Prenatal yoga provides physical, mental, and emotional benefits for soon to be mothers. Gentle stretching and strengthening, mental calming, and better awareness of the breath is all part of prenatal yoga.
Yoga is a great way for pregnant women to stay active throughout their entire pregnancy. If you are in the Minneapolis area, here is a closer look at a few of the benefits of prenatal yoga and why you should sign up for classes.
Gentle, Effective Form of Exercise
Sometimes called pregnancy yoga, this exercise is a great way for soon-to-be moms to stay in shape, especially when combined with walking or other cardiovascular exercises. Most moms who try out prenatal yoga state that they are surprised at how many of the yoga poses they can do while pregnant and are pleased with the minimal impact on their joints. Experts will also tell you yoga can help improve circulation and balance.
Helps Prepare You for Giving Birth
Perhaps the least-talked-about benefit to prenatal yoga in Minneapolis is how it helps prepare you for labor. One of the first things that you will learn in a yoga class is ujjayi, a breathing technique designed to help you remain calm and relaxed. This technique involves breathing in deeply through your nose until your lungs are full and then exhaling through your nose.
When you learn ujjayi breathing, you will remain calm when you need it the most. During labor, your body will produce large amounts of adrenaline while decreasing the amount of oxytocin needed for labor to progress. Your body does this in response to tensing up when in pain. Yoga breathing helps teach you how not to tense up while in pain by tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) that takes over in quiet conditions when a person is at rest. The main purpose of the PNS is to conserve energy to be used later and to regulate bodily functions like digestion, activating metabolism, and helping the body relax.
If you are pregnant, consider the benefits of prenatal yoga and sign up for classes in Minneapolis.
