It can also help participants re-discover pre-pregnancy body awareness by focusing on balance, posture and breath to facilitate movement. Furthermore, stimulating circulation will promote the reduction of excess water weight retained after delivery. Working with Pilates apparatus such as the Reformer is particularly effective post-partum, as the machines are assistive in their weight resistance and thus facilitate toning the abdominals, pelvic floor, thighs and buttocks.

Even without equipment however, new mums can effectively tone following a specially-designed post-natal mat Pilates workout. Following are key exercises to jump-start your post natal workout.

Exercises for Initial Recovery from Childbirth - Abdominals

A. Breath Work: lie on mat with knees bent, feet in alignment with sitz bones; make sure you are in neutral spine, i.e. natural curve in lumbar spine, hip flexors soft.

1) Concentrate on breathing W-I-D-E into the ribcage so ribs open out to the side (not puff up to the ceiling) on the inhale. Feel the ribs expand into the floor below you as you inhale. On the exhale, try to funnel your ribs down towards the navel without causing undue stress to rise in the throat or neck and without shifting the pelvis. It may be helpful to place hands on ribs to facilitate this action and/or to place a small towel in the lumbar curve to maintain neutral spine during the exercise. Notice the shoulders melting away from the ears as you engage the ribcage. This lateral breath is used throughout all Pilates exercises.

This exercise can also be done in a kneeling position (sitz bones on heels) with a thin towel or belt around the ribs. Facilitate the “funneling” action in the ribs by gently tightening the towel on the exhale, a bit like a corset. This will help activate the correct muscles.

2) Now focus on the lower abdominals, specifically the pelvic floor and the TA (tranversus abdominus). In addition to funneling the ribs on the exhale, now try to use that deep breath to pull the lower abs flat and wide across the hip bones. Think of smiling across your low waist, or of pulling a seatbelt low across your lap. Don’t suck your navel in! It may be helpful to place fingers just inside the hip bones and try to feel the toning or tightening of the TA as you exhale. Be patient – this muscle can take a while to find. Some people find the TA more easily if they start by activating the pelvic floor muscles; it can be helpful to have a small flexible ball or sponge to squeeze between the knees. Be careful not to pull the pelvis into posterior pelvic tilt (thus imprinting the spine on the mat) as you do this exercise.

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