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In a softly lit room, the soothing voice of Susan Green leads each student into a deeper awareness of herself and her child through the practice of yoga.

The women breathe, they relax, they stretch -- and in the process, each mother or mother-to-be learns about the connection between body, mind and spirit.

Green's first prenatal and postpartum yoga class, held April 21 at Mountain Yoga Healing in Maryville, was a success, according to the six participants.

Janet Jamerson, mother of 61âÑ2-week-old Hudson, said she took the class to do something different.

"I thought this would be a great way to start moving my body again," Jamerson said. "It's amazing how much you lose over a short period of time. More people need to take advantage of this. I didn't do any prenatal yoga but I wish I had."

Lois Gregory, mother of 21âÑ2-week-old Lawson, agreed.

"It's just such a great sense of calmness," she said. "You know, everything is so chaotic, but Susan is so soothing and peaceful."

Christy Lewis attended along with her 61âÑ2-week-old son, Brody. "It was great to be able to get out," she said. "You don't realize how you get into being cooped up. Susan's voice is so soothing, and the exercises made my body feel good."

Benefits for moms

Green has studied yoga with Donna Marie Vigilante, owner of Mountain Yoga Healing, for five years although she began practicing yoga in the 1970s.

"I just love it," Green said. She saw an opportunity to share the benefits of yoga with prenatal and postnatal moms and will offer classes Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings at Mountain Yoga Healing.

Each class will have five components, including theme, discussion, stretches, poses and relaxation. All the stretches and poses (asanas) will be gentle and are designed to bring peace to the student's mind, body and spirit, and help her develop a clear sense of self-awareness. Green explained that practicing yoga during and after pregnancy can help a women become aware of her mind/body connection and its effect on her well-being and that of her baby.

Initially, the main focus of the prenatal aspect of the class will be to address some of the physical discomforts the expectant mom experiences during pregnancy and the postpartum period and help her find ways to cope with or alleviate them. Prenatal instruction involves slow and gentle stretches than can tone muscles without straining them, promote healthy blood flow, combat fatigue and stabilize emotions. Yoga can boost energy, encourage relaxation and restful sleep and bring calm into a stressful day.

Postpartum yoga will delve more deeply into the prenatal poses and concentrate on strengthening the abs and other areas of the body that relaxed during pregnancy.

Green explained that yoga can provide several benefits for expectant and new moms. Yogic relaxation techniques can alleviate fatigue before it becomes incapacitating, and yoga can help in the cultivation of a balanced mental state and can help promote physical, psychological and emotional balance as women transition through the demands of pregnancy and motherhood. In addition, yogic stretches and exercises, as well as breathing techniques and attention to focusing the mind, can help with pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum.

From law school to yoga

Donna Marie Vigilante graduated law school in December 2004 before she realized that yoga -- her hobby and her passion -- was really what she wanted to do.

"I leased a studio and it went over really well, so I decided to make a commitment to the area," she said. "I bought the land and the building and I redid it and I basically put my heart and soul into helping students on their journey to their physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing."

The business is called Mountain Yoga Healing because of Vigilante's past experiences of being stressed out, seriously overweight and over-driven.

"Yoga really worked within my life," she said. "It helped me calm down, it helped me refocus, it helped me lose weight, and it physically helped me get myself balanced. It helps you come within yourself and helps you find balance within yourself without turning to drugs, alcohol, sleeping pills, antidepressants.

"For pregnant women, this is enormous for them to help them calm down. ... If they start out more balanced, they have a better chance in delivery and the first year of life to have a much better experience."