Therapy Tools: Perinatal Yoga and Movement Practice

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders often require a multi-pronged treatment approach, including therapy, counseling, medication, and support groups. At Anchor Perinatal Wellness, participants in our Intensive Outpatient Program work with a blend of cognitive-behavioral and mind-body therapies, the latter including yoga and movement practices. A 2025 systematic review on the effects of mindfulness interventions on women's mental health in the perinatal period found that tools like yoga, “decreased women's fear of childbirth, depression, anxiety and stress levels and increased their psychological well-being, self-compassion and mindfulness levels” (Özer, D., & Dişsiz, M., 2025). At Anchor Perinatal Wellness, yoga and movement practices serve as adjunct therapies that enrich the mind-body connection for overall well-being. Virtual and in-person cohorts practice “mindful movement” on a rotating schedule, so each group participates every other week with the guidance of Jenna Horgan, LCSW, a registered yoga teacher with a perinatal yoga teacher certification from Whole Mama Yoga. Jenna gives us a deeper look into what this part of Anchor’s IOP looks like.

Session Overview

Jenna describes the mindful movement portion of Anchor's Intensive Outpatient Program as "practicing yoga without expectation." She emphasizes interoceptive awareness–noticing what’s happening inside your own body–and a mind-body reconnection. She starts each session with a check-in where participants are encouraged to notice their personal mind-body connection, stressing how that connection can vary based on the circumstances of any given moment. Jenna teaches clients that there is value in simply observing the mind-body connection. Clients also have the opportunity to share about physical challenges and discomforts during pregnancy and postpartum, and have space to validate each other, share resources, and (hopefully) feel less alone. Each session is an hour long, often incorporating yoga, mindfulness, and self-massage where clients are encouraged to notice with curiosity what feels comfortable. Depending on the IOP group Jenna is working with, participants meet either in-person or virtually.

Clinical Lens

Jenna incorporates Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) into sessions. MBSR, though originally developed for managing stress, has evolved to encompass the treatment of a variety of disorders including depression and anxiety. A 2023 literature review on mindfulness-based interventions for postpartum depression found that said interventions can improve the negative emotions associated with PMADs. The same study posited that mindfulness interventions work to lower cortisol levels in the blood, reduce adverse psychological symptoms and negative emotional responses, increase subjective well-being, and improve behavioral regulation (Yang et al., 2023).

Additionally, Jenna practices trauma-centered, trauma-sensitive yoga (TCTSY), which revolves around the concept of safety. TCTSY relies on five core elements: 1) Invitational language, 2) Choice Making, 3) Interoception, 4) Shared Authentic Experience, and 5) Non-coercion. Given the personal history that impacts each participant's mental health journey, all treatment is trauma-centered.

Themes and Values

"The opposite of trauma is choice," Jenna explains, so she intentionally creates a space for choice making by communicating to clients that everything offered during a session is optional or can be modified however the client needs. "If you think of birth trauma, for example," Jenna continues, "it’s something happening to you and your body where you don’t have total control or choice." Thus, to hold space for clients who have experienced trauma, Jenna offers numerous choices in a session. These choices are aimed at helping PMAD sufferers regain a sense of agency. Clients are encouraged to make choices about what's best for them in that moment.

It's common for traditional yoga classes to begin with meditation or a centering silence. Jenna notes, however, during her personal postpartum period, the silence needed for meditation was too difficult to handle. "It felt stressful to sit and be quiet," Jenna says. Therefore, in order to tailor mindful movement therapy to maternal mental health, Jenna intentionally avoids starting with silence. "We get right into gentle movement,"she says. For a vulnerable population like PMAD sufferers where people are potentially coping with anxiety and negative thoughts "stillness is hard," Jenna adds. Thus, clients "work up to the stillness," with a very brief Shavasana (a resting pose in yoga) at the end of a session, with, of course, a choice to not be completely still.

Another important value Jenna incorporates is the idea of "letting go," while understanding how challenging that might be for women suffering from PMADs. "I don’t use the word 'relax,'" Jenna says, "That’s a lot of pressure and sometimes that’s not possible. But, I ask the moms, 'Could you let go of 5% or even 2%?' And if they can do that, that's enough."

Final Thoughts

Jenna's main hope is that the yoga sessions empower clients to use mindful movement as part of their recovery process. While she understands birthing people may not have the time or space to incorporate a regular yoga routine into their lives, she views her contribution to Anchor's IOP as an additional tool clients can use to manage the symptoms of PMADs. "My hope is, through our sessions," Jenna explains, "that folks are able to take away a somatic tool or two that can help them on their journey."

Jenna Horgan is a licensed clinical social worker, specializing in pregnancy, postpartum, grief, and trauma with training in EMDR and TF-CBT. She is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT) and music therapist-board certified (MT-BC) who is committed to the daily work of anti-oppression and anti-racism. Jenna is LGBTQ+ affirming, and bilingual (Spanish and English). In addition to providing care through Anchor Perinatal Wellness, Jenna has a private practice and can be contacted via her website.

References

Özer, D., & Dişsiz, M. (2025). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Practices in the Perinatal and Postpartum Period on Women's Health: A Systematic Review. [Perinatal ve Postpartum Dönemde Uygulanan Mindfulness Müdahalelerinin Kadın Saǧlıǧına Etkileri: Sistematik Derleme] Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar, 17(1), 147-165. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1464521

Yang, M., Song, B., Jiang, Y., Lin, Y., & Liu, J. (2023). Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Iranian journal of public health, 52(12), 2496–2505. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i12.14311