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Using yoga during pregnancy contributes greatly to make this period more memorable by keeping your body and mind fresh and healthy.
Is Yoga During Your Pregnancy Safe?
In this blog post, we are going to learn some important benefits of using yoga during pregnancy.
We will also share some important relaxation techniques that will definitely help pregnant women for easier and more comfortable labor.
As we know pregnancy brings many changes in the body of women and these changes can cause mental and physical stress as well.
Yoga has several benefits however. In this blog post we are going to explore some of these important benefits of using yoga during your pregnancy.
We will be discussing the following points in this article.
- Can You Do Yoga During Your Pregnancy
- Benefits of Using Yoga While Pregnant
- Yoga For Pregnancy First Trimester
- Yoga Poses to Avoid During Your Pregnancy
- Pregnancy Yoga Poses for Your Third Trimester
- Safety Tips for Using Yoga While Pregnant
- Pregnancy Yoga Videos
When someone finds that yoga can be used during pregnancy then the first question that immediately comes to her mind is whether yoga is good for pregnancy or not? So let’s find out the answer to this question;
Can You Do Yoga During Your Pregnancy?
According to Romeo Acosta, MD St. Petersburg General Hospital, yoga is a wonderful thing to do whether you are pregnant or not, however for pregnant patients yoga is very important.
Using yoga helps in proper breathing during pregnancy and makes a woman more relaxed. However, he recommends that there are certain poses that patients should avoid during the second trimester of pregnancy.
Similarly, some yoga poses can only be practiced at high temperatures so a pregnant woman should avoid them as well.
According to Thomas Antony, MD, of Citrus Memorial Hospital, Yoga is best for pregnancy, however yoga beginners must be careful to avoid injuries.
So, the answer to the aforementioned question “Can You Do Yoga During Your Pregnancy?” is that, yeah, yoga is safe to do while pregnant.
There are certain things such as BIKRAM (Hot Yoga), Inversions, and lying flat on your back that should be avoided.
Before discussing yoga poses that are safe for pregnancy we are going to explore some of yoga’s benefits during your pregnancy.
Benefits of Using Yoga While Pregnant
Are there any benefits to performing Yoga while you are pregnant? As we discussed earlier, pregnancy brings many changes in the body of women and yoga is best for them.
Recent yoga studies done “suggests that yoga is well indicated for pregnant women and leads to improvements on a variety of pregnancy, labor, and birth outcomes.” – Source: US National Library of Medicine
So, here we’ll find out the benefits of using yoga while you are pregnant in a little more detail.
There are several reasons why yoga is one of the most recommended exercises for pregnant women, and that is that, in addition to being a low-impact physical activity, various studies have shown that Yoga has many benefits for both mom and the baby.
One study claims that yoga is the best exercise for pregnancy, as it is more effective than walking or prenatal class exercises, and that it can be done safely in women with depression.
In fact, it is proven that yoga can help reduce depressive symptoms during pregnancy, especially when the posture exercises are accompanied by meditation and deep relaxation, making it ideal for those suffering from depression or anxiety.
Practicing yoga during the time that you are pregnant, will boost your immune system, reduce the amount of stress, and lower anxiety.
In addition, yoga not only helps during pregnancy but also prepares you for delivery, as another study found that it helps reduce pain during labor and may even help reduce the likelihood of having a cesarean section.
Other Yoga Benefits During Your Pregnancy are:
- Increase Muscle Tone – Keeping your muscles and body strong will make your pregnancy much easier to endure.
- Reduce Stress During Your Pregnancy – A good yoga routine that includes meditation, deep relaxation, and deep breathing will help you to reduce stress.
- Sleep Better – Yoga helps you to sleep better, as it is a relaxing activity that reduces feelings of fatigue.
- Reduces Back Pain – Doing Yoga routines will improve your body posture and will in turn lower your back pain.
- Stronger Connections – By focusing on your breathing you become more aware of your body and your baby.
- Meet Fellow Moms To Be – Meet other moms to be while attending a Yoga class, get helpful tips, and more.
- Make Delivery Day Easier – Practising Yoga while pregnant will teach you to properly breath and relax.
“prenatal yoga might also help you prepare for labor and promote your baby’s health” – Source: MayoClinic.org
Moms to be should consult with their doctor before starting any new exercise regimen to make sure it is safe for them to do.
Increase Your Muscle Tone During Your Pregnancy
Women accustomed to exercising can continue with their routine normally during the first months of pregnancy.
However, it is advised to consult a doctor to ensure that your favorite exercises do not endanger the health of the baby.
If your doctor gave you the green light to do so, start with a slow, low-impact yoga routine for 30 minutes three times a week. Try this easy 1-Minute Yoga Routine to Lower Back Pain.
Advise your Yoga instructor that you are pregnant so that he/she can make some modifications and thus avoid dangerous movements for you or the baby.
Reduce Stress Through Prenatal Yoga
Yoga plays a vital role to reduce stress in expectant mothers and this is proved by scientific research as well.
After examining expectant mothers doing yoga for 8 weeks, the research that was conducted by The Journal of Depression and Anxiety concluded that stress was reduced in the women who were using yoga.
There was a decrease in cortisol hormone that is the main cause of stress.
So, the second benefit of using yoga in pregnancy is that it helps the expectant women to enjoy a stress-free life.
Yoga Your Way to a Good Night Sleep
Research published by the National Sleep Foundation found that 78% of women suffer from disturbed sleep during pregnancy.
According to this foundation, the reason for this disturbing sleep is hormonal changes from the first trimester of pregnancy.
If you are also suffering from disturbed sleep than yoga is here to help you.
Researchers at the National Library of Medicine have clearly shown that prenatal yoga is one of the most effective ways that can help women in reducing the stress and tension that lead toward disturbed sleep.
Yoga poses such as Chakravakasana can be used to care for this problem.
However, poses such as in Bikram yoga are considered hot yoga so experts recommend not using them in pregnancy.
So, consult with your trainer to get expert advice about suitable poses for pregnancy.
Ease Your Back Pain With Yoga
Will Yoga help me with Back Pain? As we have mentioned earlier, pregnancy brings many changes in women and these changes can be painful as well.
According to the research by Your Pregnancy Week by Week, “back pain can start fairly early on in your pregnancy. Some women experience it in the first trimester“.
If you are suffering from this pain, Yoga is here to relieve your pain as well. Pregnancy yoga stretches such as cat-cow pose, seated piriformis stretch, and child’s pose, can help you to relieve your pregnancy pains.
So, the fourth benefit of using yoga in pregnancy is that it will help you to reduce pregnancy pains.
Stronger Connections with Baby Through Yoga
Prenatal yoga provides the best opportunity to expectant mothers to build a strong bond with their growing baby.
Poses such as “Hero Pose” help the mother in deep breathing.
This ultimately leads towards a meaningful connection between mom and baby.
Socialize With Fellow Moms to Be
Yoga plays a crucial role in the development of socialization as well.
When one expectant mother joins a yoga class, it is a great opportunity for her to connect with other mothers as well.
So, yoga is one of the most effective ways to develop social connections during pregnancy as well.
Yoga To Get Ready For The Delivery Day
Labor and delivery could be a fearful thing to a new mom and no doubt it is different and difficult for every woman.
Prenatal yoga is one of the most effective ways to remove fear-tension and pain cycles.
According to the research published in Taiwan in 2009, prenatal yoga gives more control and it leads toward smooth deliveries.
In addition, prenatal yoga also plays a vital role in relaxing your body muscles, tensions, and tightness. So this helps in delivery as well.
The preparation of the pelvis plays a significant role in the childbirth process.
Bones in the pelvis make room by shifting naturally but sometimes a misalignment in bones and ligaments can happen.
Sometimes due to this imbalance, some serious problems can happen such as narrowing down the birth canal and can affect the ability of the movement of a baby into an optimal position.
Yoga can help you to solve this problem as well and poses such as cat and cow pose, hip opener pose, and Pelvic floor training can help effectively in childbirth.
Yoga for Pregnancy First Trimester
Is Yoga Good For Pregnant women in their first trimester? As we have discussed earlier the use of yoga during your pregnancy has many benefits, however you should follow the proper guidelines of a certified yoga trainer.
Here are some yoga poses that will bring you great benefits during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Bhujangasana Pose or Cobra Pose
Bhujangasana Pose or Cobra Pose – This yoga pose is also known as cobra-pose and during this pose women should not push too hard and keep the position for a maximum of 30 seconds. It might be a good idea to ask your doctor about this, even in the first trimester as it does put weight on the abdomen while stretching it.
Otherwise, using this pose during the first trimester of pregnancy can help you to release your stress and tension.
In addition to this benefit, this pose helps in the improvement of mood and flexibility.
Bitalasana Pose or Cow Pose
Bitalasana Pose or Cow Pose – This is a beginner level of asana and it is usually practiced with the cat pose.
Using Bitalasana pose during the first trimester of pregnancy will help you in blood circulation and in the internal massage of body organs.
In addition to these benefits, this yoga pose also helps in stress relief and in the lowering of back pain.
Margariasana Pose or Cat Pose
Margariasana Pose or Cat Pose – This can be practiced by making a cat shape stretch with your back.
This type of yoga pose has several benefits such as purification of blood, proper blood circulation, and stress reducer for pregnant women.
Experts recommend that you should hold the position of this pose for a maximum of fifteen seconds.
Tadasana Pose or Mountain Pose
Tadasana Pose or Mountain Pose – This pose is also known as the towering pose and it is considered as the standing pose of Hatha Yoga.
Using this yoga pose during the first trimester of pregnancy can help you in proper breathing and in improved posture.
In addition to this benefit, this pose helps to prevent flat feet as well as to improve mobility and strength of legs, hips, and feet.
Virabhadrasana Pose or Warrior Pose I
Virabhadrasana Pose or Warrior Pose I – This pose is also known as Warrior pose I, and it can be practiced just about anywhere that is safe.
This pose helps in energizing the body as well as building stamina and focus.
In addition to these benefits, this pose helps to improve balance and stability.
Yoga Poses to Avoid During Pregnancy
The practice of yoga for pregnant women is very beneficial to maintain muscle flexibility, relieve discomfort, and feel calmer.
However, you cannot practice all the available yoga poses or asanas. Take note of the 5 types of yoga poses that you should stay away from.
1. Abdominal Flexing Postures
The first and most important suggestion is to avoid any posture that puts pressure on the abdomen, such as deep-flex postures that compress the belly.
2. Lying Prone Postures
It is clear that the belly cannot and should not support any weight.
Apart from being a very uncomfortable posture, especially from the second trimester, it would create an overload and overexertion and would be dangerous for the health of both mother and baby.
3. Deep Extension Postures
As pregnancy progresses and the weight of the future mother’s belly becomes evident, it is important to pay close attention to the position that is adopted at all times.
Discomfort in the lower back and lumbar area can be intensified, which is why extension positions can be counterproductive since they intensify the lumbar curvature and pressure on the sacrum.
4. Postures Lying on Your Back
When a pregnant woman is lying on her back, the fetus and all organs can compress the inferior vena cava, reducing blood flow to the heart and oxygen to the mother’s organs as well as the baby.
5. The Inverted Postures
Obviously, the risk of falling is important, that is why they are not recommended positions for pregnant women.
Pregnancy and Yoga Poses on your Third Trimester
Which Yoga poses are safe to do in the third trimester? The final stretch arrives and we become more and more aware of the moment of delivery.
A cascade of emotions, from joy to fear, can arise in the last months of pregnancy.
Concerned about our ability to give birth, it is a time in which we need to feel informed and safe and for this, the practice of yoga, relaxation, and meditation can help us.
These are the 5 recommended pregnancy yoga poses in the third trimester.
1. Virabhadrasana I Pose or Warrior Pose I
Using Warrior I Pose – This is best not only for upper parts such as the chest but it also helps to strengthen the legs.
In addition to this, it is also beneficial for restoring the health of the spine as well as for the growth of the uterus.
Expectant women can use this technique to reduce tension and to increase concentration power.
2. Baddha Konasana Pose or Cobbler Pose
Baddha Konasana Poser Cobbler Pose – This type of yoga pose helps pregnant women in improving the health of their reproductive system.
This yoga is very significant for opening up the pelvis so this helps in easy and fast labor.
This pose is also beneficial for the relaxation of the body and blood circulation.
3. Savasana or Corpse Pose
Savasana or Corpse Pose – This yoga pose plays a crucial role in relaxing your body and mind during the third trimester of pregnancy. Check out our post Mind and Body Benefits to You
It helps to boost energy so it becomes easy for the women to fight against any fatigue during their trimester of pregnancy.
This yoga pose also helps reduce pains, nausea, and morning sickness.
As lying on your back can compromise the vena cava, as mentioned above, it would be better to modify this by lying on your side
4. Balasana or Childs Pose
Balasana or Childs Pose – The Child pose is among the breathing yoga Asanas for pregnancy and it helps to increase focus on breathing. Again, you don’t want to compress the abdomen, so adjust this one by using the table top method and being on your hands and knees.
As stable breath is very important for pregnancy so this type of yoga can help you for a happy and healthy pregnancy. Check out our post Yoga For an Active Lifestyle.
5. Virabhadrasana II or Warrior II Pose
Virabhadrasana II or Warrior II Pose – This yoga pose is not only beneficial for the first trimester of yoga but also for the third trimester of pregnancy.
This pose helps you to strengthen your legs and to lengthen your spine. This pose is also best to remove backaches during pregnancy.
Safety Tips for Using Yoga While Pregnant
Is yoga safe for pregnancy? The short answer is YES! The long answer is that with care, checking with your doctor, and finding the right yoga instructor: yoga can be very beneficial for you and the baby.
Having said that, here are some important safety tips during your pregnancy yoga routine that you should consider;
- During your pregnancy avoid hot yoga poses because they can be harmful to the developing baby.
- You should avoid yoga that includes twists, jumps, and back bending as well.
- Take care of your knees and practice poses to such an extent that is comfortable for you.
- Never use the videos and DVDs without proper consultation of an expert trainer.
- If you feel any kind of pain after yoga then contact your doctor immediately to avoid any serious issues.
Check out these Pregnancy Yoga Related Articles Below for more info.
- Using Yoga During Your Pregnancy Safety Tips – Safety Tips that you should be aware of when you practice yoga while pregnant. Yoga is safe and we’ll explore which yoga poses are unsafe for you.
- Yoga After Giving Birth Helpful Tips and Poses – Check out this Yoga After Giving Birth Helpful Tips and Poses that will help you get back to being fit and trim.
Yoga and Pregnancy Youtube Videos
If you are looking for yoga videos and online pregnancy yoga classes then check out other sections of our website to find the best quality videos for you.
If you are looking for Yoga YouTube channels such as “Pregnancy and Postpartum TV“, “Fit Tak” “Wild Dish” and “Yoga with Adreine” are the best channels for you to begin your classes.
Experts recommend that you should not directly watch videos to practice them without checking with your doctor; this can lead to serious problems.
We Hope You Like This Post “Using Yoga During Pregnancy Has Many Benefits”
Using yoga while pregnant can provide important benefits however experts suggest that several precautions should be considered before starting yoga.
In this article we have explored how using yoga is beneficial for pregnant women and safety tips for using yoga.
Experts recommend that using yoga is very important to keep pregnant women stress free and active.
So, if you want to make this period more memorable then using yoga will be the best decision for you.
Keep learning the essential tips and they’ll pay you back in prenatal and postnatal life. Namaste!
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