The changes and special conditions through which the body and mind of a pregnant woman pass are well known. Although these nine months of pregnancy means a marvelous season, full of happiness and enrichment, Factors such as weight gain or movement limitations, pain and nausea can be part of the pregnancy process, the baby (and therefore the belly) growing, along with the natural concerns of such an important time can make a pregnant woman get overwhelmed and be mentally and physically exhausted.
While good nutrition, the consumption of vitamins and supplements are of extraordinary importance, this is not enough to guarantee the comfort and well-being of pregnant women. for this reason, specialists recommend practicing certain beneficial physical activities. But what are these activities? It is well known that during pregnancy, special care must be taken regarding the type of physical activity that is performed. Doctors recommend up to about four months to refrain from complex exercises since the first months of pregnancy you can risk seriously harming the baby with sudden or forced movements. However, during this precarious period, walking and very gentle stretching are recommended. After the passage of the second trimester of pregnancy, mothers are recommended other types of activities, all under the supervision of a specialist in the treatment of pregnant women. Hiking, swimming, dancing and, of course, the most recommended physical activity: yoga
Working out your body and mind
This practice not only serves to exercise the body but also is a great contribution to the relaxation and release of the mind. Along with strengthening and toning all the muscles of the body, the stretches made through the different positions, the instructor assigns in a practice is very important to condition the body for the changes that await you. In addition, breathing in yoga is the means to perfect postures, to oxygenate and refresh the organs and to relax the mind. The control of breathing that pregnant women learn during their yoga classes will be of supreme importance to facilitate labor.
Asanas bring health during pregnancy
the practicing of yoga consists in the performing of asanas, these are ancestral positions or postures that can be maintained long, immobile and effortless, controlling breathing and mental concentration. The asanas act on certain organs, internal glands, joints, and muscles, due to the positions that are adopted in each one. While the performing, certain parts of the body are compressed producing blockages in organs and glands and when the position has undone a flow of blood flow is produced on the areas that were compressed, causing their activation or cleaning. During these practices in static positions, when there is no movement, the pregnant woman becomes more aware of her body since it is easier for the mind to concentrate on the inside and ignore the outside world. This work of the mind and body together is extremely beneficial for the pregnant woman, allowing them to focus on their own being, on their sensations, on the changes they experience, in the presence of the baby in their womb. The mental concentration that is vital for the execution of these postures, is determined by the control of breathing, relaxation, and fixation of the mind.
Breathing is the key.
The essential element in Yoga is breathing. The same happens during childbirth. Proper breathing is the only tool the woman must regulate the levels of stress and pain during labor contractions facilitating these. In each position of Yoga, a different type of breathing is conditioned, causing the entry of air into lung areas that normally do not work, causing that, at the end of a Yoga session, the woman’s lungs have been fully ventilated. In Yoga, the breaths are divided into three types: the abdominal, the thoracic and the clavicular.
Psychological and emotional benefits
As an additional benefit that Yoga brings to pregnant women, it can be a recovery or reaffirmation of self-esteem, since the principle of this is “practice by practice”, that is, it does not stipulate a certain physical condition, it is a constant advance that it considers even more important the inner well-being that the outside, without judging the physical limitations, since it looks for the improvement and improvement through the constant practice. Yoga even can help you to feel more connected with your baby, just the act of going to a prenatal yoga class is a gentle reminder to take the time out of a busy work and home life to care for and bond with your growing baby. As your pregnancy progresses, your body’s different responses to yoga poses will be a reminder of other physical changes happening in your body.