Adding Yoga To Your Prenatal Care

Yoga has been a part of my life since I was fourteen.  It has always been there for me in many different stages of my life and I have come to rely on it deeply.   The most tangible and profound stage was giving birth to my children.  During the birth of my first child I had childbirth classes that were invaluable to me and I had a wonderful midwife that supported me and answered my questions.  But… it was the consistent practice of yoga over a period of time that allowed me to translate that knowledge into my body.  Yoga enabled me to feel what it was like to tap into a needed boost of strength and energy.  It reminded me how important and powerful focusing on the breath is; especially in the moments of feeling uncertain or inadequate.   During yoga classes, I practiced trusting my body.

I believe the body has an innate wisdom that will intuitively take care of itself.  This includes the natural process of birth.  With the great progress and advances of modern medicine; which has done wonders for us all; it is easy sometime to forget that we embody the greatest wonder of all… the human body.  We forget to trust the basics - our bodies. Women have been giving birth for...well for as long as there have been mothers and babies.  Yoga can help us regain that sense of wonder and trust in our bodies, letting the process of pregnancy and birth unfold naturally.

Prenatal yoga classes prepare our bodies as well as our minds for this great event of giving birth.   Yoga can help decrease most of the symptoms of pregnancy that causes discomfort; such as back pain, constipation and swelling of the ankles.  It improves the circulation and helps digestion as well as strengthening the uterus and the pelvic muscles.  Yoga increases flexibility and endurance, as well as an overall strengthening of the body which will be tapped deeply during the birth process.  Most importantly it brings our awareness to the power of the breath.  The breath is the bridge to a fulfilling experience of birth for the mother and child. It brings us into the present moment and helps us to deal with our natural fears and pain of child birth.

Yoga classes can provide for a mother, especially a new mother,  a safe, open community to discuss any issues from discomfort or concerns, to the wonderful new changes happening to your body and baby.   We come to celebrating an event in our lives that was truly life transforming but at the same time as normal and natural as feeling the earth under our feet and taking a breath of fresh air.

So, think about adding yoga to your prenatal care.