Yoga in Motion: 100,000 Steps for Perinatal Mental Health

Yoga in Motion: How 100,000 Steps of Yoga Works

Thursday 11th Sep

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the annual Stepathon challenge at work—a friendly competition to see how many steps we can take in 30 days. What I’ve always appreciated is that it’s not just about walking: all kinds of physical activity can be translated into steps.

For this fundraiser, I wanted to bring together two things close to my heart: yoga and perinatal mental health. Yoga was a cornerstone of my recovery from postpartum depression and anxiety, giving me space to reconnect with myself and to heal. It’s also why I’m now working towards becoming a yoga teacher, with the dream of supporting pre- and postnatal parents as they navigate the transformative—and sometimes very challenging—season of early parenthood.

To make this challenge possible, I’ve researched step equivalents for different yoga practices, based on guides from other step challenges. Here’s how I’ll be counting:

💫 Vinyasa / Stronger Flow Yoga
~95 steps per minute → 60-min class ≈ 5,700 steps

🌙 Yin / Restorative Yoga
~20 steps per minute → 60-min class ≈ 1,200 steps

🌸 Slow Flow Yoga
~70 steps per minute → 60-min class ≈ 4,200 steps

🚶 Walking Meditation / Breath Work
~55 steps per minute → 15-min ≈ 825 steps

✨ My target: about 10,000 yoga steps per week, for 10 weeks = 100,000 steps total!

I’ll be practicing both in class and at home—not only to stay on track (toddler interruptions are inevitable!) but also to highlight how accessible yoga can be as a home practice.

Closing thought

Every pose, every breath, and every step of this challenge is dedicated to parents who may be struggling in silence. My hope is that through this fundraiser, we can create more awareness, provide more support, and remind every parent that they don’t have to walk this path alone. 💜

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