Here’s What You Need to Know about Prenatal Yoga

by RAJ KAMAL Technology, Travel,Health & Medical

You might be thinking about joining prenatal yoga classes if you are pregnant and are seeking ways to stay fit and relax. Along with helping you with that, prenatal yoga will also help you in preparing for labor and promoting your baby’s health. Before you start this yoga, you need to first understand the range of possible benefits, what is included in the classes, and crucial safety tips.

Benefits of prenatal yoga

Encouraging stretching, mental centering, and focused breathing, prenatal yoga is a multifaceted approach to exercise, like other types of childbirth-preparation classes. This special kind of yoga is safe and offers several benefits to pregnant women and their babies.

Prenatal yoga helps in the following:

Improving sleep
Reducing stress and anxiety
Decreasing lower back pain, nausea, headaches, and shortness of breath
Increasing the strength, flexibility, and endurance of muscles required for childbirth

Moreover, you can meet and bond with other prenatal women during your prenatal yoga classes. Thus, it will also prepare you to face the challenges of being a new parent.

Inclusions in a prenatal yoga class

A typical prenatal yoga class involves the following:

Breathing

You will be asked to focus on slowly and deeply breathing in and out through your nose. The breathing techniques learned during prenatal yoga will help you in managing or reducing shortness of breath during pregnancy. These will also help you through contractions during labor.

Gentle Stretching

You will be encouraged to move different parts of your body through their complete range of motion. This will include stretching your arms, neck, etc.

Postures

During these classes, you will focus on developing your strength, flexibility, and balance by gently moving your body into different positions while standing, sitting, or lying on the ground. For comfort and support, props like blankets, cushions, and belts can be used.

Cool Down & Relaxation

To-be moms will be encouraged to relax their muscles and restore their resting heart rate and breathing rhythm at the end of their prenatal yoga classes. You will also listen to your own breathing, pay attention to your emotions, thoughts, and sensations for bringing about self-awareness and inner calm.

Yoga styles that aren't recommended for pregnant women

There are different styles of yoga and some are more exhausting than others. For pregnant women, prenatal yoga, hatha yoga, and restorative yoga are the best choices and you should stick to these only. Avoid doing hot yoga that involves performing vigorous poses in a room that is heated to higher temperatures. For instance, the room is heated to approximately 105 F (40 C) and has a humidity of 40% during the Bikram form of hot yoga. This may raise your body temperature and cause hyperthermia. You don’t want to take that chance, right?

Special safety guidelines for prenatal yoga

There are some basic safety guidelines for prenatal yoga that should be followed to protect your and your baby’s health. A few of them are as follows:

Talk to your healthcare provider

Ensure that you have your healthcare provider’s consent before you commence a prenatal yoga program. In case you have certain medical conditions like heart disease or back problems, or if you are at increased risk of preterm labor, then you might not be able to do this yoga.

Set realistic goals

Most pregnant women are recommended at least half an hour of moderate physical activity on a minimum of five days of the week. However, less frequent or even shorter workouts can also help you prepare for labor along with staying in shape.