Embody & Embrace

Psychology and Yoga for Pregnancy

An 8-week online group for first-time mums-to-be who look like they’re coping on the outside…

but feel anxious, overwhelmed, or emotionally stretched underneath.

Next group starts: Wednesday 1st July, 6.30 - 8.30pm

Introductory price: £297

You might have expected pregnancy to feel different to this

More settled. More certain.

Instead, you find yourself thinking more, planning more, second-guessing more than you ever have before.

And no matter how much you prepare…
it doesn’t quite give you the feeling you’re looking for.

At times, you might even find yourself wondering…

what if the way I’m feeling means I’m not coping well enough for this?

If that feels familiar, you're not alone.

Perhaps you recognise yourself in some of these patterns...

You spend a lot of time thinking, researching, or preparing… but still don’t quite feel settled.
You look capable on the outside, while privately feeling overwhelmed underneath.
You keep telling yourself you “should be coping better”
You notice yourself swinging between over-functioning and emotional exhaustion.
You want more than reassurance or relaxation techniques.
You’re ready to understand yourself differently - not just manage symptoms.
You want to feel more connected to yourself as you move towards birth and motherhood.

A different way to move through pregnancy

Blending evidence-based psychology with embodied yoga practices, Embody & Embrace is an experiential, practical programme for first-time mothers-to-be that will help you:

> Feel less trapped in spirals of worry, overthinking, and self-pressure.

> Learn how to respond differently when anxiety, overwhelm, or uncertainty take over.

> Develop a steadier, more compassionate way of meeting the emotional demands of pregnancy

This is not just something you learn. It’s something you experience.

Each session combines psychological understanding with guided yoga practice.

So you don’t just talk about stress, anxiety, or uncertainty.

You feel what happens in your body
When tension rises
When thoughts become loud
When discomfort appears

And you learn - in real time - how to respond differently.

That’s what makes the change stick.

Not more information.
Not more reassurance.

But practising a different way of responding.

Imagine moving through pregnancy like this...

You feel more settled in your body, even when things are uncertain.

You notice worry rising, and instead of spiralling, you know how to respond.

You trust yourself to make decisions without endlessly second-guessing.

You can feel nervous and still feel capable.

You enter birth not perfectly calm, but confident in your ability to meet whatever happens.

And as you step into motherhood, you carry a stronger connection to yourself - one that supports you long after pregnancy ends.

Introducing

Embody & Embrace

Starts Wednesday 1st July, 6.30 to 8.30pm

8 weekly live online sessions

Small supportive group

Pregnancy yoga and psychology integration

Introductory price* : £297

Questions before joining? You're welcome to get in touch

(or email: [email protected])

*This first cohort is being offered at a reduced introductory rate of £297 in exchange for feedback and testimonials, where appropriate. Future cohorts will be offered at a higher price.

Why this approach works differently

Psychology

This isn’t about learning to think more positively or control your thoughts.

It’s about understanding what’s actually happening inside you in the moments where things start to feel overwhelming.

You’ll begin to notice:

> The moment your mind starts searching for certainty

> The urge to research, prepare, or “figure it out”

> The pull to push through… or to shut down completely.

And instead of getting caught in those patterns,

you’ll learn how to pause, step back, and respond differently.

Not by forcing yourself to feel calm,
but by changing your relationship with what’s happening inside you.

So that worry doesn’t spiral in the same way.

And uncertainty doesn’t feel like something you have to fix.

Yoga

Yoga here isn’t about switching off or trying to feel calm. It’s a way of experiencing what we’re working with in your body.

Through guided practice, you’ll begin to notice:

> How your body responds to challenge

> Where you tense, brace, or hold your breath

> What happens when discomfort shows up

And most importantly, you’ll practise staying with those experiences in a different way.

Softening, rather than bracing.

Breathing, rather than pushing through.

Staying present, rather than escaping.

This is where trust in your body begins to build.

Not because everything feels easy, but because you experience, again and again, that you can be with what arises… and still be okay.

Why the combination matters

Together, psychology and yoga help you do something many women never get the chance to learn:

to understand what’s happening inside you…
while also practising a different way of responding to it.

Not just intellectually.
But physically. Emotionally. In real time.

So the shifts you make don’t stay as ideas,
they become something you can actually feel and carry with you into birth and motherhood.

How the sessions work

Each weekly session is approximately two hours long and combines evidence-based psychological teaching with pregnancy yoga and embodied practice.

The sessions are intentionally designed this way because understanding stress and anxiety intellectually is often not enough on its own.

Many women already know, logically, that they “should” relax, stop overthinking, or be kinder to themselves, and yet still find themselves caught in cycles of tension, worry, pressure, or overwhelm.

That’s because these patterns are not just happening in the mind. They also live in the body and nervous system.

The first part of each session focuses on the psychological component of the work. We explore topics such as stress patterns, anxiety, self-criticism, emotional overwhelm, uncertainty, nervous system responses, and how to develop greater flexibility, steadiness, and self-trust during pregnancy.

There is also space for reflection and discussion, helping you connect the ideas to your own experience in a supportive, non-judgemental environment.

The second half of the session focuses on pregnancy yoga and embodied practice.

Alongside foundational pregnancy yoga practices, this part of the session helps you begin experiencing the work in your body - practising skills like noticing tension patterns, softening around difficult experiences, grounding yourself, staying present, and responding differently to stress and uncertainty.

The aim is not simply to learn concepts intellectually, but to develop a more embodied sense of safety, trust, and connection within yourself.

At the end of each session, there is time for reflection, questions, and choosing between-session practices to help you integrate the work into everyday life.

More than birth preparation

This is much more than birth preparation. It’s a practical, experiential way to change your relationship with stress, uncertainty and challenge in pregnancy - skills that you can then take with you into birth, early motherhood and beyond.

Pregnancy can bring excitement, hope, and deep connection.

But it can also bring uncertainty, pressure, self-doubt, and overwhelm.

And often, the harder you try to feel in control of the experience, the more trapped inside it you begin to feel.

Embody & Embrace is not about becoming perfectly calm or getting rid of difficult emotions.

It’s about learning how to stay connected to yourself when uncertainty, fear, or overwhelm arise.

So that instead of getting pulled into spirals of overthinking, pushing through, people-pleasing, or shutting down…

you can pause, notice what’s happening, and choose how you want to respond.

Whether that means:

Resting instead of overriding your body

Asking for support instead of carrying everything alone

Speaking up about what you need

or Putting down your phone and reconnecting with yourself for a moment

These are not just “pregnancy skills.”

They are the foundations of how you want to move through birth, motherhood, and life beyond them.

Hi, I'm Jill

I’m a clinical psychologist and pregnancy yoga teacher, and I’ve spent over 15 years supporting women through pregnancy and early motherhood.

I work with thoughtful, capable women who are used to handling things, and are surprised by how overwhelming pregnancy can feel.

Women who find themselves overthinking, second-guessing, and worrying they’re not coping “as well as they should”.

I’ve seen these patterns again and again in my work.

And I experienced them myself during my own pregnancy.

Trying to feel better by preparing more, researching more, staying on top of everything…

And realising, at some point, that it wasn’t actually bringing the sense of safety I was looking for.

That shift - from trying to control the experience to learning how to relate to it differently - is what this programme is built around.

My Professional Background & Expertise

I’m an HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist, researcher, and pregnancy yoga teacher specialising in perinatal mental health.

I've been in this field for a long time now, and have had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles supporting women through pregnancy and early motherhood, particularly during periods of stress, anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional transition.

My experience spans NHS perinatal mental health services, research settings, and private practice.

Alongside my clinical and research roles:

• I completed a PhD in Psychology at King’s College London focused on developing interventions for families during the perinatal period

• I have provided training and consultation to healthcare professionals working with pregnant and postnatal women

• I developed a self-help workbook for pregnant women experiencing depression that is now used within NHS services across the UK

• I have contributed to the development of perinatal mental health resources and guidance used within NHS settings

• I have published research papers and written professional book chapters related to perinatal mental health and psychological wellbeing in pregnancy

I’m also a member of the British Psychological Society, including the Perinatal Faculty.

These roles have given me a unique insight into what truly helps women to develop greater self-trust, flexibility, steadiness, and compassion in their transition into motherhood.

Over the years, I’ve worked with many women who appeared highly capable on the outside while privately carrying intense pressure, fear, self-criticism, and uncertainty.

Again and again, I saw that these women did not need more information, more pressure to “stay calm,” or another set of coping techniques to perform correctly.

They needed a way to understand what was happening in their minds and bodies with more compassion and clarity, and to develop the capacity to meet pregnancy, birth, and motherhood without constantly feeling that they were failing.

That understanding is at the heart of Embody and Embrace.

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Programme details

Embody and Embrace is a live 8-week online group programme combining psychology and pregnancy yoga in a supportive, reflective space for first-time mothers-to-be.

Starts: Wednesday 1st July 2026

Time: 6.30 to 8.30pm

Format: Live, online sessions (Zoom)

Group size: Small group experience with limited spaces to allow for depth, reflection, and individual support.

Investment: £297 introductory price*

Included:

8 weekly, live, group sessions

Guided yoga and psychological practices

Reflection materials between sessions

Recordings available for replay

You don’t need any previous experience with yoga or psychological work to take part.

The programme is designed to feel supportive, practical, and manageable alongside the realities of pregnancy and everyday life.

If you’re ready to stop trying to manage pregnancy perfectly, and begin meeting it with more steadiness, self-trust, and connection, I’d love to welcome you into the group.

Questions before joining? You're welcome to get in touch

(or email: [email protected])

*This first cohort is being offered at a reduced introductory rate of £297 in exchange for feedback and testimonials where appropriate. Future cohorts will be offered at a higher price.

FAQs

I've never practiced yoga before. Can I still join?

Yes, absolutely.

This programme is suitable for complete beginners, and everything is adapted for pregnancy. You do not need any previous experience with yoga, mindfulness, or psychological work to take part.

This is also very different to a typical studio yoga class. The focus is not on “getting poses right,” but on learning to notice and respond to your experience in a different way.

There may be moments that feel physically or emotionally challenging at times, and that’s intentional. Not to push you beyond your limits, but to gently help you practise staying present with discomfort, rather than automatically bracing against it or escaping it.

You’ll always be encouraged to work at your own pace, and different options will be offered throughout.

Is this therapy?

No.

Although the programme is psychologically informed and facilitated by a clinical psychologist, Embody and Embrace is not therapy, and joining the group does not create a therapeutic relationship between us.

The programme is educational, experiential, and skills-based. It is designed to help you develop new ways of relating to stress, uncertainty, emotions, and bodily experiences during pregnancy.

There is no individual therapy support within the group, and you remain responsible for your own wellbeing and healthcare throughout.

If at any point you feel you need more personalised or therapeutic support, I would encourage you to seek that separately and appropriately.

What stage of pregnancy is this suitable for?

The programme is suitable from 12 weeks of pregnancy onwards.

Ideally, you would begin before around 30 weeks, so that you have time to move through the sessions, practise the skills, and integrate the learning before your baby arrives.

If you’re unsure whether the timing is right for you, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

Is this the same as a pregnancy yoga class?

No, although it includes many elements of pregnancy yoga.

If what you’re mainly looking for is:

> a way to relax during pregnancy

> support with aches and pains

> or breathing and movement practices for labour

then a standard pregnancy yoga class may be exactly what you need.

Embody and Embrace includes those things too, but it goes much deeper.

The yoga here is used as a way to experience the psychological work in real time.

Rather than only talking about stress, overwhelm, uncertainty, or self-trust intellectually, you’ll begin to notice how those patterns actually show up in your body, and practise responding to them differently.

In that sense, the yoga becomes a kind of training ground for the transition into birth and motherhood.

Will I have to share personal things in the group?

No, there is never any pressure to share anything you don’t want to.

You are always welcome to participate at the level that feels comfortable for you, and the group will begin with a shared agreement around confidentiality and respect.

At the same time, this is an interactive group experience rather than a passive course. Part of the value comes from reflecting, practising, and learning alongside other women who may be experiencing similar challenges and transitions.

Many people find that gently allowing themselves to be seen - even in small ways - becomes an important part of the process.

What if I miss a session?

If you need to miss a session, a replay will be available.

That said, I strongly encourage attending live wherever possible. The sessions build on one another over time, and much of the value comes from the live practices, reflections, and shared group experience.

This isn’t designed to be something you simply watch back passively afterwards - the transformation comes through engaging with the process as it unfolds.

Of course, pregnancy and life are unpredictable, and if something comes up, you’ll still be able to catch up on the core content.

How much of the programme is psychology and how much is yoga?

Each session is roughly split into two parts.

The first half focuses on the psychological and educational component of the programme, including understanding stress and anxiety patterns, emotional wellbeing in pregnancy, nervous system responses, self-compassion, and practical psychological skills for navigating uncertainty and overwhelm.

The second half focuses on pregnancy yoga and embodied practice, where you’ll have the opportunity to integrate and experience many of these ideas physically and emotionally through movement, breath, grounding practices, and guided reflection.

The two parts are designed to work together - helping you not only understand the work intellectually, but begin to experience it in a more embodied and practical way too.