Prenatal yoga helps decrease risks during pregnancy and increases the chance of a safe and healthy delivery. Incorporating prenatal yoga into your pregnancy routine can assist in improving sleep, reducing anxiety & stress as well as aiding in an easier delivery. Postnatal yoga is an effective way to ease back into an active lifestyle, by regaining strength and flexibility where it is most needed.
Pregnancy can be one of the most amazing experiences. Your whole body changing and evolving to create new life. Your muscles are stretching, your hormones are changing, sugars are all over and your blood pressure might be on a roller coaster.
As wonderful of a time this can be, it is also equally stressful. Physical changes aside, the new life changes can be overwhelming at times, to the point you forget even how to breathe. Everything can be rather anxiety provoking.
Teaching you to breathe and connect with your breath is one of the base building blocks of yoga. Breathing properly and deeply activates your parasympathetic nervous system lowering stress and anxiety.
Another key component to yoga is meditation which has shown to help with relaxation.
Keeping stress under control will help with muscle tension and even blood pressure.
One of the most interesting and beautiful parts of our bodies is the basket of muscles that support our organs and our core known as the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor muscle support organs, which include the womb.
A strong pelvic floor will help support your growing fetus, taking pressure off the lower back and hips helping with pain and discomfort in these areas.
Pelvic floor muscles contractions are what assist you through childbirth in bringing your baby into the world. In turn, having a stronger pelvic floor will assist you in the birthing process.
A prenatal (as well as postnatal) yoga practice will focus on not just strengthening these muscles but increasing the mind body connection to your pelvic floor.
Strengthening and connecting with these muscles will also help you postpartum. Assisting in a faster recovery, reducing/stopping incontinence and stabilizing your core reducing lower back and hip pain.
Tight hips and stiff muscles in your back can cause not just discomfort and pain but also can pose some challenges during childbirth and recovery. Assisted and supported yoga asanas (poses) can gently stretch and lengthen shortened, tight muscles. Help open the hips for a more easefull labor. As well as loosen the back for a healthy pain free spine.
A consistent yoga practice will reduce stress and pain, increase relaxation and structural support. Along with eating right, daily vitamins, talk to your doctor about adding holistic natural approaches to wellness like yoga and massage.
