THE BARNES METHOD OF YOGA FOR TWO™,
PRE-NATAL YOGA AND POSTPARTUM YOGA

KEY PRINCIPLES
Alignment The Barnes Method applies Anusara Yoga’s Universal Principles of Alignment so women can create stability, build a strong foundation, and become comfortable in their changing bodies as they open to grace and celebrate new life. Students learn postures that eliminate the common discomforts of pregnancy, postures that aid in labor and delivery as well as postpartum. The Barnes Method also applies therapeutic yoga techniques to help women deal with physical maladies associated with pregnancy and the postpartum months.

Awareness Yoga teaches us to be in the present, and to turn our awareness inward. The Barnes Method gives women guidance to trust their intuition as they enter motherhood. It emphasizes that a woman’s body has an amazing blueprint for creating a baby—and for bringing this new life into the world. By developing awareness of their own inherent wisdom, women are able to trust that their bodies know what to do during childbirth.

Breathwork Yogic breathing helps us control the central nervous system. In Yoga for Two™ Pre-natal Workshops, women learn to breathe deeply using the diaphragm. The deeper a woman breathes in labor, the higher her pain threshold will be. The Barnes Method also teaches women and their birth partners to “exhale push” during stage two of labor, instead of holding the breath while bearing down. The Barnes Method teaches women to exhale as they push, promoting the downward release of the birth energy and a more easeful birth.

Sound Vibration The Barnes Method encourages pregnant women to lose any inhibitions they may have about making sounds so they ultimately use sound vibrations to aid in childbirth. Chanting and humming soft and low sounds draws out the breath, which calms the nervous system. It also softens the throat, which allows the muscles of the pelvic floor to release. Just as sound can be a point of focus during yoga practice, it can be a point of concentration that helps in labor.

Strength Teaching women how to safely strengthen their abdominal muscles helps them maintain postural integrity during pregnancy, push effectively during labor, and regain the strength of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles after birth. In addition to strengthening the abdominal muscles, the Barnes Method incorporates the full range of yoga poses to stretch and strengthen the entire body.

Community For thousands of years, in every culture and climate, women have shared and passed on the wisdom of their bodies and the secrets of childbirth and motherhood. YOGA FOR TWO™ prenatal and post-partum yoga classes allow women to celebrate new life in the company of other women who are also going through the same process.

© Copyright, Mary Ryan Barnes. All rights reserved, 2002. Site design by Baseline Design, Inc.