Prenatal Yoga in Florida

Finding out that you are pregnant can create an endless stream of concerns and questions, often including weight gain. Expecting mothers come in various shapes and sizes, making it impossible to know just by observation how big a mother-to-be should get. According to the best-selling book, "What to Expect When You're Expecting," weight gain should be between 25 and 35 pounds. In order to stay within this healthy range, prenatal yoga is a popular choice.

Function

Baby Center, an online interactive parenting resource supported by Johnson and Johnson, defines prenatal yoga as an," [a]ge-old practice that keeps you limber, tones your muscles, and improves your balance and circulation, with little, if any, impact on your joints."

Types

Expectant Mother's Guide, a website stemming from the printed series that has been providing new parents with professional parenting information since 1987, lists two different types of prenatal yoga classes. There are classes that focus on asanas, which are exercises that predominately consist of various poses, and classes based on vinyasa flow, which are for active participants and require a lot of movement in a slow, fluid manner.

Locations

Prenatal Yoga Plus is located in Coral Gables, Florida. Debra Geymayr directs the class with 10 years experience as a certified yoga instructor and 20 years experience in fitness teaching. Geymayr offers prenatal classes that are based on yoga asanas. Each of her classes are unique in that they introduce the art of belly dancing into each session. Geymayr states, "The basic starting position in belly dance teaches us and trains us to be aware of our body position. This helps to prevent excessive swaying of the back, and it also helps with maintaining our balance and center of gravity."

Amazing Births is a center located in Delray Beach, Florida. The instructors use Kundalini yoga, which incorporates poses with fluid movements. This method is designed to help you stay in shape and develop the flexibility needed for child birthing. The program's website states, "Our prenatal yoga classes are relaxed and casual, no previous yoga experience is needed."

Prices

A prenatal yoga class can fit into almost any size budget. If you're interested in the class but not sure you're willing to commit to a full schedule, ask about trial sessions or guest passes, which usually cost around $16 to $18 per visit. Depending on the center, classes can be priced according to sessions or months; at Prenatal Plus Yoga, four sessions cost $55 in 2010. For ten sessions at Amazing Births, the price is $130.

Warnings

Although the Baby Center supports prenatal yoga, the online source clearly outlines a few precautions for each trimester. For the first trimester, it's recommended that you drink plenty of water; when it's yoga time staying hydrated is essential. You also want to pay close attention to even the slightest discomfort when trying various poses. Remember, not every position may work for you.

During the second trimester, don't push your new balancing skills. Instead, move in slow, careful motions from position to position. In your third trimester, using a chair or placing your heels against the wall to get into a pose is key, as this is not the time to try positions totally on your own. Because your third trimester is when your balance is naturally tested the most, trying poses without assistance could lead to a fall that could injure you and your unborn baby.