When you’re pregnant, your body undergoes many changes that can lead to high levels of stress, so we introduce prenatal yoga to all moms-to-be — a way to keep your mind and body healthy during pregnancy.
Prenatal yoga focuses on postures that pregnant women can perform to increase their strength and flexibility, while providing benefits for the baby, also helping you breathe well and learn to relax for a more comfortable and easy delivery, and some studies claim that yoga is ideal for pregnant women.
Prenatal yoga classes are a great way to prepare for childbirth and enjoy the company of other pregnant women.
The benefits of prenatal yoga for pregnant women are endless. Here are some of the most important:
Once we know the benefits of prenatal yoga, this is the perfect time to introduce some exercises to practice it.
To practice the first exercise you should sit in a chair with both legs stretched in front of you, then flex your knees and place your feet near the seat, a little wider than the width of your hips.
Then hold your weight on your feet and get up from the seat to duck your legs apart, get up and place your hands between your knees, pressing the inside of your thighs with your elbows, if you don’t like we suggest Use blocks to perform a bearable squat.
Start with your feet more than the width of your shoulders, move forward with your left leg and bend your knee. You should have your body weight slightly tilted forward.
Inhale and then exhale by raising your right arm over your shoulder. Then turn your head, looking up; you can place your left arm on your thigh to hold it.
Finally, take a deep breath as you lower your right arm and stretch your left leg, return to the starting position and repeat the movement with 5 full breaths, turn your feet back and repeat the sequence on the other side to complete the exercise.
“The two most important teams you need to do yoga are your body and your mind. “Rodney Yee
As in the previous exercise, to practice Uttanasana, you should position yourself with your feet more than the width of your hips, knees slightly bent and your hips at the right level.
Second, lean forward by the waist and drop your head toward the mat, while your knees remain loose. Hold your elbows with your opposite hands, as this will help stretch your spine. Don’t worry if you can’t touch the ground.
To begin with, you should sit with your right leg in front of you, stretch your legs sideways, even if you don’t have to try too hard, then keep your back straight, tilt your chest and place your forearms on the ground in front of you. This posture is especially good for stretching and opening your hips.
Our last prenatal yoga exercise requires starting with all the lower and upper limbs on the floor, so you have to place your left foot on the floor, bending your leg to 90 degrees so that your calf is parallel to it.
Use your hands to hold on to give you stability, flex and extend your right foot backwards, so you’ll be leaning mainly on your hands and left leg, which is forward, finally moving the weight to your right hand and extending left up, allowing you to follow it with your eyes. Repeat on the other side.
Finally, remember that prenatal yoga is not recommended for women at risk of preterm birth, it is important that in these cases you consult your doctor before starting exercises.