Viniyoga® and Pregnancy
with Evita du Bois, Maastricht, Netherlands
Evita du Bois, began her Yoga Journey many years ago persuaded by her sister. She originally began practising Ashtanga-yoga and eventually started immersing herself in the practice, philosophy and way of life. She first completed her Ashtanga Training in 2010 and started teaching.
After her first pregnancy in 2013 which was a great experience, she realised that her experience was not just a transformation at a physical level, but one of my entire being. This started her to focus more on how to apply Yoga for Pregnancy. This made her pursue other trainings, eventually finding the Viniyoga® Therapy Training in 2016 with Dr. Kausthub Desikachar.
Here she shares her precious experience of practising and teaching Viniyoga® to Pregnant women.
1) What brought you to Viniyoga in the first place?
I started to practice yoga nine years ago in an Ashtanga yoga school in the South of The Netherlands. I felt very drawn to this dynamic practice as it made me physically and mentally strong and disciplined. For several years I was very dedicated to this practice until I became pregnant of my first baby and I felt that this practice was no longer appropriate for me in this phase of my life. Longing for some deeper understanding of yoga I started reading about the teachings of Sri T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar. Just a few weeks in my second pregnancy I met Sir Kausthub Desikachar during a seminar in Liège and felt very inspired and a strong connection to his lineage and teachings. After meeting Kausthub Desikachar I decided to start the Viniyoga Therapy Training in Brussels.
2) How did your work of teaching Viniyoga to pregnant women manifest?
My first pregnancy and especially the birth of my daughter inspired me to guide other women through this journey, so I followed several specialisations like pregnancy yoga teacher training and HypnoBirthing education training. The latter is not only guiding the new mother towards birth but the partner also, as his role in this journey is also significant.
I feel that for a woman to carry and birth her child with ease and in good health a lot must be taken into consideration. Not just her physical practice is affecting her and her baby, but also the relationship with her partner, her diet, her environment and very much her emotional state.
As I deepened my knowledge of Viniyoga all these elements came together as a whole. It gave me the tools to work with parents-to-be in a group but also individually.
3) How do you find the acceptance of Viniyoga by Pregnant women?
It is very beautiful to see how pregnant women are able to turn their awareness inward so naturally. Even if they haven’t practised yoga before pregnancy. The women that come to class want to have the time to consciously connect with their baby, work on some physical discomfort or receive tools to prepare for birth, so they are very open for new things like Pranayama or chanting Mantra.
4) How has Viniyoga helped your pregnant students during their pregnancy?
The group classes are very nice for pregnant women to meet other mothers and share their experience. To have some time to connect with their inner knowing and their babies, especially for second time moms these moments can be scarce. The body is changing so much during pregnancy and the practice of yoga supports these changes so the balance in the body remains or returns. Issues like back pain can be relieved, but also I hear a lot that women benefit from mild stretches that allow them to breathe deeper. As the belly grows, deep breathing is not always obvious.
In the past years, I have guided many women in one on one sessions and something that is very common is the fear of birth. I see that ViniYoga really helps to (re)build the relationship a woman has with her body and breath. Healing past experiences and regaining trust in the body and the natural birthing process.
5) What challenges have you faced in bringing Viniyoga to these students?
In the Netherlands, pregnant women are generally guided by a midwife or midwifery practice, which is a good thing as it is personal and not such a medical approach. Although slowly birth is becoming more and more medicalised, we still have a high percentage of home births. When I first started to teach prenatal classes I approached a lot of midwifery practices in my surroundings, as they are also active in advising the women about possible prenatal courses. It took about three years for me to build this network, so that was challenging. Now there are several practices that I have a good relationship with. If they recognise that a woman is very scared of birth or has difficulties to relax they will advise them to come to see me.
6) You yourself were pregnant twice in the last years. How did Viniyoga support you during these times?
I loved that the practice evolved with me as my pregnancy progressed. It supported me on this amazing journey towards birth and also during the birth of my babies I felt so many benefits of being able to follow my body, breathe deeply and let go of tension. Trusting the natural process to unfold. When I was pregnant of my son I started the Viniyoga Therapy training which was so good to have him there as I was following the teachings. After he was born he went with me to several modules of the training, it was such a blessing.
7) How do you see the role of Viniyoga in the future of Yoga Therapy in the world?
This is why I am so passionate about my work. I believe that if we approach birth differently; not primarily as a medical situation but as a spiritual and natural experience, with respect for mom and baby, it will be a huge change for humanity. By educating new parents, and preparing them for this life-changing event a lot of doubt and fear surrounding birth will disappear. Giving babies the chance to come from mothers that feel supported and without fear, we reduce the possibility of mom or baby having a traumatic experience. The babies born now are our future citizens. For the generations to come how great would it be that they start their life with joy and without birth trauma. It will greatly influence the rest of their life and that of their loved ones. Practising Viniyoga during pregnancy connects the mother to herself, her baby and Nature. We begin to experience that we are not separate from nature, as people tend to forget. When we realise this it becomes self-evident that we take care of the Earth that nourishes us and all other beings on this beautiful planet, as we take care of ourself.