Post-natal yoga can be practiced three weeks after a natural birth or six to 10 weeks after a cesarean birth. At first, the aches, pains and trauma of childbirth can make practicing yoga difficult for new mothers, but it becomes easier and more fluid as time passes and more yoga sessions accumulate.

Practicing yoga after giving birth is an effective way to become better acquainted with the body after going through nine months of gestation followed by the extreme physicality of giving birth.

According to Parents Magazine, pregnancy can cause a woman to develop a slouched posture, and between nursing and lifting a baby after birth, it’s difficult to regain a straight spine. Yoga can help increase back and shoulder strength, open up the chest, and make it easier to stand erect. Practicing yoga focuses on even, steady breathing, which helps trigger feelings of relaxation to re-center the new mom. The calmer mom is, the calmer her baby will be.

The twist walk is an effective way to start off. The move involves walking in a straight line while holding the newborn baby and twisting the torso and stretching out the legs. Twist walk benefits include realigning the pelvis, restoring balance, improving confidence holding the baby, and developing the baby’s spacial awareness.