Is Yoga beneficial during Pregnancy?
By Monica. Filed in Yoga and Pregnancy |Tags: Pregnancy, Yoga for Pregnancy
Yes, yoga is very good for pregnancy, specifically for strengthening the muscles needed for a natural birth (on all fours, in a squat position, or any other position where the woman pushes down with gravity). This is distinguishing a natural birth from a supine birth position (lying on your back, with full hospital care – it’s very hard to push in this position).
Yoga is recommended after the first trimester of pregnancy. This is because the first trimester is a very delicate time where you just want the baby to settle in the woman’s body, so not-to-active exercise is recommended, like swimming or walking.
Yoga is recommended on the 2nd trimester, and (in most cases) all the way before the birth. The benefits are:
1. Developing muscle strength for delivery;
2. Getting the mother relaxed, clear-minded and emotionally well-connected with the baby;
3. The mother learns breathing techniques that allow her to get used to breathing out and releasing tension;
4. You learn easy positions that you can do when,
(a) the baby is in breach position, for example;
(b) also for releasing lower back pain and tightness around the chest area, as the belly becomes bigger; and
5. A Post-Natal benefit – Most mothers who’ve done yoga consistently throughout pregnancy have found their bodies to have quicker muscle recovery. This is very simply because the mother’s body has transitioned with muscle activity (instead of being a couch potato!).
Posture Modifications for Complications During Pregnancy
There are of course posture modifications that the yoga teacher must be aware of in situations where there are complications during pregnancy – for example, with more water retention the mother’s palms and feet tend to swell so posture variations need to be provided accordingly; or the woman may have a slightly serated SIJ (sacro-illiac joint in the sacrum area) or pubis (front of the pelvic bone), and some postures are not recommended in these cases. It is very important to go to a yoga teacher who knows what she is doing. Pre-natal yoga is a specialised field in yoga. There is no one-size-fits-all routine when it comes to pre-natal yoga.
Highly Recommended Reading Material
A very good book that I highly recommend (I’ve recommended this to all my dear girlfriends who are pregnant – a must-read!) is ‘Active Birth’ by Janet Balaskas. A very informative book that provides a range of postures you can do at home.
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