our story

Pommama was set up in 2017 by Maria Kondrashova, who had spent ten years running an event management company, a business which took her all over the world. Maria practiced yoga as an antidote to her busy transatlantic career, but became seriously hooked on its mind and body benefits when decided to have a baby.

"Yoga grew on me, but I realized its true value when became pregnant with my daughter Ava in 2014," she explains. "It wasn't easy but yoga helped me to stay focused both in mind and body, to embrace and enjoy this life changing process and to let my stresses go."

"I did find it frustrating, though, that good pregnancy yoga classes were so hard to find and the offering limited to me as a woman who worked full-time (so many studio classes are scheduled during the day). Many of the classes I did find (to be frank) a bit boring, seemingly based on the assumption that pregnant women couldn't or didn't want to move a great deal. I was looking for a good workout for mind and body and in my experience, one class didn't fit all. Travelling to a studio wasn't always easy either. I looked for teachers to come to my home, but found the quality hugely variable."

"I was lucky enough to book myself a few private sessions with international yoga guru Mercedes Sieff and for me her approach to teaching pregnant women stood head and shoulders above everything else."

"I was so grateful to yoga for leading me through this time in a way that allowed me to remain calm and balanced. Yoga played a big part in my positive experience of birth and helped me meet motherhood with joy and open mind. I wanted to share the experience and help other women to go through pregnancy strong, calm and happy in body and mind. I also wanted to share what I'd learned through Mercedes' teaching with as many women as possible."

"I could also see that there was a gap in the market for pregnancy yoga that was high-quality, consistent, tailored to how pregnant you were and delivered where you want it, when you want it."

"I was thrilled when Mercedes agreed to share her bespoke pregnancy programme with Pommama. Now, via our network of teachers every woman can have access to this high-quality antenatal practice, without having to search, schlep or even leave home."

This is how Pommama was born.