PREGNANCY YOGA
The benefits of the yoga in pregnancy
- Yoga relaxes both body and mind
- Alleviates common pre-natal complaints
- Increases your flexibility and stamina
- Helps your body accommodate your growing baby
- Teaches you breathing techniques to use during labour
- Relaxation
- Empowers you to trust your body to know how to birth your baby
- Gives you better posture and balance
- Greater vitality
WHY PRE-NATAL YOGA?
Yoga is ideal for the pregnant mother because it encourages suplleness and
elasticity.It is also gentle and low impact, so no pressure is placed on the joints.
Yoga will increase your muscular strength and flexibility; vital for pushing and getting
into delivery positions.
WHAT HAPPENS IN CLASS?
Each class will last for approximately one hour; during this time you will learn and
practice a variety of different exercises and postures that aim to strengthen, stretch
and tone your muscles and your mind.
We will go through a full range of specially adapted yoga postures (asanas) intended
to provide comfort, build stability and support the physical changes of pregnancy. For
example; we will regularly practice yoga squats which can help to open the pelvis by
30% which is crucial during labour.
Breathing practices (pranayama) are at the heart of every yoga practice and will help
to promote calm, boost vitality and enable you to adapt to the emotional changes
and challenges inherent in pregnancy, labour and beyond.
Yogic pelvic floor exercises will be incorporated during class to promote healthy tone
and flexibility in the muscles that line the pelvis, to assist in the birthing process and
encourage speedy healing after birth.
Finally each class will end with a period of guided relaxation (yoga nidra) to relieve
exhaustion and rejuvenate the body and mind.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
Make sure you are wearing loose, comfortable clothing that you can move around in
freely and if you have long hair you should have something to tie it back with. You
may like to bring a bottle of water with you and some cosy socks to keep your feet
warm during the relaxation period.
Of course, if you have your own mat please bring it along, otherwise the studio will
provide you with one on arrival.
