Yoga before and during pregnancy

If you are thinking about getting pregnant, you may want to practice yoga. Yoga is a great way to get your body in shape to help ease some of the discomforts associated with pregnancy. If you practice yoga before you get pregnant, you will be familiar with the poses and that will make a yoga pregnancy exercise program easier for you when you are expecting.

If you decide to practice yoga while you are pregnant, be sure to speak with your prenatal health care provider before you begin. They can offer advice on which pregnancy exercise program is right for you. This is a very important step to ensuring your health and the health of your baby.

Benefits of yoga during pregnancy

A pregnancy exercise program can consist of a cardiovascular exercise such as walking and can be coupled with a yoga program as well. There are many benefits for you from yoga during pregnancy. Exercise is great for keeping your body toned and strong. Many women also report less of a problem with labor after doing a yoga pregnancy exercise program throughout their pregnancy. Exercise has been shown to increase the level of serotonin in the body, which produces a natural “high”. This can cause a decreased level in the feelings of anxiety and depression that sometimes accompany pregnancy.

Exercise is also helpful in preparing the body for delivery of the baby. Many women report that when they practice yoga, it was easier to keep their breathing leveled out. This often helped them to breathe properly when they were delivering their baby. When some women practice yoga while pregnant, they have also stated they have less back pain in the last trimester.

Precautions to take during the exercises

There are some poses that should not be attempted by pregnant women. The inverted poses are not good for an expecting mother. Also, if you are past your first trimester, avoid any yoga pregnancy exercise that has you lie flat on your back. This can decrease the blood flow to your uterus. Steer away from hot yoga. During the second and third trimester, do all standing poses with one foot against a wall, or holding onto a chair. Your center of balance will be much different, even if you practice yoga frequently. A fall could hurt you or your baby.

Be sure to notify your yoga instructor that you are pregnant before you continue to practice yoga. They may suggest a pregnancy exercise program for you, but you still need to follow the advice of your doctor.

After your pregnancy, exercise can be your best friend. If you practice yoga, it can help you cope with the stress of having a new baby, while helping to get your post pregnancy body back into shape. You many have some difficulty at first, and you may wonder why you practice yoga. This will pass and soon you will begin to feel like your old self again.

When you practice yoga, you will help your mind, body, and spirit to become stronger. If you practice yoga before, during, and after your pregnancy, you can reap the rewards of a very healthy, relaxed program that, if continued, can benefit you for years to come.

If you are looking for a home yoga plan then this unique yoga system for women is the most complete yoga program I think there is anywhere. You go from beginner, to intermediate all the way to the flow mastery stage where yoga becomes a fluid movement.