Prenatal (Pre-natal) means "before birth", i.e. "during pregnancy". Many women, especially if they are pregnant, are put off of by yoga because it involves the practitioner to contort their bodies to form different postures. They feel that getting into these postures might be harmful for their unborn babies and can even lead to abortions. Yoga is not a strenuous physical activity and it is extremely safe for women who are carrying babies. As a matter of fact, prenatal yoga is gaining popularity as it has many benefits, both physical and emotional and helps a mother prepare herself for childbirth.
Why You Should Practice Prenatal Yoga?
Yoga works not only on the body but also the mind. It helps you reconnect with your body and helps develop intuition and kindles the wisdom lying asleep. All women who practice prenatal yoga should remember not to compare themselves with others in the class. Each woman has her own inner strengths and is unique in her own way and can do various postures with ease or difficulty. Just be yourself when you practice prenatal yoga and learn to listen to your body, mind and be totally relaxed. Prenatal yoga when done in a group with other pregnant women is a great way to connect with your unborn baby and a wonderful way to meet other women and build new friendships.
The Many Benefits of Prenatal Yoga
When you are pregnant, you will experience many discomforts. Not only does your tummy expand, your legs and feet swell, and you will find that your breath becomes heavy and restricted. Yoga helps you get over these discomforts. The postures in yoga will help reduce swelling and improve blood circulation, which means your unborn child gets lots of oxygenated blood. It means your child will grow healthily in the womb. Yoga teaches you to breathe properly such that you begin to breathe from your belly and not your chest. Breathing from the belly is the right way to breathe and is known as deep breathing and provides increased oxygen to the different parts of the body through blood circulation.
Prenatal yoga postures help in relieving stress and anxiety. Pregnancy can be a very trying experience and is full of anxieties about the unborn bay and birthing experience. When you do yoga and relax in the various postures, breathing deeply, your body automatically relaxes and all your anxieties just melt away. You will feel greatly relieved after the session as if you have lowered a huge burden from your body and mind.
Spinal pain or back pain is experienced by all women during pregnancy. This s is due to the fact that the tummy and breasts begin to enlarge which is a natural process. Yoga helps relieve the back pain by elongating the spine, helping to strengthen and stretch the spine. This is very beneficial to women during pregnancy and after delivery. Having a good posture is absolutely necessary during pregnancy as it helps alleviate any discomforts you are likely to experience due to body changes that occur. When you maintain proper posture, your baby gets plenty of space inside the womb, good oxygenated blood and space for your other internal organs which get slightly displaced because your womb expands to hold the baby.
Swelling of legs and feet is a common ailment that most women experience during pregnancy. This is because of water retention. Yoga helps to relieve this swelling, helps uplift moods, prevents constipation, keeps you active and lower anxiety. Constipation is another common malady that occurs during pregnancy. Prenatal yoga that involves various postures which are not strenuous but help to gently massage your various internal organs and help in prevent constipation. This is vital for you and your unborn baby as constipation can lead to build up of toxins in the body and blood. This is bad for you and your baby.
The squatting asana that is normally practiced in prenatal yoga classes is the best exercise that helps prepare you for easy trouble free birthing. A regular practice of this posture will strengthen your pelvic muscles which are extremely important during birthing as they contract and expand to push out the baby.
Prenatal yoga practice ensures your birthing experience is easy, trouble free and a memorable one for you.
