Learn about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the birth process, unexpected situations, variations and interventions in pregnancy labour and birth. Gain knowledge and understanding enough to make confident, empowered choices about your care. We practice comfort measures for labour, positions and hands-on techniques, and also cover breastfeeding and postpartum care.
Amy's yoga classes focus on alignment and allowance for space in the upper and lower back and how that space translates to a more traditional asana practice. We use simple props for enlightening openings and integrate those openings with movement: sometimes standing, seated, kneeling and supine. Deepen your relationship with your practice and yourself, and gain tools for sustaining healthy posture.
Yoga Teacher Training with Amy includes postures, adjustments sequencing, variations and modifications for all trimesters and postpartum. Training weekends include pranayama, pelvic floor health and healing, gentle, effective abdominal awareness, relaxation and postural alignment. We cover styles of practice for new parents, the importance of community with healthy boundaries and other aspects (including common concerns) of pregnancy, mothering, and early parenting for both mother and child.
Amy has been active in the childbirth community in Calgary since 1999 and is a natural childbirth educator at heart. She is currently teaching childbirth education classes both in Calgary and at Shifra Wellness in Cochrane Alberta, teaching alignment based yoga classes at Yoga in Bowness in Calgary, and also on Zoom. Amy donates her time to the Swelli Community and is on the teaching staff of Mamma Primitiva , and is the new lead coach for the TREX groups in the University of Calgary Swim Club.
Amy continues to teach pre and postnatal teacher trainings at Yoga Passage in Calgary and occasional workshops on birth and pelvic floor health.
True to the principle of form following function, Amy and her sister Ann created a series of freely distributed "zines" about conscious caregiving over the course of several years while actively caring for their mom who had Alzheimer's. Their mom died in September of 2019 but their writing continues to support and inspire.
Amy is an avid knitter and crafter, enjoying the slow, small steps toward creation, most recently she is honing her skills with tools much sharper than knitting needles and learning how to carve wooden spoons.
"Amy has been truly inspirational throughout our journey into parenthood. Not only did her prenatal yoga class create an atmosphere of comfort and release in which to bond with baby, her Bradley method classes set us up for success to birth our son in a knowledgeable and intentional way. Amy went above and beyond as our Doula, and was a calm and peaceful presence in the room as our son was born. Amy is a true creator of community, cares deeply about all of her students and lives her values through all of the money she donates to charities that support birth and women's health. We feel truly blessed that Amy has become a part of our lives."
"Our experience with Amy provided us all the knowledge necessary for the miracle of childbirth. We enjoyed the fun and comfortable learning environment that Amy created. Excellent hands on relaxation technics that were a valuable asset when giving birth to our daughter, and still helped with the birth of our son two years latter. My husband found the information an excellent preparation for his role as labor support. Thank you again Amy for the fun practical and informative experience."
"Amy's class was exactly what I needed. After a very difficult and long first labor, I was looking a different experience with my second baby. I wanted to learn how to relax more (if possible) during childbirth, and learn some better labor techniques to help me through the labour process. Amy's class gave me just that. Her genuine and fun demeanour puts everyone to ease, and the layout of her class gave me the tools to support the childbirth I desired. From watching birthing movies that broadened my perspective, to learning techniques to relax through discomfort to allow the body to do what it naturally knows how to do to. My second delivery experience was incredible. Even though I had to be induced at 42 weeks, I was able to handle and relax/work through the process to give birth naturally to a 10 pound 9 ounce beautiful baby. Thank you for helping us Amy!"
"Amy's class showed us that birth was not something to be feared but rather something to be experienced. Because of her we embraced the opportunity to pursue a natural child birth. The births of our children, at home, were two of most exhilarating and incredible experiences in our lives. I am so thankful that we were able to rediscover the wonder of something women have be doing for centuries through Amy. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a fun, honest perspective on natural child birth!!"
"While I have the chance, I also want to thank you for leading yoga in the park. I love it so much! It is so special to do yoga with the grass under your feet and the sky above, and to be able to do this with my daughter. It isn't just great that she is included because I have no child care for her during the day, it's great because she gets something from that experience too. She loves to be outside, she is usually calmer and more independent when we are doing yoga in the park, and she loves to be around other babies and toddlers. She even tries some of the moves with us, and I hope it will help her to grow into a yoga practitioner. I also love that this activity supports mother health international. I think you are super!While I have the chance, I also want to thank you for leading yoga in the park. I love it so much! It is so special to do yoga with the grass under your feet and the sky above, and to be able to do this with my daughter. It isn't just great that she is included because I have no child care for her during the day, it's great because she gets something from that experience too. She loves to be outside, she is usually calmer and more independent when we are doing yoga in the park, and she loves to be around other babies and toddlers. She even tries some of the moves with us, and I hope it will help her to grow into a yoga practitioner. I also love that this activity supports mother health international. I think you are super!"
