Yoga for pregnant women

Being pregnant does not have to be a limitation to exercise. On the contrary, it is a period in which one must break with a sedentary lifestyle and try to keep the body moving. For this, nothing better than yoga for pregnant women, because it creates a balance in the body-mind relationship.

Yoga is a very popular practice throughout the world; in which, through proper breathing and physical posture, it is possible to eliminate the pressure points generated by stress. Likewise, with yoga it is possible to alleviate some diseases, being a therapy of great help against respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological conditions. In addition, these types of exercises improve mental health.

In the case of pregnant women, it is known that they go through constant hormonal and physical changes during the gestation period, coming to experience a strong load of stress. For this, there is prenatal yoga, which consists of a series of postures with gentle movements, specially designed to adapt to the needs of future mothers. In this way, women will not run any risks when carrying out the practices.

Yoga for pregnant women: Benefits and disadvantages

If you are an expectant mother, you have surely heard of the importance of keeping moving during the nine months of pregnancy, leaving a sedentary lifestyle in the past and implementing special exercises. Thus, the woman will keep her muscles in shape and, in turn, will prepare for the moment of childbirth.

In relation to this topic, there are several yoga exercises for pregnant women that reduce fatigue, back pain, stress, among other problems. However, despite the popularity acquired by this activity, do you really know what yoga is and what it is for? How to do yoga? What are its advantages and disadvantages? Next, we explain it to you.

about yoga

Yoga for maternity is one of the most used activities for pregnant women in order to strengthen muscles and release stress, which is convenient at the time of delivery. It is a practice in which breathing techniques are performed, which will favor the management of contractions.

Likewise, there is the stretching of the extremities, making smooth and constant movements, while, with the yoga poses, the stability of the body and flexibility are enhanced, being necessary the use of a nursing pillow or some type of support, to avoid injury. 

Similarly, the relaxation stage of the yoga session is important, in which the person is invited to achieve inner calm by reciting a mantra or listening to their own heartbeat or those of the baby.

Advantages and disadvantages of maternity yoga

Yoga is an activity that, although it implies a low physical impact on the woman’s body, provides benefits for her health and that of the baby that forms inside her womb. For this reason, it is recommended that the future mother carry out a series of pregnancy yoga routines throughout the gestation period, supervised by a professional instructor. 

Advantages

Yoga has an antidepressant function in pregnant women, as well as being excellent for combating anxiety, which is so recurrent during the gestation period. This is because, during the yoga sessions carried out, some meditation techniques are put into practice.

If yoga exercises are carried out from the first months, the nausea experienced by most women can be controlled, as well as dizziness and shortness of breath.

With the practice of yoga it is possible to simultaneously relax the mind and the body, allowing the future mother to eliminate stress and pain in the lower back, in order to fall asleep pleasantly every night.

Doing yoga weekly at least a couple of times from the fourth month of pregnancy is a beneficial activity to increase the body’s defenses, that is, improve the immune system against infectious agents. This according to studies carried out on women who practice yoga for pregnant women.

Another of the objectives of yoga is to prepare the woman’s body for the day labor begins, which is achieved due to the postures and movements practiced during pregnancy, which are responsible for strengthening the muscles, so that they are much stronger and, in turn, add body flexibility. In fact, according to health specialists, the practice of maternity yoga reduces both the possibility of experiencing a caesarean section and the pain of childbirth. However, not all are advantages, since there are some contraindications to take into consideration.

Disadvantages

More than listing a series of disadvantages after the practice of maternity yoga, it is about mentioning some contraindications of yoga, to avoid injuries to the woman’s body or affect the baby’s health.

The main thing is to avoid poses that cause overexertion, such as yoga twists, yoga bridge, yoga candle pose, deep twist, lying on the back and prone poses. Likewise, it is not wise to overly compress or stretch the abdominal region. In this sense, apart from yoga for pregnant women, hatha yoga is also recommended, due to the safety offered by its poses.

Finally, avoid the practice of Bikram yoga, since this is a modality characterized by being performed in a room with a temperature of 40°C, in order to achieve effective calorie burning. This heat is harmful to the mother, causing dehydration and difficulty breathing.

We can conclude that yoga during the pregnancy process is of great importance for women, but you should document yourself on the subject before starting this type of guided exercise. 

Likewise, remember to attend classes with a professional, who will explain in detail the breathing process and each of the postures. For exercise sessions, she buys a yoga mat, a cotton cloth, cushions and a hydration bottle. In addition, you can place a GPS car mount next to the steering wheel or on the windshield, so that you can easily monitor the route and arrive at the yoga class every day.