MARILENE Pfeiffer is a picture of health when she walks out from the yoga room to find her youngest child Matthew playing with his toys.

"I started when I was four months pregnant with Matthew. Now he's one-and-a-half, I'm still doing post-natal yoga!" says Pfeiffer, a mother of three. "I feel great. I wished that we had these (pregnancy yoga classes) in the States when I had my two girls."

And what's best, according to Pfeiffer, is that moms can workout with their babies in yoga classes.

"It's fun when mommy can exercise with their babies around. Sometimes when the kids see us doing it, they want to join us. It is like setting a good example for them," she adds.

Now, with yoga instructor Melissa Smith's new illustrated guide to pre- and post-natal yoga, not only can mothers include their babies in their workouts, they can exercise within the comfort of their homes too.

It started when Smith was asked to come up with a project for her yoga certification.

"I wanted to do something that I was passionate about: pre-natal and post-natal yoga," the 36-year-old explains.

"I didn't want to do a book, or an article; I wanted to do something that people have not seen before," says Smith enthusiastically.

While you can find a lot of books on pre- or post-natal yoga, Smith says that she has yet to see a poster of yoga exercises that moms could actually tack up on the wall and follow.

With the idea in mind, Smith worked with photographer Nikki Wilson and layout designer Joe England for three weeks to produce the poster ? Pregnancy Yoga, a Simple Illustrated Guide to Self Practice for Both Pre and Post Natal.

"It makes it easier for the mom, especially after the baby is born. You could open (the poster) up, and tack it up without having to flip through a book," notes Smith.

Designed to fold into a small notebook sized booklet, the poster features a set of simple yoga exercises for pre and post-natal yoga, complete with photos to show you how they are done.

For beginners, it is ideal to go for a yoga class to get a grasp of some of the foundations on various body postures, says Smith.

Yoga instructor Melissa Smith (in blue) guiding pregnant mothers in a yoga class.

However, for mothers who could not spare the time or could not go for classes, this is another option for them.

"I picked poses that are safer for mothers and easier for the general population to attempt," she says.

"I also incorporated the baby into some of the exercises so that moms could see that they can still do things with the little one running around."

While pre-natal yoga helps you adjust to the changes in the body, post-pregnancy yoga can help you get back into shape after delivery, notes Smith.

"When I first moved here (Malaysia), I was about six months pregnant with my second child," says Smith, who started to teach yoga for charity almost immediately after settling down in Kuala Lumpur.

"Since I was pregnant when I was teaching, I felt that I had a connection with my class."

"When you are pregnant and teaching other pregnant women, you know how they're feeling and what makes a good posture. And that really made a difference," she adds.

Practising yoga allowed me to stay more flexible, she says. "It really helps your body adapt to the changes that it's making."

However, Smith was quick to note that pregnant mothers should be careful when they try to do any exercise during their pregnancy.

"First of all, you need to get permission from your doctor. If you have pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, these are all things you need to think about before you can start an exercise programme," she cautions.

But if women decide to pick up yoga during their pregnancy, Smith advises mothers-to-be to go for classes that are specifically designed to cater for their needs.

"If you are going for a regular yoga class not designed for pregnancy, you can really do some injury or damage," she says.

There are a lot of modifications that are made during a pre-natal class, like not doing any posture on your back or on your stomach and avoiding twisting your body.

"You have to be very careful when you are pregnant, because there's no need to do something that could cause injury to yourself or your child."

For post-natal yoga, it is also important to get your doctor's blessings before you start, says Smith.

"If you had a normal delivery, you could start exercising as soon as four weeks after, but if you had a Caesarean, you might want to wait six to eight weeks before starting," she adds.

You can get a copy of 'Pregnancy Yoga, a Simple Illustrated Guide to Self Practice for Both Pre and Post Nata'l by Melissa Smith at The Fit For 2 Studio and Cafe in Bangsar. All proceeds will go to charity. For more information, you can call Fit For 2 at 03-2093 9088 or email them at enquiry@fitfor2.com.my.