From left: District Governor 7020 Louis Wever, yoga instructor Niki Wozniak, Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle President Wayne Wilkie, Sasha Mall of Joga SXM and District Secretary Anjali Manek.
COLE BAY--Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle made a monetary donation to Joga SXM BV towards prenatal care and birth preparation classes. Thanks to the US $450 donation, five pregnant women can follow the classes.
Joga SXM BV is a yoga studio offering a variety of yoga classes, including prenatal and postnatal yoga.
Many women on the island are not knowledgeable about what is required to take good care of themselves during pregnancy, and during the immediate weeks following birth, yoga instructors Niki Wozniak and Sasha Mall have noted. “Without proper birth preparation, the expectant mother is left to completely rely on the medical system, which may prevent her from using her own ability to trust in the natural wisdom of her body.”
When women are not properly educated as to their rights regarding birthing procedures, this may result in complications, the instructors said. “Great stress may be caused to both mother and child.”
For some women, the immense transition of birthing a child causes distress for weeks or months after childbirth. “Birth trauma affects the mother psychologically, which in turn affects the development of the child. The experience of birth profoundly affects women, babies, fathers and families and has important and long-lasting effects on society,” the yoga instructors said.
Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle President Wayne Wilkie, District Governor 7020 Louis Wever and District Secretary Anjali Manek visited the yoga studio in Cole Bay to give Wozniak and Mall a sealed envelope. With the funds donated by Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle, Joga SXM BV is now able to assist a group of five expectant mothers. The representatives of Joga SXM BV expressed their gratitude for assisting the studio financially.
Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle wished Joga SXM BV much success. “We hope that they can continue their good work in the community for many more years to come.”
