Do you already have a regular yoga practice, and wonder what the difference is in a Pregnancy Yoga class. Apart from the obvious (no prone poses, no strong core and no closed twists) Pregnancy Yoga offers so much more than your standard yoga class. Here are just a few things you’ll learn in one of Shine Yoga’s Pregnancy Yoga Classes.
At least 6 different breathing techniques to support you during pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
There are many different breathing exercises that you can learn and practice during pregnancy that will help you to calm your mind, stay focused and nurture your nervous system. By breathing correctly you also provide your baby, uterus and placenta with fresh oxygenated, nutrient rich blood. Your breath will be one of your biggest assets during labour. Learning how to harness it beforehand will help you to achieve a positive and calm birthing experience.
You’ll gain an understanding of how pregnancy and birthing hormones work and how you can hack into these natural pain relieving, feel good hormones during labour.
Did you know that when you feel worried or anxious, your body produces adrenaline, your blood flow is directed towards yours arms, legs and heart in readiness to either run away or fight whatever it is that is causing you to feel this way.. This may a real threat or a perceived threat. When this happens during labour, blood flow gets directed away from your baby and your uterus. Without sufficient blood flow the uterus can’t contract properly, so labour slows or stops. Another disadvantage of adrenaline during labour is that when your body produces adrenaline it can’t produce endorphins. Without the production of endorphins (our body’s natural pain relieving hormones) labour pains will feel a lot more intense.
You’ll learn how to breathe into discomfort rather that running away from it, helping you to prepare your mind for the intensity of labour.
Mastering the art of directing your breath during pregnancy, can help you manage pain and discomfort during labour. It will also help you to stay present in the moment, keeping you calm and focused.
You’ll learn the anatomy of your pelvis and sacrum, how they have the ability to move during labour and which positions best enable this.
Did you know that your sacrum can flare open up to 30% more, giving baby more room to move through the birthing canal. When woman are asked to give birth on their backs the sacrum has no room to open, limiting the space of the birthing canal. This also increases the pressure around the pelvis and sacrum.
You will learn which yoga poses are best to create space in your body, allowing you more freedom to move, breathe and digest. Creating more space in your body also allows your baby more room and freedom to get into an optimal birthing position.
Yoga is a great way to lengthen out tight muscles and promotes good posture, both of which bring about more space in your body and less aches and pains.
You’ll stretch and open up your hips helping to ease some of those pregnancy discomforts, releasing toxins and improving energy.
Tight hips and hamstring place an extra load on the back, this coupled with the increased weight of a growing baby can cause considerable pain and discomfort during pregnancy. Hip openers are a great way to ease discomforts in your back. Hip openers also increase blood circulation and energy flow to your pelvis and uterus.
You’ll build leg strength and mental strength to support your body and mind during labour.
Holding standing poses and balancing poses a little longer than you’d normally like to, you’ll build stronger legs and stronger mental focus. Studies have shown that staying up right and active during labour lessens the duration and intensity of contractions.
You’ll get a longer guided Savasana, allowing you time to fully relax, go within to connect with your baby and release fears and anxieties associated with pregnancy and birth.
Savasana (guided relaxation) is so important for balancing out and nurturing your nervous system. It give you permission to simply be still, to calm your mind and connect with your baby. Pregnancy can be a tiring and often busy time of our lives. Quite often we get so busy in doing that we forget to check in with ourselves and with the beautiful miracle that is growing within us. A guided Savasana will help you to still the fluctuations of your mind so you can find stillness and peace. Studies have shown that unborn babies are very sensitive to their mother’s emotions, the more time you spend relaxing during pregnancy, the more time your baby will be feeling relaxed.
A nurturing environment to meet other women on a similar journey and chat about the many ups and downs of pregnancy. Voice your concerns and help others with theirs.
Many women comment on how much they love the classes for the connection they make with other mothers. These connections often follow through after baby is born and provide a support network and a close group of friends to help you navigate the ups and downs of motherhood. Our Mums & Bubs Yoga classes are a great way to connect with other mothers too. At Shine Yoga we finish every class off with a lovely cup of Pregnancy and Postnatal Supportive tea and a chat.
So there you have it, just a few of the amazing benefits of Pregnancy Yoga. If would like to learn more about how Pregnancy Yoga can benefit you please don’t hesitate to reach out here. We also offer Active Birth Workshops for couples and/or your birth support team. To find out more above our Active Birth workshops please click here.