Yoga for pregnancy

Apr.07.2010
11:28 am
by scribblekat

Want to stay fit during pregnancy and get back into pre-pregnancy shape afterward? Then practice yoga — in addition to being safe and effective, it comes with surprising benefits, such as improving labor and delivery. When researchers in India compared one hour a day of yoga to one hour of walking in a study of 335 pregnant women, they found that yoga improved birth weight, eased preterm labor and decreased complications (such as isolated intrauterine growth retardation and pregnancy-induced hypertension), according to the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

A yoga practice designed specifically for pregnancy can help do the following for a mom-to-be: Ease discomfort. Yoga can help you deal with the aches and pains that commonly occur during pregnancy, such as backache, fatigue, insomnia and anxiety, says Wendy Teasdill, a certified yoga instructor in Glastonbury, England, and author of Yoga for Pregnancy and Step-By-Step Yoga For Pregnancy: Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year.

Improve breathing control

Yoga teaches rhythmic control of breathing (called pranayama), a skill that comes in handy during labor and delivery. Pranayama is meditative and relaxing, which helps reduce stress and anxiety and may even lower blood pressure, says Teasdill. Fine-tune your focus. Yoga helps you tune into your own body as you go through the trimesters. “A woman’s body undergoes a multitude of changes throughout pregnancy. Yoga can help her to embrace these changes and relieve any discomfort she may feel,” says Sharon Jayne Lee, a certified yoga instructor in New York City. “Often, new moms are exhausted and in a fog. Yoga allows a mom to focus on herself for a moment and to get back into her body,” says Lee.

Develop intuitive knowledge

Yoga helps you trust your intuition and develop a deeper knowledge of your body, which you can draw upon during labor. “Pregnant women are known for their increased proprioception, that is, body awareness,” Teasdill explains. “This knowledge can help reduce the fear and the stress women can experience when giving birth – whatever happens – and increases their trust in themselves as mothers.” Increase your flexibility and strength. Of course, along with boosting mental and emotional fitness, yoga helps you stay flexible and strong during pregnancy and childbirth. The standing postures foster the physical strength and stamina you’ll need during labor. Other postures, such as bridge pose, keep your back flexible and ease sciatic pain, says Lee.

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