Antenatal Yoga

Antenatal yoga, or more commonly referred to as prenatal yoga, provides a lot of benefits to an expecting mother.   The fundamentals incorporated in yoga help bring awareness, balance, and calmness to your body and mind.  Taking an antenatal yoga class can help a pregnant woman feel confident in her abilities to give birth and embrace this part of being a woman.

Antenatal yoga classes provide women an outlet to explore their feelings, become more comfortable with their bodies and form bonds with other women that are going through the same thing.    You become a part of a community that is focused on being positive and supportive to one another which helps keep you motivated and emotionally sound.  Pregnancy can bring a lot of stress on a woman, especially if this is her first child.  Learning how to channel your energy and find ways to relieve stress can greatly improve the pregnancy and the health of the baby.

Antenatal yoga, combined with a form of cardiovascular exercise, is an good  way for a woman to stay in shape during pregnancy.   Here are a few poses that are great during pregnancy.

Cat-Cow: This pose helps you to relieve back pain, which is a very common problem during pregnancy and work on your abs.

• You will position yourself on your hands and knees, with your arms shoulder width apart and your knees hip width apart.  Make sure to keep your arms straight, but do not lock your elbows.
• Tuck your butt under and round your back as you inhale.
• Relax the back into a neutral position as you exhale

Squatting: This helps open and relax the pelvis and strengthens your upper legs.

• Stand facing a chair or some form of support bar you can grab onto.  Open your feet a little wider than your hips with your toes pointed outward.
• Lift your chest, contract the abdominal muscles and relax the shoulders.  Then, as if you were going to sit down, lower your butt towards the floor.  Use the bar or chair to keep your balance and most of your weight should be on your heels.
• Inhale deeply and when exhaling rise to a standing position

Relaxation: This pose opens up your hip and groin area and works wonders for relieving backaches.

• Take your yoga pillow and lay it beyind you, lengthwise.  Lower yourself onto the pillow with your head rested at the top.
• Stretch the body out.

Remember, the type of yoga poses you perform are dependent on what trimester you are in. If you are taking antenatal yoga classes, make sure to speak with the instructor first as they will be able to show you which poses you can perform.