Yoga during pregnancy is a gentle way to stay active and supple. The amazing effects of these prenatal yoga poses greatly influence a carefree pregnancy, natural childbirth and restoration of body shape.
There are many yoga poses for pregnancy. The most effective and vital posture is the cat-cow pose. This posture helps in increasing spinal flexibility and abdominal strength. It also aids in preventing back pain that causes due to heavy weight of the breast during pregnancy. Get down on your knees and hands for cat-cow pose. Make sure that you stay with your knees underneath the hips and wrists underneath the shoulders.
Another pose is the child pose. Bend down like a baby and position your knees wider than your hips. This aids in stretching the pelvic muscles to ease child birth.
Pelvic tilt is another pose good for pregnancy. This is the most effective exercise to strengthen and tone abdomen, lower back and buttocks. Lie down with the knees bend. Then stretch your pelvic and pubic bone upwards when you inhale and release the bone when you exhale.
Chest expansion helps to strengthen and stretch your chest and upper back. Sit cross-legged, and keep your shoulders back and spine straight. Hold a yoga strap in each hand and lift your arms back and behind your head.
Trikionasana or triangle pose helps to strengthen legs, groins, hips and hamstrings. It is also useful in opening the chest and shoulders. Stand with two legs open wide apart. Take your left arm to your right feet and vice versa.
Half moon pose or ardha chandrasana aids in strengthening and balancing of ankles and thighs. Stand in trikonasana and take your left hand to your hip and right hand to the floor. Kick up the left leg and balance it well parallel to the floor. When able to balance, take your left hand towards the ceiling and make a straight line of both the arms.
Konasana or cobbler's pose is useful for opening hips and groin. Sit on a mat and bend the knees with the soles touching each other. Keep you spine straight and pull the soles together towards the pelvis.
Yoga for pregnancy is very important. It brings along a full spectrum of prenatal and postnatal benefits.
Many women are keen on knowing if yoga is safe during pregnancy on account of the growing popularity of yoga in recent years. In fact yoga for pregnant women is known to be beneficial as it lowers blood pressure, strengthens the muscles as well as the joints, improves sleep and digestion and also increases their overall flexibility. In fact some of the benefits of yoga during pregnancy are that it tends to help in the removal of impurities from one’s body through the liver, sweat, breath, digestive system as well as the kidneys. Besides pregnant women, people who practice yoga on a regular basis are known to be more at peace and can also handle stress well. Yoga during pregnancy is known to be beneficial as it helps the pregnant woman to gain relief from nausea as well as the back pain that may be associated with pregnancy. In fact yoga is one of the safe exercises during pregnancy that can be practiced as it is a form of low impact exercises that helps pregnant women to stay in shape during their pregnancy. This also minimizes the need to work extra hard to lose weight post pregnancy. In fact practicing the various pregnancy yoga poses is also known to be helpful during labor because of the breathing and meditation exercises involved. Fitness during pregnancy is essential which could be in the form of pregnancy yoga or even a brisk walk or swimming so as to ensure good health of both the mother and the child. However before taking up any form of exercise while pregnant one should always consult their doctor as every pregnancy is different. Pilates during pregnancy and other such exercise during pregnancy first trimester should be strictly avoided as the first three months of pregnancy are extremely crucial and play an important role in laying the foundation for the development of the baby and the rest of the pregnancy. Those women who are keen on taking up pregnancy yoga should bear in mind that there are certain yoga poses that should not be practiced while pregnant such as the yoga poses that involve the person to lie on their belly or their back.
During pregnancy, one account of the ongoing hormonal activity, the joints of the pregnant mother tend to become loosen. Yoga during pregnancy helps in strengthening these joints and also stabilizing them which in turn results in better flexibility in the fascia as well as the muscles. While a woman is pregnant the oxygen that they breathe and the food that she eats is directly transmitted to their baby. Similarly, if the mother is going through a mentally stressful situation then this stress is also transmitted to the child. Yoga during pregnancy helps the mother to be at optimal physical health while pregnant and also keeps the mother and thereby the child in a peaceful and relaxed state of mind. Yoga is recommended for women during pregnancy because it helps in minimizing the discomfort that most women experience in their lower back during pregnancy and also helps the women to remain calm and relaxed. The various yoga exercises during pregnancy are also known to be excellent for the health of the pelvis and the reproductive organs thereby ensuring that the woman experiences a relatively smooth and easy childbirth. The various pranayamas or breathing exercises also ensure that the fetus receives an abundant supply of oxygen, blood and nutrients which are vital to its development. One of the key benefits of yogic medication during pregnancy is that it helps the pregnant woman to connect with her child on account of the deep concentration and relaxation techniques involved.