What you are going to read further is going to make you grab your yoga mats! We are here to share with you the extremely beneficial world of Prenatal Yoga, which will help improve your health and fitness, making your pregnancy journey, delivery and postpartum delivery as smooth as possible. Your pregnancy is a very sensitive journey, with a lot of factors, both internal and external affecting you and your little one. There are a lot of ways to maintain a physical and mental balance, but prenatal yoga is just what you need for a happy and smooth pregnancy journey.

What is Prenatal Yoga?

Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. Prenatal Yoga is yoga designed specifically for pregnant women which includes asanas that do not strain the mother or the baby in any manner.

Mentioned below are the benefits and reasons on why you should not skip on Prenatal Yoga as it-

1. Prepares the body for labor and delivery– Labor and delivery are extremely daunting processes. You will be pushing out your baby through a very small canal, and it takes a lot of strength and determination to do that, especially in case of a natural birth. The breathing exercises will calm you during active labor. The asanas which you practice will help you strengthen your back, core and other important muscles required to help grow and deliver the baby. One small study found that women who participated in a yoga routine involving just six sessions before birth spent less time overall in labor than those who did not. They also reported they felt less pain and more comfortable during and immediately after labor.
2. Increases the chances of having a healthier pregnancy– Women who practiced prenatal yoga regularly have less chances of having a preterm labor, misscarriage or a low weight baby.
3. Maintains blood pressure– Due to stress or other issues you might suffer from high blood pressure. Yoga helps you maintain an optimum blood pressure and control it to a certain extent.
4. Helps in weight management– Yoga keeps you active, and hence helps you manage your prenatal weight gain better.
5. Helps in stabilizing your mood– Mood swings are pretty common during pregnancy and sometimes feel beyond your control. The mindfulness that comes with practicing prenatal yoga helps you manage your mood swings better, and makes you feel good about yourself.
6. Provides relief from common pregnancy complaints/issues-Throughout your pregnancy you might be suffering from aches or pains, nausea, insomnia, headaches, shortness of breath, and carpal tunnel syndrome. These are a few common perils of pregnancy. Yoga helps in a proper blood circulation, stretching and strengthening of muscles which might help you avoid all these symptoms. A 2012 University of Michigan study showed that mindfulness yoga, which combines physical poses with meditation practices, can bring measurable relief to the depression that can accompany the emotional journey of pregnancy.

Experts recommend getting physically active every day for at least 30 minutes — and yoga certainly counts. Prenatal yoga is a great way to stay active during pregnancy. It’s both gentle and low impact, while offering physical and mental benefits. 

Common Questions about Prenatal and Postpartum Yoga-

If I have never done yoga before, is it safe for me to start practicing regularly now during pregnancy?

Yes! It is absolutely safe for you to practice Prenatal yoga. Better late than never. You have to take it easy at all points, and make sure to never overexert or overstrain yourself at any point. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, you are just doing it for your health, both physical and mental. Talk to your yoga instructors and let them know your limitations or any prior issues or pain that you have had. They will set you on a regime that is suited to your needs.

Postpartum Yoga questions-

You might also worry about whether you can practice yoga post delivery, and how soon can you start. Postpartum yoga is a modified, low-intensity yoga practice. A lot of changes happen to your body after childbirth. This type of yoga is designed to help your body recover. Postpartum yoga offers the most benefits during the first three months after childbirth.

It is advisable that you wait at least 6 weeks post delivery to start yoga again. These 6 weeks will give your body time to recover and heal from labor. You might have to wait longer if you had a C-section.

It is advisable to consult a doctor before taking up any yoga sessions during pregnancy. Learn and practice yoga postures under the supervision of a trained yoga teacher. Information provided online about various yoga postures are for general purposes only. Your body might have different needs than others, so it is important that you have a schedule and session customized according to the needs of your body.