Why Well Woman Yoga?

• Because there is a need out there for Yoga that is more specifically directed to enhance women’s well being, with a greater understanding of body-mind practices that benefit women through life-cycle stages than is offered in general yoga training courses.
• Because many women can benefit from yoga to address all sorts of ailments (reproductive disorders, chronic conditions, post surgery recovery, peri-menopause symptoms) that impair their day to day enjoyment of life, both before and after having children.
• Because research on the health benefits of yoga for women is rapidly expanding, but the information is overwhelming and requires a skilful presentation

The Well Woman set of classic and adapted yoga practices & massage (named long before the brand of vitamins) was developed with women for women. It includes the teaching of specific restorative poses and flow practices, together with specially designed therapeutic micro-movements to benefit the neuro-endocrine and reproductive systems. Asana and movements, pranayama, relaxation, mudras and mantras are combined to promote pelvic tone and wellbeing and to optimise individual hormonal balance before conception, after childbirth and around menopause. Practices taught carefully integrate the work of Eastern and Western healers and teachers, with references to classic yoga texts. Recent developments in somatic healing movement and yoga therapy are included. Some of the practices taught on this are part of the Amazonian shamanic tradition.

The Well Woman Yoga Diploma training was originally designed by Françoise Freedman as a module of the two-year Yoga Therapy course for the Yoga Therapy Centre in London. It took another form after the course was transferred to Yoga Campus in 2006. Francoise Freedman has continued developing the course independently since then, integrating new scientific knowledge, a deeper understanding of yoga and the original ‘micro-movements’ and isometric work on deep muscles and connective tissue that are her special contribution to Yoga Therapy.

Well Woman yoga is also offered for the benefit of women with special requirements that cannot be met fully in general classes. The benefits of Well Woman yoga are inseparably physiological and psychological.

Discomforts that are not serious enough to warrant medical treatment may compromise women’s quality of life. These can be effectively addressed with yoga therapy, optimising pelvic tone and wellbeing. Yoga also helps women access a space of deep relaxation in which the psychological or mental roots of current conditions may be identified and addressed.

Yoga therapy is compatible with both mainstream care and complementary therapies. Well Woman Yoga empowers women to actively take charge of their wellbeing with body-based therapeutic tools that are simple and effective.