Why prenatal yoga

The risk of falling or feeling faint from having your head below your heart makes these poses unsafe for most pregnant women. Don't hold poses for a long time. It's important to keep moving because standing still for too long slows the rate of blood flow back to the heart in some pregnant women. Skip positions that require extreme stretching of the abdominal muscles. Deep forward and back bends as well as deep twists can lead to injury. Avoid stretching moves that feel uncomfortable or cause muscle soreness.

Avoid doing yoga in hot, humid conditions. Don't take Bikram or hot yoga classes in which the room is heated to 90 degrees or higher because this could cause dangerous overheating, cautions Tracey Mallett, a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor in Los Angeles, California, and creator of the 3-in-1 Pregnancy Workout DVD. Prenatal yoga should feel great for your body, mind, and spirit. Great pregnancy exercise: Stretching. Eight great benefits of pregnancy exercise. Great pregnancy exercise: Dancing.

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Top 10 signs you're overtraining. American Council on Exercise. Committee opinion Physical activity and exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Women's health across the lifespan. American Physical Therapy Association. Artal R, et al. Guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period. British Journal of Sports Medicine Cram C and Clapp J.

Exercising through your pregnancy. Omaha, NE: Addicus Books. ICEA prenatal fitness educator certification course. International Childbirth Education Association. Jiang Q, et al. Effects of yoga intervention during pregnancy: A review for current status. American Journal of Perinatology 32 6 Exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period: Practical recommendations.

I was overflowing with emotion. While my husband stayed with our son, I was taken in a wheelchair to my room on a different floor of the hospital and told to rest. Perhaps it was the prenatal yoga practice that gave me the fortitude, clear-headedness, and determination to get myself there.

The Warrior poses helped build my strength; the chair Shoulderstands kept my hormones balanced; the restorative postures such as Reclining Bound Angle Pose and Reclining Hero Pose infused me with a quiet clarity.

As dawn broke, I held my baby in my arms, nursed him for the first time, and sang to him. Take some time to connect with both your hopes and your fears. Sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair. Take a few minutes to think about your hopes and dreams about birth—and about your subsequent journey together as mother and child.

Imagine yourself feeling empowered, loved, safe, and being an active participant in your birth. See yourself as a loving parent who knows how to care for your precious child. Notice any positive sensations that arise, and sit with them for a few moments. Then bring to mind fears or worries you have about birth and parenting.

Acknowledge their presence, and then visualize yourself letting go of them. She lives with her husband and their five-year-old son in Brooklyn. Look for an experienced teacher with specialized training in yoga for pregnancy. Some prenatal teachers have worked not only as yoga instructors but also as doulas, midwives, or childbirth educators. A knowledgeable, seasoned teacher with a passion for pregnancy will help you get the most out of your prenatal practice.

Practice this sequence throughout pregnancy to create strength and suppleness both physically and emotionally. This balance will create more ease throughout your pregnancy and can be helpful during childbirth, too. But if you can, give yourself more time to settle in to each pose, to fully work your muscles, and to deeply relax. The inspiration for this practice comes from the tiniest yogis.

You try to create the breathing of a content and happy infant: full, deep, and easy. This type of breathing calms the nervous system and increases the flow of oxygen to the uterus, supporting both mom and baby. Many women find it helpful to do happy baby breathing during labor and birth, too. Come onto hands and knees and place a folded blanket, small pillow, or block between your ankles, then sit back onto your prop.

Bring your hands to your belly, and close your eyes. Allow your focus to move inward as you deepen your breath. Root down through your sitting bones as you lengthen your spine and reach the crown of your head up. This will maximize the space inside for your breath and your baby. With each inhalation, feel a sense of fullness as the belly expands.

As you exhale, sink your belly gently back toward the spine as though you are giving your baby a hug. Practice for 3 to 5 minutes or longer, if you can. Mothering requires many hours of baby-holding. This simple pose will stretch and strengthen your upper back, shoulders, and arms to help prepare you. Inhale and reach your arms out, bending the elbows slightly with your palms facing up. Share this post:. Share on facebook Facebook. Share on twitter Twitter.

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