Postpartum yoga online

August 4, 2021 12:28 AM

Looking for recommendations for excellent postpartum yoga classes that are available to stream on-demand online (not looking for virtual “live” classes), are plentiful (don’t want to repeat the same three classes over and over again), are affordable (free is even better, but I’m willing to pay a reasonable fee for a great product), and (here is where I can’t find what I’m looking for) are actually physically challenging while remaining attentive to postpartum-specific needs (I really would like a moderate or tougher workout, not just sitting on the mat and doing deep breathing for an hour).

Some additional criteria:
- most interested in a teacher/practice that is body-focused (rather than mind/spirit focused)
- would prefer a class geared towards an intermediate (rather than beginner) audience
- definitely prefer a composed, led class (rather than an app that just guides you through various poses).

Any ideas?? If it matters, I’m two weeks postpartum, but was highly active before and throughout pregnancy, am feeling very good physically, and am DESPERATE for some physical activity. Assume my care providers are ok with this plan!

posted by Dorinda to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

I had this same issue! All the post partum classes treat you like you’re a delicate flower and it was very frustrating as I’ve been doing yoga over a decade. I ended up just switching back to regular yoga practices. I really enjoy the Nike app sessions with Alex Silver Fagan.
posted by donut_princess at 4:15 AM on August 4, 2021

Specifically, Alex Silver Fagan sessions are in a led class format.
posted by donut_princess at 4:16 AM on August 4, 2021

This is not a recommendation from personal experience, but Peloton does have post-natal classes that are differentiated into “beginner” vs “intermediate.” It doesn’t look like there is an enormous number of classes and they seem to mostly be only 20 minutes long, so it may not be ideal. In general I’ve found Peloton’s yoga classes to be body-focused and vigorous, although I can’t speak to the post-natal ones. A subscription costs something like $12-13/month, and I believe you can get a 1-month free trial so you could check out whether it’s worthwhile.
posted by somedaycatlady at 4:58 AM on August 4, 2021

You might try DoYogaWithMe.com. There's the option to filter options by difficulty, duration, class length, focus area, teacher, and whether they are free (many are; some are not). I linked to one you might specifically like -- the teacher has a lot of intermediate-level classes that can be pretty challenging, and that class focuses on postnatal specifically.
posted by wicked_sassy at 7:36 AM on August 4, 2021

I've been using glo.com for yoga classes throughout the pandemic, which has been great. They have a bunch of different styles of streaming classes on demand (hatha, vinyasa flow, iyengar, etc.) and classify them all both by level, which is the difficulty of the poses, and intensity, which is the amount of physical exertion expected in a class.

They have about 30 classes under their postnatal offering and you can get a 7 day free trial. I'm a fan of Stephanie Snyder as an instructor.
posted by A Blue Moon at 8:13 AM on August 4, 2021

Also came here to rec Glo. Jo Tastula teaches a good number of their pregnancy/postpartum classes and she's great, though she does get a little chakra-y at times.
posted by theweasel at 9:41 AM on August 4, 2021

Glo just added a series of "Gentle Postnatal Strength Fusion" classes taught by Amy Rosoff Davis.

(I'm a huge fan of Glo, which also hosts classes by my favorite teacher ever, Jason Crandell, who is all about body and alignment. He touches on mind-body connection, but not with a spiritual bent. He has a few get-back-to-practice classes which also might appeal to you.)
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 1:58 PM on September 1, 2021