Yoga and pregnancy (Yoga in general)

Member Name: starfish2000

Product:	Yoga in general
Date:	02/09/00 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: prepares you physically and mentally for birth

Disadvantages: finding classes but you can do it at home

Several people recommended yoga to me when I found out I was pregnant and so I got in touch with the Active Birth Centre to find out where my nearest antenatal yoga teacher was - miles away!

Instead I decided to get hold of some books and do it myself at home. 'New Natural Pregnancy' by Janaet Balaskas from the Active Birth centre has a large section on antenatal yoga exercises and I started doing them at home at about 20 weeks. The exercises are very easy to do with no help from anyone else and I was pleasantly surprised how good they made me feel both physically and mentally.
The gentle stretching that yoga gives means I have had none of the usual aches and pains of pregnancy, no back ache, no cramp. The deep breathing and relaxation have helped me to sleep well so I'm not as tired as other mothers-to be. The exercises concentrate on opening the pelvis area so in theory birth should be easier.
One of the things I have enjoyed the most is 'baby breathing', a relaxation/meditation technique where you breathe deeply while concentrating on your baby inside you, listening to your own heartbeat and imagining what it might be like for your baby. I found easiest to do in the bath where I could put my head under the water, float and really imagine what my baby would be experiencing in the womb.
These and the other exercises really helped me to bond with my baby and to keep me relaxed throughout my pregnancy, I'm due at the end of september and feel that the yoga has really helped me to go into labour mentally and physically prepared.

For those of you who might be thinking about it but are put off by there being no local classes or the cost of classes, borrow a book from the library and do it at home, it's simple, it's relaxing and it makes you feel great.

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