Fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, tenderness, swelling, cravings, constipation, cramps, headaches. Pregnancy can really get you down. However, many women are turning to yoga for the duration of their pregnancies to alleviate many of the unfortunate symptoms, for keeping excess weight off during those trying months and to provide their babies with the healthiest possible start.
Pregnant women practice yoga for physical benefits. For instance, yoga practice can teach techniques that will be helpful during labor, such as breathing and relieving tension around the cervix and birth canal. Additionally, prenatal physicians recommend combining a light cardiovascular exercise (like walking) with a relaxing, muscle-toning exercise (like yoga) to maintain your physique, in spite of the intense cravings and normal weight gain associated with pregnancy.
Other pregnant women practice yoga for mental benefits. For one, it can be a great support to meet other women going through the same thing you are. Also, there is much emphasis on focusing on the moment and deriving happiness from each and every day, which can be vital when your hormones are out of whack. Yoga has been known to stimulate beta-endorphins, which also brings comfort and a sense of relief.
During the first trimester, standing poses help circulation, strengthen legs and increase energy. Avoid bikram yoga classes that heat up the room or any kind of back/belly/inverted positions. In the second and third trimesters, yoga for your pregnancy will include more sitting positions and breathing techniques.
To find prenatal yoga classes, check Yoga.com. If you’re looking for yoga videos you can do at home, here are some suggestions. “Yoga Zone: Postures For Pregnancy” is a good start for beginners. “Yoga Journal’s Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea” gives you yoga for each trimester in short 15 minute segments with a guided relaxation / meditation part to help insomnia or depression. “Dr. Christine Anderson’s Dynamic Prenatal Yoga” is highly recommended, with a more spiritual focus that encompasses baby bonding, energy flow, meditation, poses and 90 minutes of total preparation for the months to come. Explanations are given for beginners and modifications are discussed for seasoned yoga pros. Another great video focusing equally on movement, breath and relaxation is “Prenatal Yoga: A Complete Home Practice for a Healthy Mother and Baby,” which was selected as an Editor’s Pick by Fit Pregnancy magazine in 2006. On the “Yoga Journal and Lamaze present: Yoga for Your Pregnancy” DVD, prospective moms can find: part 1 featuring energizing and strengthening, part 2 featuring relaxing and rejuvenating, as well as Pranayama breathing techniques, a guided meditation segment, birthing room techniques and postnatal workout. “Tantric Yoga For Blissful Pregnancy” combines more authentic yoga practices with pregnancy-safe poses.
The world is a fantastic place filled with diversity and new discoveries at every turn. One of these discoveries for the Western world came in the form of Yoga. This ancient practice was known primarily in Eastern religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism but has since become a very popular form of exercise. It is more than that though. It is a process of centering the mind and body into one fluid machine that is highly aware of itself and surroundings. Yoga can be performed by anyone of any age and is great for those beginning their trek into a healthier lifestyle. If you are ready to begin your trek, click here for more information: Yoga Accessories and at Yoga Clothing also at Yoga Poses
