Honoring Transition Through Prenatal Yoga
by ashley stachon
Pregnancy is not just the growing of a baby. It is the growth of a mother. And yet, our culture often forgets to honor this transition. Instead, we highlight appointments, baby milestones, and to-do lists. We are encouraged to research, consume advice, and cross things off so that we are ready, rarely slowing down long enough to feel what is actually happening inside our bodies and our lives. The transition itself, the becoming, can quietly slip by unnoticed.
There is a word for this transition into motherhood: matrescence. Like adolescence, it is layered, emotional, and often misunderstood. It can hold excitement and grief at the same time. You may grieve your pre pregnancy body, your independence, or the version of yourself you are leaving behind. You may feel wonder at what your body is capable of, awe at the life growing inside you, and uncertainty about who you are becoming. Prenatal yoga classes at Metta Mama are intentionally designed to create space for this process. Nothing needs to be fixed or rushed. How you are feeling is not a distraction. It is all part of the journey.
Many women believe prenatal yoga is something to begin later in pregnancy, often around 20 weeks or beyond, when questions about what movement is safe start to arise. And that is a beautiful time to show up. But it is important to know that you are also welcome much earlier. The earlier you arrive, the more support you receive as your body, nervous system, and identity begin to shift. Prenatal yoga offers physical benefits such as strength, mobility, increased circulation, and relief from common discomforts. It supports mental and emotional well being through stress reduction, nervous system regulation, and increased trust in your body. It prepares you for labor through breath awareness, endurance, and learning how to soften instead of grip. Just as importantly, it offers community. A place to be witnessed, to learn alongside other mothers to be, and to remember that pregnancy is not meant to be navigated alone.
Prenatal yoga offers something different than simply staying active. It offers space. Space to slow down, to listen, and to begin building a relationship with your body as it shifts. Arriving in prenatal yoga is an invitation to become curious about how you meet yourself on the mat at this moment. Not because you need to prepare perfectly, but because your body and nervous system deserve support as you cross one of the most profound thresholds of your life. As your pregnancy progresses, through breath, movement, and awareness, you begin to cultivate trust. Trust in your body’s signals, in your ability to respond rather than react, and in your capacity to meet the unknown with presence instead of resistance.
Prenatal yoga is also a powerful way to prepare for labor. Not only does it support your body physically, it prepares your mental, emotional, and energetic bodies as well. As you build trust with your changing body, labor becomes something you can approach with curiosity, awareness, and a sense of participation rather than fear. Labor is not separate from your yoga practice. It is a continuation of it and a step in your motherhood journey. The more you learn about your body, the more you allow yourself to soften into sensation and breathe through intensity, the more prepared you become. Not just for birth, but for the many moments of surrender and strength that motherhood will ask of you. When the body feels safe, the nervous system can shift out of fight or flight and into a state that supports healing, connection, and productive labor. This is true during pregnancy, birth, and well beyond.
One of the most powerful aspects of prenatal yoga is the community it creates. Practicing alongside other pregnant women reminds you that you are not alone. Others are navigating changing bodies, shifting identities, and the unknown path ahead. In this shared space, stories are exchanged, silence is honored, laughter and tears coexist, and something deeply regulating happens in the nervous system. During transition, we are meant to be with our tribe so we can share, reflect, learn, and grow.
This feels especially meaningful as we move through the crossover from 2025 into 2026. Transitional moments invite reflection. They ask us to honor where we have been and gently acknowledge where we are going. Pregnancy mirrors this seasonal shift so clearly, yet our society often asks us to barrel forward, stay productive, stay connected, and keep consuming information without ever pausing to process what is unfolding.
I invite you to do something different. To stop. To pause. To honor the transition.
As we step into 2026, consider this an invitation to meet yourself on the mat. To slow down, to listen inward, and to be held in community as you navigate the unfolding journey of pregnancy and becoming a mother. You do not have to rush through it. You are welcome exactly as you are.
Ashley is our director of Metta Mama.
About Ashley:
Meet yourself on the mat where you are at this very moment. This philosophy deeply resonates with Ashley in both her personal practice and her teaching. In 2004, just out of college, she was initially drawn to yoga for the handstands and splits, coming from a background as a competitive gymnast. Over time, as she allowed the practice to truly sink in, she began to experience its deeper benefits and the profound influence it had on her life off the mat.
Ashley began teaching in 2012, but found her true calling when she became pregnant with her daughter in 2016 and started teaching prenatal and postnatal yoga. Through her own pregnancy and transition into motherhood, she witnessed firsthand how movement, breath, and mindfulness can support nervous system regulation, helping the body feel safe during times of immense physical and emotional change. This understanding now sits at the heart of her teaching.
Passionate about guiding women through the transformative process of pregnancy and becoming a parent, Ashley offers a strong, alignment based practice that invites mamas to connect more deeply with their bodies while also learning how to regulate their nervous systems through intentional somatic movements and breath. She empowers her students by teaching them about the changes that take place during pregnancy and after birth, helping them build trust in their bodies and resilience in their minds.
Now a mother of two, Ashley understands the importance of creating community and spaces where women feel supported, seen, and held. She is honored to cultivate that sense of connection as the Director of Metta Mama, guiding women not only in physical practice, but in learning how to care for their nervous systems as they navigate motherhood on and off the mat.
© 2026 Metta Yoga LLC