Yoga is proven to be beneficial in numerous ways for men and women of all ages. However, what you may not know about yoga is that it’s extremely beneficial for pregnant women. Prenatal yoga has grown in popularity over the past few years, and it’s not difficult to understand why when you take a look at the benefits.
- Improve balance – As the fetus begins to grow, your body changes rapidly. It can be challenging to become accustomed to having to learn how to balance yourself physically, something that yoga will help tremendously with.
- Relieve physical tension – The bigger the fetus grows, the more stress is put on the lower back, upper back, hips, chest, neck, and shoulders. Practicing yoga will help to relieve this tension.
- Develop strength and stamina – More energy and strength is needed in order to carry the weight of a child. Yoga will strengthen your back, hips, arms and shoulders.
- Increase your circulation – Increasing the circulation of blood in your body will help to decrease swelling and enhance your immune system, thereby creating a healthier environment for your baby. This is accomplished through the elongation of joints and muscles through yoga practice.
- Calm your nervous system – A big part of practicing yoga is the practice of deep breathing. Deep breathing will help your nervous system to go into parasympathetic mode, which is what’s responsible for relaxation. When your body goes into parasympathetic mode, you’ll end up getting better sleep, improving your digestion and enhancing your immune system – all of which are important when you are pregnant.
- Prepare for labor – Deep breathing exercises don’t just help calm your nervous system, they also help you to prepare for labor. Yoga practice requires you to perform conscious breathing during each pose and teaches you to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, something that will be extremely useful during your labor.
- Prepare for contractions – In addition to helping prepare you with the difficulty of labor, breath work will also help you to breath during contractions, thereby helping to regulate your blood pressure and heart rate during labor.
- Slow down – Being pregnant comes with a lot of stress. After all, you’re basically spending nine months preparing for the baby. Yoga allows you to take a mental break, which is extremely helpful on days during which you find yourself especially busy and stressed out.
- Connect with your baby – Prenatal yoga helps you to slow down and focus your attention on your body. By doing this, you’ll feel more connected to what’s going on with and in your body, which means you’ll become more connected with your baby.
- Bond with other women – By taking prenatal yoga classes, you have a chance to bond with a community of other pregnant women who can relate to what you’re going through.
Women that are pregnant go through a lot of physical and emotional changes that can be quite taxing. This is why prenatal yoga can be so beneficial.