Yoga For Pregnancy
Pregnancy is an important change in a woman’s body and utmost care should be taken to help the process along. There are many options with conventional medicine, but if you would like to try something innovative, why not give yoga a shot.
Yoga exercises both the body and mind and has been practiced for centuries. Yoga discipline has originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Yoga is unique amongst all other forms of exercise because it is one of the few forms of exercise that directly affects the sympathetic nervous system in a positive manner. In addition, it also improves the flexibility of the body and strengthens the immune system.
Yoga for pregnancy is extremely useful during three phases, the duration of pregnancy itself, labor, and delivery. It helps a pregnant woman cultivate the art of relaxation, which is very important as pregnancy can bring fatigue and irritability.
Not all yoga physical poses such as the difficult stretches or balancing positions can be practiced during pregnancy. ‘Shalabhasana’ or the locust pose involves lying down on your stomach with lifted legs. This pose puts a lot of pressure on the belly and is harmful to the baby, especially after the third trimester. It may also be very strenuous to lift the legs, and causes an undue increase in breathing rate and blood pressure. A shoulder-stand or headstand becomes extremely difficult after the first trimester. It requires you to balance and puts undue strain on your muscles. However, even before then, the weight of the belly will compress the chest and make it difficult to breathe and is therefore unadvisable. ‘Viparita Karani’ or inverted leg stretch, where you stand lie down with your legs up against the wall is not desirable during pregnancy. This is because poses done on the back are cautioned against due to the weight of the fetus pressing on the abdomen. Even a simple pose like ‘Balasana’ or child pose, which resembles a fetus in a curled-up position, can be harmful if not done properly.
Certain heavy breathing exercises are not suitable during pregnancy either. For example, the Ujjayi breathing or ocean breath makes you take full breaths that fill your stomach and rib cage. Doing this exercise too often puts stress on your breathing and stomach.
Although there are certain contraindications, there are numerous benefits with yoga if done correctly. If you do decide to practice yoga, do ensure that you seek the advice of a trained yoga teacher as he or she will be able to guide you towards postures that will benefit you during pregnancy. There are also many pre-natal yoga courses available that are specially geared towards pregnant women.
