourishment

7:00-8:00 pm Satsang/Evening Ceremony



 
 




Recommended Text & Reading Lists


  • Ten Moons - The Inner Journey of Pregnancy

    By Jane Hardwicke Collings

  • Natural Health after Birth - The Complete Guide to Postpartum Wellness

    By Aviva Romm

  • The Birth Partner by Penny Simpkin | Purchase on Amazon

  • Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin | Purchase on Amazon

  • Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun S. Weed | Purchase on Amazon

  • The First Forty Days The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou







Mystical Yoga Farm



Mystical Yoga Farm is located approximately three and a half hours drive from Guatemala City. We have been offering up to six teacher training courses each year for three years now and have never experienced any difficulties around our students safety in Guatemala. We are very confident that once you arrive here you will feel at home.

For additional information on getting to the Farm, please visit the Getting Here section of the Mystical Yoga Farm website.




 
 




Prenatal Student Testimonials

“What an amazing, healing, empowering course. In such a short time I was able to feel such a sense of sisterhood… Really Beautiful!”



“This training was exactly what I needed. I left feeling so empowered and connected to myself and to the other women who attended. This space created lifelong friendships. I can’t wait to use the information I learned to support and hold space for future mamas.”



“What I valued most in my training was the deep connections that were formed with the facilitators and other women and my personal spiritual growth.”




“I loved learning about the trimesters through the lens of the Peruvian Medicine Wheel, and being introduced to different rituals and ceremonies that I can incorporate in my future prenatal classes.”


“I absolutely recommend the Mystical Mama Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training to anyone who is interested in working with women during their pregnancy. I was looking to bring a spiritual and ceremonial aspect of prenatal yoga back to the area which I live and I am leaving with so much more. The training was well rounded with yoga, meditation, fire ceremonies, tea ceremonies, sharing circles, cacao ceremonies and so much more! The instructors provided a nurturing and feminine embodiment of the space in which we grew together as a group. I felt well nurtured and taken care of in the course and living at the Farm. Sharing meals and living in an intentional community added a whole different aspect that was a very pleasing surprise. I felt free and comfortable to be myself and feel fully whatever I was feeling at the moment. I was greeted with a warm smile and a “hello” and got the same on a daily basis. Everyone was so welcoming, loving and friendly making me feel at home, being so far from home. The whole journey was blissful, heart-warming and full in every aspect!!!”



“Following my own postpartum journey I have felt a strong desire to provide a space, a community where women feel safe to share as they learn about all the newness of motherhood. In today’s society, in America especially, postpartum in particular can be a lonely experience for mothers that are not surrounded by family or other mothers like our ancestors were. My goal now that I am certified in prenatal and postnatal is to provide a circle where women can share anything. A place where we share birth stories and new life as we move again and learn about our bodies after having a baby. A place to feel less isolated.”



“Thank you for the inspiration, for the love and support. I am honored to call both of you my sisters and my tribe! Thank you so much for being real and opening your heart to us! I loved every single day!”