Benefits of practicing yoga during pregnancy
Yoga is a wonderful exercise to practice when pregnant as it can improve strength and flexibility, teach calm breathing techniques which are useful during labor, and create a serene, supportive community of expectant mothers.
Yoga is a low-impact exercise keeps you limber, tones your muscles, and improves your balance and circulation. Yoga poses help maintain muscle tone, especially for the back and pelvic muscles which must be strong during pregnancy and years afterwards to care for your baby. During pregnancy, hormones cause joints in the body to become loose a yoga postures can help to stabilize and strengthen these joint. This practice also promotes flexibility in the muscles and fascia.
One of the first things you learn in a yoga class is how to breathe fully which will be important during labor and to bring mental calm during and after your pregnancy. The breathing technique known as ujjayi requires you to take in air slowly through your nose, filling your lungs, and exhale completely until your stomach compresses. Learning how to do ujjayi breathing primes you for labor and childbirth by training you to stay calm when you need it most. A regular yoga practice will help you fight the urge to tighten up when you feel pain, and show you how to relax instead.
Being in a positive, supportive environment with others like you can give you a regular emotional boost and keep you motivated to continue exercising. Yoga classes are non-competitive places where everyone is encouraged to do what they can. Attending prenatal yoga classes with other women who are experiencing similar physical and emotional changes can be very reassuring.
Yoga coordinates movement, breath and awareness and it addresses health and well-being on several levels: physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual. Because of its many benefits and the pleasure derived from its practice, the time-honored art of yoga is becoming increasingly accepted as part of self-care during pregnancy and preparation for childbirth and motherhood.
Modifications and precautions
Yoga holds a number of benefits during pregnancy, however these practices call for modifications in order to accommodate the growing baby and your changing body. If you regularly practice yoga be aware that as your body changes, the positions will feel different and possibly too uncomfortable for you to continue. Make small adjustments and stop a position if it is painful. If you experience cramping, bleeding or prolonged cessation of fetal movement, stop practicing immediately and call your doctor.
Here are certain general precautions to be taken while practicing prenatal yoga:
Avoid poses that stretch the muscles too much, particularly the abdominal muscles. Remember, you are more apt to tear and strain muscles now because the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which allows the uterus to expand, also acts on all connective tissue.
Always practice as if the belly (baby) were larger than it actually is. Adjust your pregnancy yoga practice to a lower level and intensity than that of your pre-pregnancy practice. When bending forward, or twisting avoid putting pressure on your abdomen. Bend from the hips, not the back. Maintain as much distance as possible between the breast bone and the pubic bone to make breathing easier. Twist more from the shoulders and back to avoid putting any pressure on your abdomen.
As your body changes, balancing becomes more difficult so during standing and balancing positions, stand with you heels to the wall or use a chair for support to avoid losing your balance.
Avoid Bikram or hot yoga classes, in which the room is heated to 90 degrees or higher, since this could cause dangerous overheating. Most importantly, drink water before, during, and after practicing yoga to prevent dehydration and uterine contractions.
In addition to these general modifications, as each trimester brings changes in your body, it should also bring changes to how you practice yoga.
During the First Trimester
During the first trimester, try to find an instructor who is specifically trained in prenatal yoga. If there are none in your area, be sure to let your instructor know that you are expecting. Physically, you shouldn’t have too many restrictions on your movement but if you do feel pain, ask your instructor to recommend an alternative position.
During the Second Trimester
In the second trimester, your joints are beginning to loosen up now, so don’t try to hold poses for a long time, and remember to sink into yoga positions slowly and carefully to avoid injury. Your body’s growth will affect your sense of balance. Avoid lying flat on your back now to keep blood flowing properly to your uterus. Lying on your back can put pressure on your inferior vena cava, the vein that returns blood from the legs to the heart, which can cause dizziness, shortness of breath, and nausea. Don't try to work up a huge sweat while you practice.
During the Third Trimester
As balancing becomes more difficult using props such as blocks and straps can also help you move through different poses with greater stability. While performing forward bends, adjust legs to hip-width or wider distance to accommodate the growing belly. For the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy, poses that involve a reclined position where the knees are higher than the pelvis which can work against Optimal Fetal Positioning.
Remember not to hold poses for a long time; it's important to keep moving.
Now that you know the benefits of yoga during pregnancy and how to practice it safely for you and your fetus, find prenatal yoga classes near you by searching on www.yogafinder.com.
Sources:
http://www.womenfitness.net/yoga_during_preg1.htm
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregnancyfitness/7862.html
