Breathe your way through labour (Yoga and your health.)

Member Name: Whizz11

Product:	Yoga and your health.
Date:	06/11/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great techniques for labour, meeting people, health

Disadvantages: None

This review will focus on my experiences of yoga during pregnancy.

The benefits of yoga on the body and mind are well documented. I have done different yoga classes before and when I found out I was pregnant knew I wanted to do this form of exercise as I find it very helpful and thought it would be a good mix with pregnancy as it is not too strenuous and I felt I could really benefit from the positions, stretching etc.

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Yoga in pregnancy is quite different from regular yoga practices as it focuses a lot more on breathing techniques( breath control (pranayama)) rather than the traditional poses which can be quite physically demanding.

A simple search on the internet brought up available yoga classes in my local area and so I contacted the teacher and found out all the details. My classes last for an hour and cost £8 each or £36 for 6 if you pay in advance. What's great is that it is just tailored for pregnant women so this has given me the chance to meet lots of women in the same position as me in my local area. We are all going to the same hospital as well so we've been able to swap stories, experiences etc and now meet up out of class which is really nice when you are in this somewhat scary but exciting time of your life.

What I really love about these classes is that they are very focused towards breathing and labour and how your breathing techniques can help you during labour. According to our teacher several of her students have given birth by just practising the breathing methods she has taught them without the need for harsh drugs, etc. This is my plan and I'm hoping it works out that way but who knows. The nice thing is that at least I have these tools and knowledge going into the experience which is something I would not have had without these classes. I have taken regular ante natal classes as well from my local health centre and I have to say I've learnt more about labour, what goes on during labour, how your body will react and what to do to combat certain problems or difficulties from these yoga classes than anything I have leant in the ante natal sessions.

I am now quoting from an article I read on the subject of ante natal yoga. "In addition to physical movement, most yoga approaches emphasise breath awareness. The breath is the doorway through labour. The student's own breathing pattern can be developed and integrated. If you are able to observe when you hold your breath in yoga class then that will carry over into labour. Once you are aware when you are holding your breath, you can consciously breathe and let go."

This is exactly what we learn in class. We do a number of postures, stretches to get our body moving which is nice, especially ones to help our hips, swollen feet etc. We also get into a lot of positions that are good for first and second stages of labour. These exercises are designed to help ease the pain of contractions in the beginning of labour and ones we can give birth in if we are feeling confident enough. We also do a lot of breathing exercises which I have found really help to calm my mind. I often find that now when I am waiting for a packed tube on the Northern Line on Monday mornings I often do these breathing exercises to calm me down and keep me feeling as light and stress free as possible. The class is low impact as we do a lot of work sitting down or leaning against a wall to support our bodies so I would really recommend it to people of all levels of fitness and you can do it right up until your due date (or past) which is great.

I would definitely do these classes again in future pregnancies. Who knows, when it comes to the actual labour maybe none of this will help me at all and I may be screaming for the drugs as soon as I get in there but in terms of keeping fit and healthy during my pregnancy they have been great and have also allowed me to meet some nice people. I will end with another quote from an article I read

"Anecdotal evidence will suggest that mothers who practiced yoga throughout their pregnancy are able to maintain not only their health and wellbeing, but also bring peace and freedom to the body, heart and mind of themselves and their child."

Summary: Yoga in pregnancy