Benefits of yoga during pregnancy
Practicing yoga during your pregnancy is a great way to stay active and provides many benefits to you, your body, your birth and postnatally too. Prenatal yoga is suitable for all women during pregnancy, it is adaptable, low impact and a safe way to exercise that engages the mind and spirit along with the body.
Here at Yo our classes focus on gentle stretching and strengthening, developing a greater awareness of the breath and the body. Yoga teaches you how to breathe deeply and consciously relax. In fact, learning to breathe fully is one of the first things you'll learn in a yoga class. Effective breathing helps you stay calm when you need it most. When you're in pain or afraid, your body produces adrenaline and may produce less oxytocin, a hormone that makes labour progress. A regular yoga practice will help you resist the urge to tighten up when you feel pain. By practicing relaxation in yoga, you’ll find yourself better equipped to handle stressful situations, staying calm and focused.
The great thing about prenatal yoga is it doesn’t matter if you are a complete newbie or a seasoned yogi, our classes are inclusive and suitable for all stages of pregnancy. Yoga can keep you limber, tone your muscles, and improve your balance and circulation during pregnancy.
Interested to know more benefits of yoga during pregnancy? Read on to find out…
Community.
There ‘aint no hood like a motherhood! Nothing is better than having a support network that fully understands your situation. The benefits of yoga are not limited to your pregnancy and physical well-being. If you join a prenatal yoga class, you will be surrounded by many other empowering women who are taking the same pregnancy journey with you. Being in a positive, supportive environment with others can give you a regular emotional boost.
“Without a doubt one of the best decisions I made was signing up to pregnancy yoga with Laura. I now have my Mumma gang too because of the community Laura works so hard to organise and build. Get booking everyone! You won’t regret it!”
Strength and stamina.
Yoga will help you build strength, safely, supporting your changing body. You will strengthen your hips, arms, back, and shoulders. Strength and stamina will serve you well for pregnancy, labour, and birth!
Flexibility.
If you practice yoga regularly, the poses you will do will eventually build up your range of flexibility, making movement easier. Especially in the later stages of pregnancy, when your body feels stretched to the max! Yoga can help to relieve common pregnancy ailments such as back pain.
Balance.
Yoga relies a lot on balance, both physically and emotionally. Throughout your pregnancy, as your body changes and grows, your centre of gravity shifts. During yoga classes you will practice poses to help you find your balance.
Relax.
Yoga requires deep breathing, which can help your body relax. When your body reaches that relaxation point, you can expect to have improved sleep, healthier digestion, increased clarity and focus.
Pelvic floor.
Very important and always overlooked! Many yoga poses work to strengthen the pelvic floor. This can help to make your pregnancy more comfortable and improve pelvic floor health/function postnatally.
Blood pressure.
Studies have shown that a pregnant woman’s heart rate and blood pressure lowers after doing prenatal yoga. During Yo Mamas yoga you will learn specific breathing techniques to lower your blood pressure.
Bond.
Life is so busy, whether you are still working, or perhaps have a child or children already. Yoga gives you dedicated time for you and your pregnancy. Allowing you to solely focus on your baby, you will become more deeply connected and emotionally attached.
Birth.
The breathing exercises you’ll practice in yoga can be calming when the time comes to deliver your baby, either a vaginal birth or C-section. The many stretching and strengthening postures can improve your delivery experience and your recovery as your core and other important muscles will be stronger.
So if you are pregnant and reading this, start looking for a local prenatal yoga class and get yourself booked in. Hopefully it’s here at Yo and we cant wait to meet you!