Yoga techniques to help new mothers recover from pregnancy

As a yoga instructor for more than 20 years, Wendy Wyvill had a balanced posture and a strong, supple body free from aches and pains.

Then, 21 months ago, she celebrated the birth of her son. She soon started feeling a strain in her right wrist and back, and developed rounded shoulders, and hints of sciatica - numbness that starts in the lower back and travels down the legs.

Wyvill was suffering from what's known as "new mum's syndrome": injuries and bad posture arising from caring for a baby. Various movements such as carrying, feeding and lifting your baby can cause serious distress to the body if not performed correctly, even for someone as fit as Wyvill.

Age and a past life as a pro snowboarder played their parts in the pain, admits the 43-year-old Canadian. But motherhood was the main cause.

Breastfeeding was a challenge, because her baby had acid reflux. "So once the baby latched on, I didn't want to move," says Wyvill, who's been teaching at Pure Yoga for 8½ years. "I'd end up in crazy positions just to feed him."

Being right-handed, she also favoured feeding the baby from the left breast, cradling her son with her right wrist. Over time, she says, she started to develop more issues with her wrist.

Pregnancy caused her abdominal muscles to separate slightly, a condition known as diastasis. Weak abs, constant bending, lifting and moving, and carrying the baby over one hip, caused Wyvill some back pain.