Pregnancy yoga refers to the practice of yoga during pregnancy. It unites your body, mind and spirit.
Practicing yoga during pregnancy helps improve your breathing ability and manage stress related problems.
It also helps to develop resistance as well as control over your body.
In other words, pregnancy yoga is the best therapy to help relieve from illnesses that develops during pregnancy and to prepare your body and mind for labor and delivery.
Thus, practicing pregnancy yoga regularly ensures a healthy environment for you and your developing baby.
Pregnancy yoga comprises of asanas, pranayama, meditation techniques, and deep relaxation techniques. The intensity of pregnancy exercises varies according to the trimesters of pregnancy.
The recommended pregnanc y yogaexercises are butterfly stretch pose, cat-cow pose, seated forward bending pose, standing forward bend, cobra pose, side angle pose, pawanmukta asana, modified child’s pose, cat pose, and wall butterfly pose.
Triangle, knee to ankle, pigeon, and warrior II are recommended poses at the last stages of pregnancy, as they help generate the suppleness that makes your baby to attain proper position (head down and back turned near your belly).
By practicing these pregnancy yoga poses, you can gain numerous benefits. Pregnancy yoga poses can help manage the bodily changes that occur due to hormone fluctuations in the early stages.
It helps reduce blood pressure, improves digestion power and strengthens your muscles and joints. Also, it eradicates the body impurities through the sweat, kidneys, liver, and digestive system.
Pregnancy yoga practice provides relief from pregnancy symptoms such as back pain, morning sickness and many more.
On the other hand, it is essential to take proper precautions while practicing pregnancy yoga. The yoga poses that are strongly recommended to avoid during pregnancy are back bend yoga poses (corpse pose), camel pose, handstands pose, and upward bow pose.
Overstretching poses also need to avoid while practicing pregnancy yoga, as it can harm you and your growing baby. The best and safe pose to practice during pregnancy is Legs Up the Wall Pose.
Stay away from yoga poses that include deep twists from the belly (ardha matsyendrasana), as it compresses all internal organs including the uterus.
Also, avoid boat pose (navasana) because it is an abdominal strengthener that makes it hard to prepare for your childbirth.
Of course, lying on the belly (cobra pose) is to be avoided in your pregnancy yoga because it provides extreme discomfort for you as pregnancy progresses.
While practicing pregnancy yoga, it is always good to consult and check with your doctor regularly. Also consult when trying to begin a new exercise program or to know about suitable pregnancy yoga poses for your condition.
It is most essential for you to remember while practicing pregnancy yoga is to manage your breathing and pay attention towards your body, as it surely helps prepare you for labor and delivery.
No matter what stage your pregnancy is in, it is best to practice pregnancy yoga regularly. By doing so, you can maintain a healthy pregnancy and achieve an easier delivery as well as fast recovery after childbirth.
