Rosa Dominguez
«Practicing yoga connects me with myself, helps me to feel how my body is at all times, listen to it, pamper it and respect its limitations, observe what is going through my mind and go through what is happening in the present, feel how my breathing is ... Every time I immerse myself on the yoga mat is a whole research laboratory of myself. The practice of yoga and meditation “Puts me in another place”, puts me in a better mood and makes me feel happy »These are the words of the guest who accompanies us today, whom I receive with a red mat: she is Rosa Domínguez.
Rosa Dominguez is a Kundalini, Hatha and Vinyasa instructor, and has specialized in Prenatal Yoga and Postpartum YogaIt is for this last reason that I wanted to invite her, to tell us about the benefits of yoga practice during these stages of life. I met Rosa the first time I walked in, fourteen weeks pregnant, at center where he teaches classes in Madrid: I can only tell you that since then I practice yoga, she taught me to love it. I invite you to read his wise words:
Madres Hoy: Rosa, what are the benefits of prenatal yoga?
Rose Dominguez: Pregnancy is a very special stage in the life of women where they happen physiological, anatomical and emotional changes. Practicing yoga during this period will help to feel, integrate and live them in a more conscious and healthy way.
The practice of prenatal yoga is a space where you dedicate a time of calm and connection with your body, your breathing, with your sensations and with your babyNot only helping to release possible discomfort or physical tension in the muscles and joints, but it is also a moment where you can share with other women your experiences, doubts and fears of how you are living your pregnancy and release your emotions.
Performing yoga during pregnancy helps improve posture, relieve back discomfort, improve the functioning of internal organs Besides the blood circulation, gently tones the body, strengthens the abdominal muscles and tones the pelvic floor, improves breathing and help better manage stress, feel in better spirits and have greater peace of mind, as well as help prepare for the moment of delivery.
MH: Can you tell us how you work with sound?
RD: Another resource that we use in our yoga classes for pregnant women is sound, voice, a great ally of breathing where through vocalizations we not only work at physical level but also to emotional level.
The human body works as a sounding board that collects sounds from the environment and transmits them to the brain, which modifies them through emotions and experiences and then experiences them as pleasant or unpleasant. From the prenatal stage, the baby develops in a universe full of sounds: the vital sounds of the mother, the beat of her heart, the rhythm of breathing, the vibration of the amniotic fluid, the circulation ...
Through vocalizations we work at the body level and it helps to take greater breath awareness and gradually gain confidence with your own voice, finding in the sound a means of natural analgesia that the body possesses, favoring dilation and allowing contractions to be experienced more actively and positively, facilitating being more in contact with sensations and needs at all times, as well as being a way of express our emotions and communicate with the baby through the voice with whom you are deeply connected.
MH: What about the postpartum yoga practice, what are the benefits?
RD: Mommy and baby yoga classes are classes that allow you to practice yoga postpartum and breastfeeding with your baby. Classes are focused on gently tone the physical shape, strengthen the abdominal area and alleviate the discomfort associated with postpartum and breastfeeding. They are classes where you can attend with your baby and you can attend to him whenever he needs you and he is incorporated in some exercises.
Practicing postpartum yoga helps regain muscle tone, strengthen the back and relieve any discomfort that may appear, regain abdominal and pelvic floor tone, regain your flexibility and release the accumulated tensions. It is also a space where you can share experiences, concerns and doubts with other mothers.
MH: Does yoga practice during pregnancy make labor easier?
RD: Childbirth is an involuntary and spontaneous process, the woman's body knows how to give birth just as the baby knows how to be born without anyone having to teach it, but all the information you need to know is important, to make you aware of the pregnancy, delivery and the birth of your baby.
Practicing yoga during pregnancy can help you facilitate labor, on the one hand the different exercises and movements that you have done during pregnancy with your yoga practice provides you with body memory so that the body moves instinctively without having to think about what to do or how to breathe, just feeling yourself. On the other hand, it helps to have a better postpartum recovery.
The fact of using sound, as explained before, during classes allows you to become aware of your voice and to be able to use it as a great natural analgesic resource to help you manage contractions during labor as well as to accompany your baby in his birth process. as I usually say in class what a joy to arrive at the party of life accompanied by beautiful sounds.
MH: Rosa, and can I ask you why you decided to practice yoga for the first time?
RD: I started practicing yoga 27 years ago because at that time I was working on the bench and was subjected to a lot of stress and continuous tension and pressure at work, I was out of breath and suffered from severe back and shoulder pain, I thought I would always have anxiety and back pain but now I can assure you that all that happened and that I am a completely different person from how I felt.
Attending yoga classes allowed me to dedicate time to myself, during classes I managed to listening to my body, I learned to breathe, to stretch muscles in my body that I never thought existed and it calmed my mind that was always active, the truth is that "I was hooked!" And since then I have not been able to live without leaving it, it is one of the engines of my life and now being able to transmit it and accompany other people that helps them live better is a gift with capital letters.
MH: How has yoga changed your life?
RD: Yoga has been one of the tools that has changed my vision of life. About 10 years ago there was a restructuring in the company where I worked and there were people who did not continue. At first it was a shock, but just that year I had started my first yoga training and then I thought it was an opportunity to change my life trajectory. The journey has been intense many times, but very rewarding on many other occasions on a personal level and, above all, enriching: finding meaning in life to what you do, I think it is a gift. Sometimes there are no coincidences but causalities, and there I am in continuous learning of myself, of the practice, of teachers of different styles of yoga with whom I continue to learn and, above all, of each of the people with whom I share this wonderful path be it in my classes or retreats, which are my great teachers.
Once the interview is over, personally, and on behalf of the entire team Madres Hoy, Rosa, thank you so much for giving us your time, your words, for so much love in what you do!