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Yoga and Pregnancy
Yoga can be an excellent way to reduce stress
while you are pregnant. Many experts preach that practicing yoga in
pregnancy should be a requirement for women. There are countless
benefits to practicing yoga in pregnancy. If you are in good
physical health and listen to your body, yoga can be a great asset
in helping produce a healthy baby.
Labor can be extremely painful physically and mentally. By
practicing the breathing techniques that yoga in pregnancy teaches
you, you will have a much easier time relaxing. When you first go
into labor, your body produces adrenaline from the excitement and
anxiety. Adrenaline has been known to stop Oxytocin, which is the
hormone that progresses your labor. By practicing yoga in pregnancy
breathing, you can calm yourself down, block the adrenaline, and let
the oxytocin flow.
Yoga in pregnancy will also teach you how to meditate. Practicing
meditation takes some work. But once you get the hang of it, you can
slow down your breathing and relax your heartbeat. This is
beneficial to the baby during labor.
There are a few positions you need to avoid while practicing yoga in
pregnancy. Back-bending poses can put unnecessary strain on your
back. Also, when doing a forward bend, you are going to need to
spread your legs farther apart, especially as you get farther along
in your pregnancy.
As a general rule, when practicing yoga in pregnancy, do not lie on
your back for too long, particularly after the 4th month. This slows
down the blood flow to your legs and your heart, leading to
dizziness, nausea, and hyperventilation. Some women can lie on their
back and have no problems at all. Listen to your body. It will tell
you what you can and can't do with yoga in pregnancy.
There are some yoga poses you should not do, especially if you have
never taken yoga before. For example, inversions should not be tried
for the first time while pregnant. If you have been practicing yoga
in pregnancy for a while, and your body is used to the position, you
can perform inversions as long as your body will let you.
During the third trimester, you may feel somewhat off-balance. With
having a larger stomach, yoga in pregnancy is more challenging. To
avoid injury to yourself and your baby, try poses that have you
balance on one foot against a wall. By doing so, you have more
support and will be less likely to fall.
As long as you are not on bed rest or have no other ailments, yoga
in pregnancy can be a great resource to help you through your
pregnancy and delivery.
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