WellSpring is dedicated to providing individualized health care services and unique educational programs to inspire girls and women to take ownership of their health and wellness, celebrate their journey through all phases of womanhood, and develop skills that optimize physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
We believe that:
All women deserve quality health care and a community that supports a vibrant life. All phases of womanhood, menarche through menopause, are celebrated and honored.Holistic women’s care and programs address the interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit and promote optimal health and wellness.
Supportive care of the family during preconception and the childbearing year results in a healthier family and community.
Educational programs meet the needs of a variety of learning styles including hands-on experience, artistic endeavors, audio and visual programs, and discussion groups.
For more info: Sheehan -rosens@montana.com
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We have been in this magic country for a week now, and each day brings a new adventure! After receiving VIP treatment on arrival (Sharmin’s brother has been elected a Senator as well as appointed Home Minister which is the highest office under the Prime Minister. We “rested” for 2 days—I put ‘rest’ in quotes since Judy and I spent many hours editing the “HIGH IDEAL FAMILY TRAINING GUIDE” which is a 70 page document that only outlines the prenatal education philosophy, including preparation before birth, conception, in utero, birth and delivery from a physical, emotional, psychological, mental and spiritual point of view, plus all the scientific references and data! And this Guide is only an introduction—just the ‘tip of the iceberg’—there is so much more material and information to process! We also feel that part of the Developmental Strategy for the participants who want to continue this work is to write their own Family Training Guide as it relates to their culture and country.
Our Training is ‘interactive’ and includes lectures, films, interviews, music, art, theatre, yoga, meditation, visualization, therapeutic touch, prayer& much MORE!!! Plus a great deal of sharing by the participants and ourselves. We also have invited guests who speak and participate such as members of the medical community, midwives from the villages, UN NGO members, artists & musicians, educators, etc…
The reason that Alexandre, Judy ,and I are here to facilitate this first Training is by the invitation and huge generosity of the members of the Ahmad Family, their visit to IDEAL (www.idealsociety.org) and, in particular, Sharmin and Taj, the daughter and grandson of the First Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmad. Two years ago, Taj, decided to return to Bangladesh, after living his first 22 yrs in Maryland. He began his graduate studies in Law. As a lover & teacher of Martial Arts, he also practiced in a well-known park in Dhaka. Many other students joined him for this discipline as well as for discussions concerning world affairs, politics, and social affairs globally and in Bangladesh. With Taj’s innate leadership qualities and articulation of past and present history, the students and Board of Directors (which includes Sharmin and myself) formed a ‘transformational movement’ called “Jaagoron” which means “Awakening”, and wrote a Constitution so we can legally register as an NGO (non-profit).
Here is the mission statement of Jaagoron:
“Jaagoron” is a transformational movement, brought together by a sisterhood and brotherhood of free thinkers, aligned with Nature and the Heart, with the aim of awakening our individual consciousness in order to promote an environment of peace and harmony for all.
(“The phrase “civil society” in the preamble has been replaced by “transformational movement”. When thinking of transformation on an individual level, I invite you to picture a caterpillar morphing into a beautiful butterfly. It is when an innate purity manifests itself both inwardly and outwardly, shedding off the old exterior. We allow our inner beauty to take flight. The word “movement” here is preferred to the word “organization”. For while we are indeed an organization in a more formal sense, I believe the word “movement” connotes a flexibility and energy not as inherent in “organization”. – as explained by Taj)
Ignorance and complacence are at the roots of society’s greatest ills. An aware, informed, and enlightened populace is less likely to fall prey to such ills. “Jaagoron” aims to arouse awareness by appealing to the conscience of society, thereby inspiring and mobilizing people to do good works and uplift society as a whole.
The first aim of Jaagoron is: a) Provide Prenatal Education to the community and to enhance the possibility of birthing healthy children who will be the future of our society.
Some of the other aims are:
b) Provide/Ensure cultural, intellectual, social, physical, spiritual and charitable welfare especially to the needy, abused, neglected and orphaned children of Bangladesh regardless of their gender, age, religion, race or ethnic background.
c) Provide welfare and support to adults, especially the needy, abused, and neglected mothers and seniors of Bangladesh.
d) Promote goodwill, understanding, dialogue and cultural exchange among individuals, groups, organizations or institutes in Bangladesh and across nations.
Here are the objectives:
a) Establish Prenatal Education Centers
b) Provide Health Care Services.
c) Provide forums for expressing the common concerns of the community especially with respect to women, children and elderly, and ensure that there is a forum to instill among the children and youth of the community universal, moral, ethical, and cultural values that promote integrity, respect, compassion, tolerance, fairness and justice, irrespective of gender, class, race, religion, ethnicity or nationality.
(e) Provide scholarships for education and also extension of any kind of help in the field of learning for the disadvantaged children and youth in Bangladesh.
(f.) Serve as a vehicle for the exchange of information and views on matters of interest to different communities.
(g) Invite distinguished speakers to speak, and share their ideas on topics of interest and relevance to the society and establishing a forum for honoring any distinguished person, organization, or institution that contributes substantially to the cause of the Bangladeshi people and/or culture.
(h) Promote and facilitate activities and events to raise awareness of the various socio-cultural problems in Bangladesh and to engage in creative problem solving, and peace building; also facilitate the activities of any other groups that are in harmony with Jaagoron’s vision, aims and objectives and provided that such groups or organizations are non-political organizations duly organized under any country law.
i) Facilitate information exchange on, and between, communities abroad and in Bangladesh to promote community and human development.
Part 2—“A Journey of the Heart in Bangladesh”
Our Training began on the 6th and 7th of February, Friday and Saturday, which is considered the ‘weekend’ in this country. Originally we were told that there would be 20 attendees. However, there were over 100 who wanted to participate so we doubled the attendees to 40 +! Most of the group are from the universities in Dhaka, the capital, yet there are a few professors and NGO participants as well. The ‘magic’ of all is that many people that we come in contact are so magnetized by this project that they decide to come without an invitation, such as a couple of bankers, teachers from the more rural areas, and artists!
The “High Ideal Family Guide” is divided into a number of sections, such as an Introduction which consists of our premise of ‘Humanity as One Family’ and the definition of Prenatal Education, its applications and benefits for the couple, family, society and a global educational approach. One of the more important aspects of this Guide is the following:
It is a generally accepted idea that the genetic inheritances of the parents determine a myriad of health-factors in their child without their involvement beyond contributing that genetic material. However, recent research shows that parents do have an influence on the genetic choice the child makes in utero. Geneticist Bruce Lipton (2001) says:
“The activation of the programs of the genes is controlled by the atmosphere of the environment. More precisely by the perception the organism has of this atmosphere… Maternal emotions (such) as anxiety or anger, or, on the contrary love and hope influence bio-chemically the selection and the rewriting of the genetic code of the child in utero with very profound evolutionary consequences on future generations. Parents-to-be are real ‘genetic engineers’. It is urgent for them to be informed.”
The first full day of training was phenomenal! The students are some of the brightest I have ever encountered. They are eager and interested. The only issue is getting them to open up a little more, especially the women. It is not part of their culture to do so
However, I could see and hear that everyone was amazed and asked many questions about this new paradigm that we are creating in their beautiful country! We were inspired by their enthusiasm and passion for knowledge. We had an ‘awareness writing’ exercise called Proprioceptive Writing that Judy led– I have never heard so much gorgeous poetry shared by both men and women!
One of the teachers was a mother & she shared her birth experience with us; afterwards, we discussed this experience with our feelings as our ‘barometers’…Many of us began processing our own birth experiences and relations with our parents and other family members—quite a transforming experience as well as sharing our ‘discoveries’ with each other.
I had lots of fun telling stories with respect to the “Preparation before Birth/Education begins Before Birth” which was the next section of our Guide. I also taught some simple Anusara Yoga postures to enliven the group and open our hearts within and towards one another.
By the second day of Training, the group was really a Family and we had created a very sacred space!
Taj emphasized many points that Sharmin and Alexandre had discussed: the importance of nurturing and the mental/psychological power that we all have to change ourselves and to be an ‘example’ without lectures and judgements!
At the end of the 2nd day, the students had an exercise drawing their family/ancestral tree. It was quite surprising the intensity of some of this sharing, yet the trust and responsibility we felt towards each other was overwhelming.
MORE to COME!!! (check out: www.yogaontheroad.com)
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I have been teaching Tamara for approximately two years now, and she had her baby the last week in March (2008). We stopped our sessions about a week and a half before she gave birth, and resumed six weeks later.
Her breast milk supply lessoned immediately after our sessions for approximately thirty- six hours. For example, if we worked together Saturday morning, the supply would lesson until Sunday evening. She’d begun to doing what are called “baby buggy” workouts in the park for new mothers a couple of weeks ago (four months after giving birth), and I asked her if she noticed any changes in breast milk supply due to that and she confirmed she had not. She said the change only occurred as a result of our yoga sessions.
I had followed the general sequence Geeta (Iyengar) gives in “Gem For Women” for the second month following natural delivery, as Tamara had no complications and a vaginal birth. We had just begun the practice of more standing poses and supported shoulder stand, as Geeta proposes that after the third month practice of all standing poses may be resumed if all is going well. To my eye, Tamara’s efforts during our sessions did not seem overly exhaustive or fatiguing but appropriate in the course of building strength after delivery.
I welcome any thoughts you have as to how to proceed, and anything you think may be helpful as far as sequencing or similar cases.
A
Before I answer your question on breast milk and asana, I would first like to offer a few very general guidelines for the postpartum yoga student. After delivery, the practice of yoga should be built up gradually. Women need rest in the weeks following childbirth because the reproductive organs and the endocrine system are in the process of returning to their approximate pre-pregnancy condition. Too much activity may not cause an immediate problem, but later on, they could suffer from body pain, bulky uterus and loose organs.
Four weeks after a regular, vaginal delivery, the new mother can start practicing a few simple restorative asanas. Then, depending on the limits of her capability, experience and strength, she can add a few more in the fifth week and a few more in the sixth week. Think of slowly toning and building your self up. Start some (gentle and careful) toning work during the second month after delivery.
By the third month you will have regained your original shape and strength of your organs and post-natal fatigue will be gone. You can now begin to incorporate a more varied practice. The length of time required for the body to recover is shorter for mothers who nurse.
BREAST FEEDING AND YOGA
The production of milk is an endocrine function – it is not just mechanical. Therefore, it is important to think in terms of the way the asana and pranayama practice affect the glandular system.
An adequate diet and good digestion, sufficient rest, and a relaxed body and mind are not only good for you, but also for your baby. If you are agitated and annoyed, you can’t provide high quality, nourishing milk. Other factors that can affect your milk include gas-forming food and conditions such as constipation, cold, cough, and fever.
For low quantity breast milk, practice these poses and pranayamas:
Adhomukha Virasana
Adho mukha Svanasana
Salamba Sirsasana.
Adhomukha Virasana
Salamba Sarvangasana.
15 minute Savasana
Still in Savasana: Ujjayi pranayama 1 (slow, soft deep inhalation, natural pause for a second or two, slow, soft deep exhalation).
Ujjayi pranayama 2 (slow soft deep inhalation, pause for three to five seconds, slow soft deep exhalation, natural pause for one second).
NOTE: After each Ujjayi cycle, take some recovery breaths to allow the diaphragm to recover.
15 minute Savasana
In Savasana, the organs are in a restful state. This allows the diaphragm and lungs to expand fully and increases your oxygen intake when you breathe deeply.
Do not practice strenuous asanas if your breasts are congested. To avoid congestion and hardness of the breasts, practice asanas that open your chest such as:
Supported Salamba Sarvangasana.
Setu Banda Sarvangasana
Viparita Karani
For better quality milk:
Savasana and Supta Baddha Konasana (a crosswise bolster is preferable, otherwise, turn it lengthwise), and Savasana plus pranayama, ensure more oxygen and a better quality of milk.
When the breasts are full:
Savasana and Ujjayi pranayama 1 (see above) are the only asanas you can practice when your breasts are full. In fact they are especially beneficial then as they increase the oxygen that you need for your milk.
All of the above asanas also increase lactation and purify your breast milk.
A
The post partum phase (the year following delivery) brings its own particular problems, and vulnerabilities for the new mother. Reduced calcium levels can cause the joints to be tender and unstable. Breastfeeding can be tiring if it is not supported by a calm and stable life style and even if the new mother is not breast feeding, she is still likely to be short of sleep. She may be balancing a job with the responsibilities of the new baby. Combine all of these with post partum hormone changes, and you have a recipe for fatigue and a fragile immune system.
Starting in the second trimester, the muscles relax to ease the pelvic bones and prepare for delivery. In some rare cases the pubic bone separates causing pain and in some cases, difficulty walking. Typically, the problem corrects itself after delivery, but it is important to be respectful of the postpartum phase and to work intelligently, not only to build up strength and stability slowly and safely, but also to facilitate the natural knitting together of the pubic bone. The post partum yoga student should not do anything that interferes with this process.
Allow one month to elapse following a normal delivery, and two months following cesarean delivery before beginning a post partum yoga practice. The first month of practice should consist of pranayama only. Breathing practices massage the uterus and allows it to recover, and the pubic symphysis to knit back to its original position.
Although I cannot go into an entire one year postpartum regimen in this column, here are some cautions. The yoga pose that the prenatal student gets very fond of during pregnancy is Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose).

Supta Baddha Konasana
It ‘opens’ the pelvis and helps create mobility around the hip joints. However, do not practice this pose (or any variation involving this pose, i.e., Supta Baddha Konasana) for at least six months following delivery as it interferes with the knitting together of the pelvic bone.
Even though it has been three years since your student had her baby, she should avoid all variations of Baddha Konasana, Uttitha Padangustasana II (leg to side) supta Padangustasana II (leg to side), or any poses that widen the hips, i.e., Parsvakonasana, Virabadrasana II, and Upavista Konasana.
Here is a sequence to broaden the sacrum and narrow the pubis:
Adho Mukha Virasana (Child’s Pose) with the knees and feet together.
Place 5 straps around the hips with the buckles done up alternately, left, right, left, right, left. Place a widthwise block (i.e., not lengthwise) between the legs, placed as high up toward the groin as possible.
Tadasana
Spread the soles of the feet and lift the knees and thigh muscles up.
Stand with the weight toward the heels and press the front plate of the heel to the floor. Roll the thighs in toward each other. Squeeze the block. Do not push the block forward.
Adho Mukha Svanasana, with feet as close together as possible.
Ardha Uttanasana, with the feet close together. Extended the arms to chair back or counter top.
If your student practices Salamba Sirsasana, she can work the same way as Tadasana. Place a strap around the upper thighs above and below the block to hold it secure.
Uttitha Trikonasana and Ardha Chandrasana Facing Wall (see The Woman’s Yoga Book).
Garudasana (see Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar)
Dandasana with a tall block placed the narrow way on the floor between the inner edges of the upright feet. Open the soles of the feet from the inner edges to the outer. Spread the toes. Draw the knees and thigh muscles up toward the hips and press the back of the knees to the floor.
Ghomukasana (see Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar).
Sarvangasana with block and straps (as for Salamba Sirsasana).
Ardha Halasana with block.
Viparita Karani.
Chair Savasana with legs supported on a chair (see The Woman’s Yoga Book)
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Bobby Clennell, B.K.S. Iyengar, Lindsey Clennell
Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute.
Puna, INDIA
Feb 2007
Increasing urbanization and the depletion of planetary resources is reflected in the diminished state of health of women, infants and children across the globe. Patriarchal energies — the impulse to build, control and colonize — have gone about as far as they can go. Without an equal and strong pull of matriarchal energies – the impulse to conserve and nourish life and maintain social harmony – life on this planet as we know it will disintegrate, if not fall apart completely.
Our solar system’s natural rhythms move continuously and cyclically. The earth rotates on its axis every twenty four hours giving us our circadian rhythms of day and night. At the same time, mother earth orbits the sun once every 365 days. Summer follows spring. Winter follows fall. The moon circles the earth every 29.5 days, affecting the tides, and giving us the changing patterns of the moon. On an individual level, the menstrual cycle connects us to the cycles of the moon and the cycles of nature. I believe that there is also a long term natural rhythm of alternating patriarchal and matriarchal dominance.
My book The Woman’s Yoga Book: Asana and Pranayama for All Phases of the Menstrual Cycle, empowers women to draw on the strength that comes from a yoga practice that is in tune with their own unique menstrual pattern. It offers a comprehensive program of asana (yoga poses) and pranayama (breathing exercises) designed to support menstrual health from menarche to menopause, along with nutritional and lifestyle information for those times off the yoga mat. It teaches women how to synchronize their yoga practice with menstruation (poses to restore), ovulation (poses to strengthen), pre menstruation (poses to stabilize) and post menstruation (poses to rebalance). This refined approach to yoga not only helps women avoid injury and fatigue. It also leads to vibrant good health, and menopause when it comes is smooth and problem free. The information presented in my book is also helpful for women wishing to conceive. When yoga is practiced regularly before pregnancy (as well as during pregnancy, although my book doesn’t cover pregnancy), fertility is enhanced.

Supta Swastikasana
If each of us align our activities, no matter how small they may seem, to female-centric ideals (recycle your garbage, cut down on your electricity, don’t wear fur, honor your menstrual cycle, breast feed your baby), we will be responding to the vibration of the new matriarchy.
Send your questions to me at info@bobbyclennell.com on these topics and I will answer them through this column:
* Yoga and migraine headaches * Yoga and bloating and breast tenderness * Yoga and insomnia * Yoga and cramps and low back pain * Yoga and heavy bleeding * Yoga and scanty periods * Yoga and absence of menstruation * Yoga and irregular cycles * Yoga and fibroids * Yoga and ovarian cysts * Yoga and fertility * Yoga and pregnancy * Yoga and the postpartum phase * Yoga and menopause * Yoga and post menopause |
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As I already mentioned, I am an Iyengar yoga teacher and I talk the language of my system and my teacher. So that we may better understand each other, familiarize yourself with my book, or Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar or Light on Life by B.K.S. Iyengar or Yoga a Gem for Women by Geeta S. Iyengar before formulating your question.
Regretfully, it will not be possible to reply personally to individuals.
The Woman’s Yoga Book: Asana and Pranayama for All Phases of the Menstrual Cycle, published in May 2007 by Rodmell Press, is available wherever books are sold. It can also be ordered on Amazon. Click www.rodmellpress.com, or call: 800 841 3123, or: 510 841 3123 for information on bulk sales.
Bobby Clennell. www.bobbyclennell.com. Email: info@bobbyclennell.com
Q
My menstrual period has phases within it. The first day or two I am achy and love the menstrual series. I don’t want to come to class because I’ll inevitably do something I regret and feel it later. After three days my energy comes back and I want to come back to class, but I’ll have light staining for possibly five more days and I wonder what I should be doing at this point. Since my menstrual cycle is shortish, I feel like I don’t get in enough inversions if I wait until my period is completely over.
| A The rule is, no inversions until the menstrual discharge has completely ceased! The process of elimination is only slowed down if you invert while the menstrual discharge is still flowing, no matter how lightly. Follow this faithfully, and you may find that eventually, your cycle lengthens. After the first three days of your cycle (during which time you practice the menstrual cycle), you can work on poses that mobilize the shoulders (6.6. Gomukhasana in Vajrasana, 6.7. Paschima Namaskarasana in Vajrasana) and hips (8.13. Supta Padangustasana II, Supta Baddha Konasana – try it flat on the floor, toes braced against the wall. 6.14. Padmasana and 8.5.Matsyasana. When there is no sign of menstrual residue, practice the post menstrual sequence in chapter 13 of my book. Email me! All drawings by Bobby Clennell. |
![]() Gomukhasana (arms only) |
Or does my story begin at that those lonely moments when the story telling evenings with my father abruptly ended as he was taken to prsion for many years. He was an eyesore for the military government for his tireless and non-violent struggle to establish democracy and socio-economic justice in the country. My mother carried his torch and went on. .My life then was filled with stories-real stories of people of a world I had not known before.
Or does my story become one of millions of defenseless people’s stories who had witnessed the horrors of a genocide at the hands Pakistan military government which claimed the lives of three million within the span of merely nine months. The struggle for peace and justice continued and so did my story.
I was twenty three years old when my son Ajit(formally known as Taj) was born. He was my first born and my first real live exciting experiment of a life time. I followed in the path of my grandparents and parents in many ways, though unconsciously. I turned the lunch and dinner times in to storytelling times ,when I would feed my child not only foods but stories. Fiction,science, finction,biography and the sort. Ajit would eat all not so liked greens and veggies without protest and his eyes wide open as he intently enjoyed his mother’s creative ramblings. At leisure,,I would be his horse and he would ride on me to go on his adventures in a faraway land.
At thirteen, he wrote an essay about Russian writer Tolstoy’s spiritual journey and mentioned some of his stories that I narrated to him at his meal times in his child hood. He wrote many essays, articles, ,and created science projects scoring A’s in all . He composed classical music that he embellished with radiant names.
Ajit went back to Bangladesh that he left with his parents at six months of age. He went to the country of his birth that he has barely known to learn the culture and serve the disadvantaged. It’s hard for a mother to seperate from a child who has grown to be her soul friend on many levels. Yet he must fly in this timeless existence in order for him to create a story of his own -and then to pass it on.
MORE to come….check out www.tajuddinahmad.com
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Nelson, B.C., Canada
Free admission
Organized by the Ideal Wellness Center
www.idealsociety.org - tel: 250 429 3350
10:00 Opening in song!
10:05 “How to release tension in the womb during pregnancy for the health of the child - An Osteopathic Approach” by François Amigues Osteopath, Director of the Institute of Creativity and Parenting in Montreal
10:35 Singing
10:40 “Developing Responsibility and Overcoming Guilt in the relationship Father-Mother- Child during and after pregnancy” by Lubka Amigues, Psychotherapist, Coach in NLP, Co-Director of the Institute of Creativity and Parenting in Montreal
11:10 Pause & Displays
11:25 Singing
11:30 “Creative Work with the Unborn Baby” by Maria-Christina Warmenbol, Childbirth Educator, Practitioner in Sophro-analysis
12:00 “Lunch time” in the area of Nelson - Displays
2:00 Singing
2:05 “How Children Inherit their Primary Health from their Ancestors” by Claudine Vauthey, Practitioner in Total Biology
2:45 Singing
2:50 “The Importance of the Family Soil before Conception” by Dr Natacha Kolesar, Philosopher and Director of the I.D.E.A.L. Society 3:45 Pause & Displays
4:00 Questions & Answers with the lecturers
This day is in the process of being recognized by the United-Nations
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