Yoga studio centered on women’s health opens in Evansville
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A yoga studio focused on women’s health is now open for business on Evansville’s west side.
Kaelyn Macke runs Awakened Goddess Yoga at 1409 N. First Ave. She began offering pregnancy, postpartum and pelvic health classes at her studio in January.
“Part of my goal is a community for women. Because motherhood, postpartum … that’s very isolating in general. So just bringing people together who are in the same season of life,” Macke said.
Macke has been a nurse for 12 years and works as a postpartum nurse at Deaconess Women’s Hospital in Newburgh. She became a yoga instructor in 2018 after completing Evansville Yoga University at Evansville Power Yoga. In addition, Macke has a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Southern Indiana. The idea for the studio came from combining her passions: women’s health, yoga and education.
“My goal would be for this [studio] to be successful enough that I could step away from the bedside for a little bit, but then always have that as a backup if needed,” she said.
The mother of one also faced health challenges during her pregnancy and postpartum period.
“At the end of my pregnancy, I had some pretty significant pelvic issues. Then when I had my baby, I had some serious pelvic issues. I was in a wheelchair for about 12 weeks,” said Macke. “I feel like that [experience] gives me a unique perspective as a teacher for students who may be experiencing the same thing.”
Pelvic health yoga
Macke said yoga can help women strengthen and stabilize their pelvic floors, increase blood flow to vital abdominal organs and prevent or reverse pelvic organ prolapse. It can also help improve sexual health and avoid or reverse lower back pain.
Lisa Kiesel, a pelvic health physical therapist at ProRehab North in Evansville, said yoga’s focus on breathing can help control urinary leakage, a condition she sees in many patients.
“A lot of times, people hold their breath. Like if they go to sneeze or cough or lift something really heavy. Then that pushes everything down on the pelvic floor muscles and squeezes the bladder,” said Kiesel. “Yoga teaches you to coordinate that breathing with movement so you don’t hold your breath, so you are able to exhale as you do something hard.”
Amanda Phelps-Jones is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Life in Motion Family Wellness Center in Evansville. She said having a strong, healthy pelvic floor going into pregnancy leads to better postpartum outcomes.
“There’s more to life than just a Kegel exercise, which I think is what people equate pelvic medicine to. And 50% of the population doesn’t even know what a Kegel exercise is, nor how to do one. So if you don’t properly know how to use your pelvic floor, it’ll work against you in the long run,” said Phelps-Jones.
Pregnancy yoga
While women can still do traditional yoga during pregnancy, Macke said, they must make modifications as they progress through trimesters to ensure safety. That’s why Andrea Tanaka, one of Macke’s students, said Awakened Goddess Yoga is unique.
“When I saw that Kaelyn was offering classes specifically tailored for pregnancy, I thought, that is just perfect because it allows me to keep up my yoga practice … I know that I’ll be able to do everything that’s offered during the class,” said Tanaka. “Your center of gravity, your balance, your flexibility changes when you’re pregnant.”
Macke said safely practicing challenging yoga poses during pregnancy helps women mentally and physically prepare for labor.
“When you’re having contractions, they don’t stop just because you want them to … we need to prepare our bodies to be uncomfortable and to stay in it,” she said. “There’s also just toning specific muscle groups to help prepare you for birth to recover faster postpartum.”
Kiesel said yoga breathing techniques especially benefit pregnant women.
“As the baby grows, it pushes into your diaphragm, and it prevents you from breathing properly. Yoga is an amazing way to ensure that you breathe properly … you can move better and use your core muscles better.”
Phelps-Jones advises pregnant women to talk to their obstetricians before starting a yoga practice.
Postpartum yoga
According to Macke, yoga can increase women’s muscle strength and mobility during the postpartum period.
“The weight of your baby through that whole third trimester is affecting your pelvic floor greatly. Regardless of how you delivered your baby, pelvic floor strengthening is important,” she said.
Yoga can also help repair diastasis recti (abdominal separation), a common condition during pregnancy.
“Because you’re growing a big baby, your abdomen is stretching significantly … and we can modify our classes safely to help improve that, decrease the separation.”
Macke said postpartum yoga promotes relaxation and self-care, increases energy, prevents or decreases anxiety and depression and helps women regain body confidence.
“After we have babies, things change. And some people don’t necessarily talk about it a whole lot, but if you have somebody next to you that’s having the same issue, then you get to talking, and it’s a bonding thing and support system that’s built into it,” said Kiesel.
Tanaka said the experience of yoga helps women feel like their previous physical selves after pregnancy.
“Boosting your mood afterward, getting you out of the house, maybe seeing some people, or at least getting outside doing something that you enjoy,” she said. “[Yoga] has a lot of physical and mental healing benefits to it.”
Classes and future services
Macke welcomes women 13+ weeks pregnant for pregnancy yoga and women 6-8 weeks postpartum for postpartum yoga. She also has general pelvic health yoga classes. Weekly schedules are posted on Facebook and Instagram. Classes are $25; spots can be booked by texting or calling (502) 445-1201.
“I’m excited to be able to send my patients to [the yoga studio]. I always have patients asking me for recommendations,” said Kiesel. “To be able to send somebody there to reinforce what I’m teaching my patients already is awesome.”
No yoga experience is required to attend Awakened Goddess Yoga classes.
“I would encourage anybody who’s curious about pelvic health or prenatal or postpartum yoga to go to several classes. I would give it a couple of chances and see what you think,” Tanaka said. “You don’t have to be super into fitness. You don’t already have to be physically fit. It really is an activity that anybody at any age or fitness level can get into and do.”
Macke is also kicking around ideas for additional services at the studio, including virtual classes, daycare options, fertility yoga and educational sessions.
“Having a workshop option where it can be two hours of me explaining your pelvic floor and what’s happening in there, and then having a little yoga class where we get to experiment with that,” Macke said. “Yoga instructors around the Tri-State could come to those workshops and—if they have a pregnant student in their class—feel a little more confident in teaching them safely.”