Babies are always ready to welcome new experiences and are eager to communicate. Their developing bodies are flexible and they can benefit from and enjoy the stimulating touch, movements and deep relaxation that Lullaby Lucy Baby Yoga offers.

Baby Yoga Offers

Baby Yoga leads on perfectly from Baby Massage, and as with Baby Massage, Baby Yoga promotes a life-long bond between you and your baby, and creates a foundation for a happy, healthy life.

In one short daily 45-minute session, Lullaby Lucy Baby Yoga can ensure that the baby receives as much physical activity as if they were handled for a few hours.

The style of yoga that Lullaby Lucy teaches is based on Hatha yoga. The classes teach you to help your baby into carefully developed movements that are beneficial to both growth and development.

However, Lullaby Lucy Baby Yoga goes far beyond physical exercise by actively engaging a baby’s brain and stimulating the vestibular system. Located in the inner ear, the vestibular system primes the entire nervous system to function effectively. When we make certain movements such as rolling, swinging or tumbling, the fluid in the inner ear passes over the nerve receptors, which send messages to the brain about the position of the body in space. These messages help babies learn to counter gravity and to have control over eye movements, which are vital for the co-ordination of all the sensory messages the brain receives. Lullaby Lucy Baby Yoga classes deliberately stimulate the vestibular system and so actively develop a baby’s co-ordination and sensory-motor skills.

Most babies will reach their developmental milestones in the end. Baby Yoga provides the building blocks to support the baby’s development and enables them to reach these milestones competently and confidently. Baby yoga doesn’t rush your baby to crawl or walk, your baby will learn how to do each stage properly and learn all the detail before moving on. For example, a baby that tries to walk before they can crawl proficiently may suffer in the future with diagonal co-ordination as this learning point was missed.

Other examples are tip toe walkers, Baby yoga uses positions and poses that focus and prepare your baby for applying their weight and pressure to the heels of their feet. Making your baby more aware of their body, develops their confidence and spatial awareness as well as stimulating quality muscle development and muscle tone.

Lullaby Lucy Baby Yoga incorporates moves that stimulate the Moro reflex and allows the baby to experience new feelings and emotions. Like with anything, at first this can be daunting but after each of these moves you will give your baby lots of encouragement and big smiles to reassure them that they are ok. This builds trust between you and Baby and encourages the baby to be brave and help them realise that new experiences can be exciting.

Benefits to Baby

Promotes longer and deeper sleep by regulating the breathing and increases the levels of oxygen in the bloodstream.
Helps balance, coordination and motor skills
Aids respiration and digestion
Strengthens baby’s body and develops reflexes
Improves learning and social development
Aids bonding, trust and social interaction
Stimulates the brain and nervous system
Develops physical confidence and spatial awareness
Improves muscle development and muscle tone
Reduces the frustration of babies in the transition from one developmental stage to another
Maintains flexibility in the spine and joints
Improves the general functioning of the immune system
Regulates and strengthens the digestive system which may reduce the discomfort of colic, wind and constipation
Improves blood flow
Helps with detoxification and circulation around the lymph system
Helps the development of postural reflexes

Benefits for You

Builds confidence in handling your baby
Teach you to understand your baby’s non-verbal cues
Encourages your body to heal after a difficult or traumatic birth
Learn breathing techniques
Learn deeper relaxation techniques
Encourages the nurturing instinct through the stimulation of oxytocin
Helps you to gain strength and alignment after pregnancy and giving birth
Encourages exercise together whilst having fun

What to bring

A mat will be available to use during the session but please bring some water for you and your baby to drink during the class.

You baby will be comforted by the natural and subtle smells of a familiar object like their towel or blanket so please bring a towel or blanket along to the class.

What to wear

As we will be moving around and increasing our blood flow and heart rate, it is advised that you wear comfortable and removable layers. We suggest that baby’s clothes are removed to avoid over heating but leaving the nappy and vest on.

Suitable from 8 Weeks

Baby Yoga is suitable from 8 weeks (providing your baby was full term) However as the moves and positions are physically demanding, please leave at least 12 weeks if mum is bringing baby and has had a caesarean.

The classes are separated into beginners and advanced. You don’t have to have attended the beginners yoga to come to the advanced yoga, however the advanced yoga class required your baby to be able to hold their head without support and so we recommend about 18 weeks. As with baby massage there is no upper age limit but as the moves require you to hold and lift your baby, it is more determined by your ability to hold and lift them. As your baby gets too heavy for you to lift, it may be time for them to attend the Lullaby Lucy Toddler Yoga class.