Pregnant? What You Need to Know About Your Pregnancy

Four Benefits Of Yoga For The Expectant Mother

24 February 2015 by Joann Dunn

Pregnancy is a life changing experience for women, but it doesn't mean you have to stop exercising. Now, there are some things you really shouldn't be doing (like skiing, playing softball, kick boxing – basically anything where you'd have a high risk of falling or getting hit in the stomach), but there are many other forms of exercising you can do throughout most of the course of your pregnancy to help you stay fit and relaxed. One form of exercise you can do is yoga. Here are four benefits that prenatal women and their babies can get from performing yoga.

Reduces Stress

One of the best known benefits of yoga is that it helps people reduce their stress levels. A large part of yoga is centered around eliminating the distractions in your life so you can focus on one specific thing – like feeling the growing baby in your womb. This focus allows you to connect with your baby in such a way that the stress of bills, arguments with your partner, or watching your body physically change in ways you might never have imagined drains out of your mind and body.

Helps Prevent Premature Births

Lower stress can help your baby, too. Stress has been shown to induce pre-term labor which could cause your baby to be born prematurely – which can then cause of host of medical problems for the baby both at birth and later on in life.

Helps Prepare You for Labor and Childbirth

Yoga involves poises, stretches, and exercises that help make your muscles more flexible and help you to learn how to control your breathing – this is very important if you are choosing to have a natural childbirth. The exercises that you will do involve controlling how you breathe, how you use your muscles, and how you can mentally focus on one thing – all attributes that are good to have once you go into labor to give birth to your child.

Makes it Easier to Get Back in Shape

Many women like to recapture the physical appearance they had before they became pregnant. Yoga helps you recapture that look. Yoga is a form of exercise that will keep your muscles fit and strong – although you will want to avoid high-impact yoga exercises as you go further along in your pregnancy. You won't have to work as hard to get your muscles back in shape since you never really allowed them to get out of shape.

Make sure you consult with your physician before performing any types of exercises – yoga included. Your physician may also be able to direct you to a yoga clinic that helps expectant mothers learn and do yoga exercises. For more information about pregnancy care, contact a clinic such as The Woman's Center OB-GYN Associates.

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