Prenatal yoga is a modern approach of exercise in pregnancy, that encourages stretching, mental centering and focused breathing. Research suggests that prenatal yoga is safe and may benefit pregnant women as well as their babies.
Yoga in pregnancy can improve sleep, decrease stress, increase strength of pelvic floor muscles needed for childbirth and decrease lower back pain, nausea and headaches.
Important considerations, when you attend Yoga classes:
- “Hot" yoga (working out in an overheated room) is to be avoided in pregnancy.
- Inform the tutor about your pregnancy and how advanced your pregnancy is
- Avoid exercises that make you lie on your back because the uterus can apply pressure on a big vessel next to your spine, thus reducing blood flow to the uterus.
- Avoid lying on your tummy (prone), upside-down postures (inversions), as awell as stretching your abdominal muscles too much.
- In advanced pregnancy use a chair for support in order to avoid losing your balance and risking injury to yourself or your baby.
- Keep your pelvis in a neutral position during poses.
- When practicing twisting poses, twist more from the shoulders and back than from the waist, to avoid putting any pressure on your abdomen.
- If you feel any discomfort, stop.
After pregnancy, Yoga can also help new mothers handle the stress of looking after the newborn as well as postnatal depression that quite often affects new mothers.
In any case, Dr Bazeos works with Yoga trainers who are particularly interested in pregnant women, so do not hesitate to ask for their advice.
