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Melanie Hamilton Davies, MA (Ed) BA (Hons);
PGCE; Birthlight Diploma of Baby Yoga and Massage; Perinatal Yoga Diploma; Birthlight Tutor; National Childbirth Trust Antenatal Teacher. Melanie has had a varied career; before training as a Birthlight baby yoga and massage instructor, she taught for more than fifteen years in mainstream middle schools, specialising in English, Drama and Dance and taking responsibility for providing in-service training for colleagues. Prior to teaching, her jobs included a stint with social services, employment as a riding instructor and two years with The General Medical Council. Drawing on her Drama, Dance and Physical Theatre experiences, Melanie taught relaxation techniques to pupils in school long before she ever attended a yoga class. It was only later, when she began more formal training in yoga, that she realised how closely related these early practices had been. During her first pregnancy, Melanie became interested in the active birth approach to antenatal yoga and birthing techniques, attending classes in Cambridge. By the time Manon, her eldest daughter, was born in 1999, Melanie was regularly practising baby yoga and massage with the Birthlight group. During her second pregnancy, Melanie resumed antenatal yoga classes and began formal training to qualify as a Birthlight teacher for baby yoga and massage. In addition to this, she was accepted by the NCT to train as an antenatal teacher. Yoga for Babies and Children In January 2002, Melanie taught Newmarket’s first introductory course in Birthlight baby yoga. One happy homebirth later, March 2002 saw the arrival of a second daughter, Lowri, who ensured that all baby yoga and massage techniques have certainly been tried and tested before being passed on to clients. In October 2003, Toddler SMART classes were introduced as a continuation of baby yoga, to help children make the transition through to independent movement. As her own children have grown, and also those babies who came to the early classes, Melanie has continued to develop her yoga work to meet the needs of this new generation, and in Autumn 2005, she completed the Yogabugs teacher training course to work with children up to the age of 7, and also holds the Yoga’d Up teacher’s certificate for working with 8-12 year olds. Melanie now teaches a variety of children’s classes in schools and during holiday times. Yoga for Pregnancy and Birth Education In December 2003, Melanie trained directly with Dr Francoise Freedman, founder of Birthlight, to complete the foundation certificate in teaching perinatal yoga and birth preparation. Her full diploma was awarded in October 2004. This work is complimented by The National Childbirth Trust’s (NCT) antenatal education diploma, accredited by the University of Luton. She received her full NCT licence to practise in March 2005. Melanie has taught couple's courses for the NCT and is now teaching Birthlight couple’s workshops; one to one sessions for birth preparation, and women-only yoga for pregnancy and birth preparation sessions. Private sessions are available for couples who wish to focus on specific birth-related preparation such as breathing, relaxation, massage and the use of positions and movement to facilitate optimum labour and birth conditions. Melanie now tutors on Birthlight training courses for new instructors and continues to update and further her training regularly, whilst drawing upon her personal experiences as a mother to enhance all aspects of her yoga and antenatal teaching. |
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Please contact Melanie Hamilton Davies |
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