
Yoga for pregnancy has many benefits. The main one being relaxation. Yoga helps you to learn how to relax physically and mentally, so that you feel calm during this great change in your life. If a pregnant woman is very stressed during pregnancy her adrenalin levels will be high and this is transmitted to the baby. It is then common for the baby to be born with high adrenalin levels, producing a baby that is very stressed, nervous and agitated.
Yoga during pregnancy is a great way to exercise safely. Many of the women who attend the classes have never done any yoga before, but benefit enormously. During pregnancy, the body has a higher level of certain hormones, one being relaxin, which helps the ligaments in the body to relax, to create a more flexible pelvis allowing the baby to be born more easily. Pregnant women are naturally more flexible during this time and enjoy gently stretching and exploring their flexibility.
Yoga postures help to open different parts of the body, such as tight shoulders, creating a little more freedom within the body, and more space for the baby. However the individual postures are not so important, but the way the body goes into them. Through the practice of yoga we are taught to listen to the way our own body wants to respond and perform each posture with awareness and intelligence.
Breathing is an important part of yoga. We learn to breathe through the whole body, releasing tension as we exhale. A lot of negative energy and emotions can be released through breathing in this way. This is essential to pregnant women, to see them through labour in the most effective way. There is the opportunity to find calm and stillness through the breath. If a woman in labour is relaxed, the labour will be much easier and shorter, bringing a more peaceful entry to the world for the baby. Even if a pregnant woman has to go through a caesarean section, she can still use the breathing techniques to remain calm and focussed on the positive outcome of her birth.
Book in now for Pregnancy Yoga classes in the North SHore, including Devonport, Albany (Rosedale/Mairangi Bay)