Yoga during Pregnancy
- Savita Joshi
In olden days, yoga was integrated into the daily routine and there was no need for women take classes per se. Technical advancement and work habits hace left us with least amount of physical activity. Now, we have to learn and practice the techniques to stay fit and healthy.
Yoga helps greatly during pregnancy. When I conceived my first child I was a little nervous in terms of my age and natural child birth. I decided to take up prenatal yoga class for myself. I kept walking routine along with the yoga Classes. Combination of two helped me greatly to handle general pregnancy discomforts and have a natural, normal delivery. Doing yoga helps us stay within the acceptable weight gain range. It also helps build awareness of the body and mind complex. Yoga, especially pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation reduces stress and calms down the mind. Labor breathing during child birth helped me tackle labor pains and deliver without epidural. One has to surrender and experience the natural birthing process to enjoy the beautiful process of creation. Mantra chanting brings about concentration and focus, and makes the process of delivery, smooth and enjoyable. Conditions such as pregnancy induced diabetes (gestational diabetes) can be managed properly with the practices of pranayama and meditation. Hard emotions such as anger, fear and anxiety are controlled and soft emotions such as Love, Compassion, etc are cultivated with the practice of Yoga.
At what age does the child starts perceiving things? This question comes to our mind when we think of child's development and giving the right exposure. Renowned Indian epic Mahabharata brings about a beautiful story of Abhimanyu learning the fighting skills of breaking the enemy’s formation while being in mother's womb. He listened to Lord Krishna’s narration to his sister Subhadra during her pregnancy. Our modern science has also confirmed the child can learn, perceive and communicate right in the prenatal stage itself. So be mindful of what you do !
Bring about the change in yourself first, to shape your child to make the family and nation proud. Prenatal education becomes very important in couples life even before a women conceives. Yogic relaxation techniques can be used to minimize emotional stress and create a harmonious environment for the upcoming child before and after birth. Prenatal Yoga is one way of learning to relax and be with youself to shape the child's mind and future right from the womb!
Things to follow and remember during Pregnancy;
Follow proper satvic diet (less spicy, wholesome, vegetarian, fresh and food prepared with love) Regular exercise routine such as Yoga, Easy Nature walks Reading spiritual books to control the mind and develop good Samskaras. Staying in a good company (Satsang) Avoid strenuous activity to keep your stress level down Mantra chanting helps exert positive influence on the consciousness of growing childSome Yoga Practices to follow
Yogasanas :
- Baddhakonasana
- Veerabhadrasana
- Vajrasana
- Ardhakati Chakrasana
- Squats Kegels
Pranayama :
- Nadi Shuddhi
- Bhramari
- Cooling Pranayama (Shithali, Shitkari, Sadanta)
- Sectional breathing
- Trataka Kriya
- Meditation such as Om mediation
Practicing Yoga in a group has special benefits. Sharing of experiences boosts emotional health. Secondly, it brings about positive vibrations in the class. It’s always better to practice Yoga under the guidance of proper trained Yoga Teacher.
Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor before starting any Yoga practices during pregnancy.
Savita Joshi is an experienced Prenatal Yoga Instructor and a yoga teacher for Therapeutic applications such as backpain, Arthritis, Asthma, Weight Management, etc. She lives in Santa Clara. To contact her, please write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
