6 Benefits of Yoga for Pregnant Women

Women during pregnancy experience various physical and mood changes in the months before the baby”s arrival. The pregnancy yoga helps us to know and accept the changes, it also helps inner well – being and avoid the stress of childbirth.

Although the ideal is to have done yoga previously to know how it works, it is never too late to start practicing and notice its benefits in a stage as complex and at the same time rewarding as pregnancy. In fact, the more moderate postures that beginners start with are ideal for a pregnant woman.
It is recommended to wait until the second trimester to start the exercises if you are not used to doing yoga, because by then the baby will have already acquired a more advanced development. However, with the right pace you can get on as soon as you want.

Here are some of the benefits of yoga for pregnant women:

Keeps you in shape.

Yoga is the best ‘sport” for pregnant women. The exercises are smooth and fluid, but that doesn”t make them less demanding. With continued practice you will tone your muscles, improve your flexibility and balance, and help improve blood circulation. Much of the attention will also go to the perineum area to facilitate the widening of the pelvis when the time comes.
You have to avoid the most extreme postures and adapt to what your body asks of you. Little by little you will notice how the exercises improve daily activities such as turning over in bed or bending over without difficulty.

Provides energy and well-being.

Yoga does not only act on our body, it is also a good way to train our mind to stop anxiety with meditation, and live in the moment.
It is common to think that pregnant women should avoid physical activity to avoid fatigue, however yoga is an inexhaustible source of vital energy for you and your baby. Thanks to yoga you will feel full of positive energy that will help you face each new stage with serenity, and internalize the process to get to know yourself better.

Helps combat minor ailments of pregnancy.

It is inevitable that pregnancy is accompanied by certain muscle aches, nausea and tension. Especially when the belly grows, its weight creates pain in the lower back. It is also common to notice heavy legs and some swelling in the ankles, feet and hands due to fluid retention that causes poor circulation in an advanced stage of pregnancy. Yoga helps reduce all these little discomforts by improving posture, facilitating circulation, and exercising the muscles to make them stronger and more resistant.

It teaches you to relax.

Yoga in general, and yoga for pregnant women in particular, emphasizes breathing as the key to controlling our body, so it will be one of the first things you learn. Although at first glance it seems unimportant, correct breathing helps you combat stress by strengthening the nervous system, will prevent you from running out of breath after physical efforts, and serves as a relaxation exercise.
Knowing how to relax is especially helpful for contractions and during labor; at this time the body releases a hormone to reduce pain, oxytocin, which anxiety or tension does not allow to develop, so the more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to give birth.

Improves the connection between mother and baby.

Doing yoga pregnant is not doing it alone: ​​both the mother and the future baby participate in the exercises and give each other time alone, away from worries and daily chores. Yoga helps to reinforce the connection between the two since as a mother you feel your baby, even noticing which postures he likes more or less according to his reactions.

Group classes and common support.

Finally, and although you can practice yoga without leaving home through books or videos, we advise you to attend a group with a qualified yoga teacher who will guide you according to your particular needs. Not only that, but seeing yourself surrounded by other women who are going through the same experience as you will motivate you to keep exercising and provide emotional support.