Simply described, prenatal yoga is a form of yoga created especially for pregnant women. Prenatal yoga really tackles the worries that pregnant women could have, unlike a yoga class that only alters a regular practice to be safe for pregnant women. Yoga classes in Sydney relieve common pregnancy aches and pains, lessens pregnant women's emotional and psychological anxieties, and help the body get ready for childbirth and postpartum recovery.
What are the benefits of prenatal yoga?
Prenatal yoga helps your body get ready for birth, eases common pregnancy aches and pains, and supports your mental and emotional health.
The weight of the baby, the pregnancy hormones, and all the other physiological changes your body goes through to sustain the baby cause the pregnant body to alter continually.
For instance, did you know that during pregnancy, your blood volume can rise by almost 50%? Just that by itself can cause nosebleeds and edoema in your hands and feet!
Many of the aches and pains associated with pregnancy can be reduced or even completely eliminated with prenatal yoga, including:
- narrow hips
- a low back ache
- Lower/midback pain
- headaches or discomfort in the neck and shoulders
- SI problems
- the hands and feet swelling
- reflux of acid
- Nausea
Of course, how your prenatal yoga class is instructed will determine how all of that works. You might even make any of the aforementioned problems worse if you're taking a class that is more like a modified version of a regular class.
True prenatal yoga, or a class that helps the pregnant body through its physiological changes, can help alleviate some of the discomfort, though.
Additionally, prenatal yoga offers a support system and a way to express worries about the pregnancy, delivery, and the approaching arrival of that screaming little bundle of joy. Prenatal yoga provides breathing and meditation techniques that can ease anxiety, restless nights, and other prenatal emotions. It is obvious that it cannot take the place of a qualified mental health expert, but it can undoubtedly aid in the journey to optimum mental health.
Finally, prenatal yoga may ease the physical and mental strain of labour for you. Baby can settle into a better position for birth when the body is muscularly balanced and the bones, especially the pelvis, are aligned. Prenatal yoga's stretching exercises may facilitate simpler, quicker labour because the position of the baby can have a significant impact on how your birth proceeds. (Of course, that doesn't guarantee that your labour will be less difficult.)
Furthermore, the breathing and meditation techniques you use during yoga can be useful throughout labour to help you manage the discomfort of giving birth as well as any unexpected challenges that may arise.
Difference between prenatal yoga and regular yoga classes
Prenatal yoga sessions differ significantly from regular yoga programs in a few key ways. For instance:
- Hot yoga is not recommended for pregnant women, thus a prenatal yoga class will never be hot.
- To support your body as it evolves and grows, prenatal yoga will require a lot more supports.
- Yoga during pregnancy won't involve challenging arm balances and inversions (think: handstand, crow pose, etc.)
- A lady won't be asked to lay on her back or belly during a prenatal yoga lesson.
- Core exercises will be approached very differently in a pregnant yoga session than it would be in a regular class.
Here are some more added examples –
- You never have to be concerned about what adaptations to make or about being singled out when doing pregnant yoga.
- Prenatal yoga will help you maximise your well-being during pregnancy and help you get ready for delivery in addition to just making yoga safe.
- Pregnant women can access a community of resources and assistance through prenatal yoga.
