Pre-natal Yoga
Many women struggle with maintaining their fitness and their suppleness when pregnant. Yoga is a great exercise for pregnant women to practise as it has practically zero impact joints yet enables you to maintain or gain flexibility. Yoga is also great for pregnant women as it can be very relaxing and will teach you to breathe properly. The meditative qualities of yoga are very well known.
Breathing techniques and being able to center yourself is going to come in handy throughout the pregnancy, through the birth itself and onto motherhood beyond! There is a great breathing technique in yoga called ujayi. To perform ujayi you should:
1) breathe slowly through your nose, filling your lungs with air.
2) exhale fully, until you cannot exhale any more. Compress your abdomen.
Ujayi is a great way to breathe through pain.
Prenatal yoga classes will teach you postures you can employ to help you remain comfortable whilst you are pregnant. It will also teach you breathing and relaxation methods.
Whilst yoga is great for pre-natal women there are some tips you should follow to prevent harming your baby. You should not lie flat on your back as that can decrease the flow of oxygenated blood to the uterus. Don't place too much strain on (your already streched) stomach muscles. If you feel any pain at all whilst practising pre-natal yoga, you should stop immediately.
Note that your balance may become affected as bub starts to get bigger. In your third trimester you should perform standing poses with the aid of a wall or chair.
Always choose a yoga teacher that is qualified and experienced in pre-natal yoga. Always inform your yoga teacher that you are pregnant before the class starts.