Frequently asked questions about prenatal yoga

Can you do yoga during pregnancy?

The answer is most certainly yes, providing your doctor gives the OK. Yoga is a frequently recommended exercise program for pregnant women. Yoga is low impact so is an ideal exercise for your prenatal time.

When can you start prenatal yoga?

Do get your doctor's OK before starting. It is usually recommended to wait until the second trimester (after 12 weeks) before starting yoga, however if you have been practising yoga prior to pregnancy it is OK to continue, so long as you feel well. When to start prenatal yoga is otherwise a woman's personal choice.

Will yoga help me maintain fitness during pregnancy?

Pregnancy fitness is a little different to non-pregnant fitness. You will be performing a marathon of birthing ahead, but you are not training for a running marathon. Your body's needs are quite different. So a little adjustment of your fitness expectations is in order. During pregnancy you do not want to be doing high impact workouts or raising the body temperature too high either, as both of these could adversely affect your body and your baby. And you might also be surprised that pregnancy yoga stretches must be very controlled. While you have hormones present in the body that encourage connective tissue to relax, you also do not want to be taking over advantage of this by doing extreme stretching as that may result in injury. For the job in hand, growing a baby, and preparing for birth, you will require strength of body and mind. Yoga is perfect for this kind of pregnancy fitness.

Are pregnancy yoga classes good birth preparation?

The best prenatal yoga will certainly be great for birth preparation. You will be guided in the perfect poses for creating optimum conditions for birthing in a physical sense. You will learn breathing techniques and chants that many women have reported back were fabulous support during labour. You will even learn pregnancy yoga poses that might be employed during labour. If you find a prenatal yoga for couples session, even better. There are no guarantees as birthing is notoriously unpredictable, however you will give yourself a great chance for a normal delivery with pregnancy yoga. While we would never suggest you skip any birth classes that are offered to you, new mothers often report that what they learnt in their pregnancy yoga classes was more valuable than their birthing class. The best lesson might be learning to be present in the moment no matter what is unfolding, and discovering how to love the birthing experience you have rather than being focused on having the birthing experience you love.

Can complete beginners do prenatal yoga?

Absolutely! Many of the pregnant ladies who attend prenatal yoga classes are coming to do yoga for the first time. Maternity yoga classes are a great time to learn the new skills of yoga as classes are often a little smaller. Your teacher should be a very well trained pre-natal teacher with a generalist training too and she will be able to guide you. You do not need a special class of pregnancy yoga for beginners. You are better off in the prenatal class than in a general beginners class as your needs in pregnancy are really special.

Can yoga help me relax and sleep better while pregnant?

There are many reasons why a women might feel some anxiety, lose sleep and feel a bit down during pregnancy. It is a big time of change in a woman's life, in her relationships and her body. And as baby grows there is that old thing of baby liking to wake up and play football while you are trying to get to sleep. This too shall pass, but in the meantime, yoga can definitely offer some help. Not only is prenatal yoga a maternal fitness class, it is also a pregnancy relaxation class. Techniques like breathing practices and meditation are wonderful tools for mental health and you will learn strategies to help deal with anxiety and tiredness.

What are the benefits of pregnancy yoga?

Yoga during pregnancy has a lot of benefits. Here are a few.

1. Breathing - not something we usually think about but all birthing coaches know its importance. Yoga pays a lot of attention to the breath. Prenatal yoga turns this attention especially to the skills of breath for calming and for birth.
2. Balance - all that growth in the tummy really changes your centre of gravity and your balance can be challenged, but yoga balance practices help you manage it like a breeze.
3. Calming to nervous system - it can be a pretty challenging time but yoga while pregnant gives you lots of techniques and practices that soothe the nervous system and switch on the calm.
4. Back pain - it is one of the big challenges for many pregnant women - back pain. Prenatal yoga sequences and pregnancy stretches will relieve tensions in the back and hips and give real relief.
5. Pelvic floor - its under a lot of pressure but the work you do now will assist in years to come. It must be softened and simultaneously strengthened in preparation for birth and the return to functionality post birth. (Do continue yoga after baby comes, this is one key area yoga will help with in the ante natal time as well, it is really important.)

How do I find the best prenatal yoga centre near me?

Well no doubt you will pop a few search terms into your search engine and take a look at what comes up. But also ask around. Ask your doctor and midwife if they would recommend somewhere. Ask friends if they attended prenatal yoga. But before settling you should check out their website and look at the philosophy and credentials of the centre and of the prenatal teachers. Feel free to contact the centre and ask any questions you have.

Yoga Spirit Studios is running Prenatal Yoga on Sunday mornings

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