Review of Prenatal Yoga

Prenatal yoga is a popular exercise option for expectant mothers. You can find prenatal yoga classes in local gyms, community centers and even some hospitals. Staying active during your pregnancy, as long as your doctors allows, can keep your energy level up. Exercise also releases endorphins, which can help keep your moods level, according to Babycenter.

Benefits

Yoga helps to keep your muscles loose and toned, improves your circulation and improves your balance. Along with these benefits, yoga places remarkably little impact on your joints. The breathing lessons taught in yoga courses can help you deal with stress and lower your blood pressure. You learn how to stay calm during labor and delivery and how to fight the urge to tighten your body when you are in pain. Yoga classes also allow you to meet other pregnant women in an environment that is supportive. This supportive environment gives many women an emotional lift.

Safety

Prenatal yoga is safe for expecting mothers as long as precautions are taken, especially after the first trimester. After the first trimester, modifications are needed for your safety. These modifications include using a chair or wall for certain poses and not twisting at your abdomen.

Exercises

Safe yoga poses for expectant mothers include cat-cow and side angle pose, both of which can be done unmodified. The cobra, standing forward bend, seated forward bend and triangle pose can all be completed if you take precautions to modify them for your safety. Avoid any back-bends, camel pose, hand or headstands and upward bow until after you give birth.

Considerations

Prenatal yoga classes are specifically geared with your safety in mind. If you can transfer out of a standard yoga course and into a prenatal yoga course, you will not have to worry about skipping parts of the normal workout because they are not safe. If your gym or community center offers prenatal yoga classes that coincide with your due date, you may find a course where other women are at the same stage of pregnancy as you, and who will be able to complete most of the same poses as you.

Warning

Always speak with your obstetrician before starting a prenatal yoga course. During your first trimester, performing poses on your back can reduce the flow of blood to the uterus. During pregnancy, you are more likely to strain or pull muscles due to relaxin, a pregnancy hormone. "Hot" yoga, or Bikram, is not recommended for pregnant women due to the chance of your overheating.