Women who want to give birth naturally are advised to take up prenatal yoga. It has been proven clinically that this type of light exercise prepares and strengthens cardiovascular capacity and prepares a body for birth.
Pregnancy can be tough for some women and exercise programs like prenatal yoga provide relief from conditions such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and pressure on sciatic nerves. It also reduces back discomfort, a common occurrence amongst women with an inflexible body.
Once your doctor gives you the green light for mild exercises, you can prepare your body to give birth with prenatal yoga that includes slow and gentle stretching of muscles, rotation of joints and breathing exercises. If you continue with these yoga practices for a few months or even a few weeks, you will experience several benefits: such as better functioning of the heart and a well-regulated nervous system.
The typical asanas recommended during pregnancy are:
Pigeon – helps to gently prepare the hip bones to widen during birth
Extended triangle asana – helps to relieve back pain and stretch the groin
Half-moon pose – helps to improve the balance, which is extremely important for a pregnant woman.
All these prenatal yoga poses also improve the functioning of body organs.
Also, Ujjayi breathing technique is recommended to women nearing the second trimester, as it helps create more space for the foetus inside a womb. Additional tip is to close the eyes and be aware of the fresh oxygen flowing inside your body, nourishing every part of it and the baby.
The best time to begin yoga classes are after the passing of the first three months, as typically at this time the woman is free from morning sickness and the size of her belly still allows her to move around quite freely. At the same time, it is important to never push your body to its limits during exercise sessions.
Consult your doctor about the safety of yoga in your case if you have had any miscarriages or suffer from lower back pain. If you’re new to yoga, start practicing with a group under supervision of a trained instructor before you practice at home.
[“source-yoga”]