When the glow of childbirth wears off, what you will start wondering is just how much damage has been done. Not as much as you think, but getting yourself back to where you were will take some time, and you will have to take it slow and easy. Fitness yoga is a great way to get back into the swing of things, and can adjusted for each individual to be as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. As a bonus, once you get some muscle tone back you can take on more challenging positions that will really get you into shape.

Most communities offer some kind of fitness yoga, and may even offer yoga for new moms. Classes even allow you to bring your little one so you don’t have to find a sitter or leave your baby at home. Beginner classes focus on reintroducing the body to exercise through gentle stretching and strengthening positions. As you become stronger and more limber you will find that you can go deeper into poses and hold them for longer, getting more benefits out of the class.

There are many different types of yoga, and starting with a beginner class will open up a whole new world of exercise for you. You can go for more meditative classes that focus on breath and connection to the world. Or you can get your heart rate up with some flow yoga which will keep you moving from pose to pose, or really challenge yourself with Bikram Yoga, which is performed in a 105F room and gets you sweating.

Fitness yoga will not only get you strong and toned, the positions will relax you and help you cope with stress. Cardio-based yogas will get the blood flowing to joints and muscles which will also release endorphins, the body’s natural happy drug.

To succeed with fitness yoga you need to stick with it. Try to go twice a week if possible, you will see results quicker this way and you will find that your body is more responsive when there isn’t a huge lag time in between sessions.