Health Benefits of Yoga for Pregnant Women

Yoga for pregnant women isn't just a fad…so many women have discovered how beneficial yoga can be for physical and emotional health during pregnancy, prenatal yoga classes and DVDs are being made available by the thousands.

Ginger Garner, author of the upcoming book, "Fit & Fearless Birth: The Powerful Woman's Guide to Yoga for the Season of Motherhood and Beyond," says, "Prenatal yoga practice addresses the health and wellbeing of mom and unborn child through a "pentagon of wellness" approach: physical, psycho-emotional/social, intellectual, spiritual, and energetic."

Sherry Knecht of Colorado, says, "When I was pregnant, I practiced prenatal yoga at a fantastic yoga studio in Boulder, Colorado, led by Richard Freeman. All the women who took prenatal yoga seemed to have such easy deliveries compared with other women. My labors were short and relatively easy compared to stories I have heard - my first labor was about 4 hours, and a year and a half later, my second was about 3 hours (both daughters). I am very convinced that yoga is helpful in keeping fit during pregnancy, in helping delivery, and in returning to normal afterwards."

Recently I asked prenatal yoga experts for some advice about yoga for pregnant women. They listed these health benefits of yoga for pregnant women:

• Awareness of your body is improved, which is helpful during labor and delivery.
• Balance is maintained as your center of gravity changes.
• Yoga promotes cardio and lung health for mom and baby.
• Depression risk is reduced.
• Energy level is enhanced.
• Flexibility is maintained or improved.
• Yoga may increase the probability of a healthy birth weight for your baby.
• Back pain is reduced.
• Yoga improves circulation.
• Muscle strength can be maintained or increased through strengthening yoga poses that are safe for pregnant women.
• Neurological development of your growing baby is enhanced.
• Queasiness of morning sickness may decrease.
• Preterm labor risk is reduced.
• Relaxation can be enjoyed through restorative yoga poses.
• Stress management strategies can be learned through yoga that will benefit you throughout the entire challenging transition to motherhood and beyond.
• Yoga is a low-impact exercise.
• Practicing yoga while pregnant may speed recovery time after giving birth.
• Yoga offers a terrific opportunity for self-care.

The experts advised some caution about yoga for pregnant women. They said:

• Before practicing yoga while pregnant, get your health care provider’s permission.
• Err on the side of caution. Yoga during pregnancy can hurt you if you are taught by someone who is not qualified to teach yoga for pregnant women.
• A prenatal yoga class should move slowly and take into consideration what trimester you are in. Before you start your first class, good prenatal yoga instructors ask you questions about what week you are in, how you are feeling, and if you have any concerns or questions.
• Do not practice inversions (any asanas that lift your feet over your head, such as shoulder stands and head stands), belly lying poses, back bends, or spinal twists while pregnant.
• After the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, avoid lying flat on your back.
• Don’t hold your breathe while practicing yoga while pregnant.
• During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin causes your ligaments and joints to relax in preparation for delivery. Because of this, you must be careful to stretch gently and not over-stretch. If you stretch to your personal limit of motion, you could injure yourself.
• After Savasana (Corpse Pose), roll over to the left to come out of the pose.
• Drink at least four ounces of water every 15 minutes. Eat a small snack before class to avoid hypoglycemia.
• Pregnancy is not the time to try new and challenging poses. Stay in your comfort zone.
• Do not get overheated. A core temperature change of just a few degrees can negatively affect your unborn child's health or fetal development. Stay cool.
• Keep your heart rate below 140.

With so many health benefits of yoga for pregnant women, and just a few cautions to stay safe for pregnant women and their babies, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining a practice while pregnant. During each of my ­pregnancies, I used Shiva Rea's Prenatal Yoga DVD. I suffered terrible pregnancy-induced sciatica and this DVD was the only thing that helped. I experimented with yoga after finding that chiropractic care, massage, Tylenol, or rest did not help me at all. Using the DVD routine to practice would bring pain relief for about 24 hours, and then I would need to practice again. I was so thrilled to find something that worked, I became a yoga fan for life.

When I was pregnant, I practiced yoga at home. Some pregnant women are interested in classes at a studio. If you are looking for prenatal instructors and/or classes, please visit my Directory of Prenatal Yoga Resources.­

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