Planning a baby and being in pregnancy is indeed a roller coaster ride for most of the females, with a gamut of emotions, ranging from joy, excitement, anxiety, nervousness & amusement, all at the same time. With every passing day, these emotions go sinusoidally, from extreme highs to intense lows, from the enfeebling cramps to the delightful kicks. This beautiful and toiling Divine journey is bound to affect your body, mind and soul. Yoga, as a godsend, comes to the rescue here, to take care of your holistic well-being, both at the pre-natal and post-natal stages.
The Divine created females as the link-portal between the spiritual realm and the physical realm. She only houses the power and potential to navigate the unborn souls onto this planet. Pregnancy is one stage when she is both human and divine; when she is creating and nurturing; when she houses two hearts & two souls in one body.
Prenatal Yoga is the special branch of yoga designed specifically for females under pregnancy or those planning pregnancy in near future. It covers aasanas, pranayama and meditations that help in preparing the body and mind for pregnancy labour, enhances connection with the baby while promoting the baby’s health.
Pregnancy not only affects the expecting mother but also affects her entire family. Owing to this and the unique state of the female body during pregnancy, this special branch of yoga calls for special attention and guidance. The body experiences the release of Relaxin hormones by the ovary and the placenta during pregnancy. This hormone makes the body hyperflexible which makes the body prone to pain or injury when over stretched in some asana practice.
Prenatal yoga comes with pregnancy-customized yoga practices, where the asanas, pranayama, and meditation are tailored to benefit pregnant females. The modified postures under prenatal yoga help in strengthening the pelvic muscles and other body parts. This reduces the swelling of the body parts. The pregnancy-specific pranayama helps by relaxing the mind, promoting quality sleep and increasing the lung capacity. The prenatal meditation keeps the mind stress-free and more aware. This helps the female in developing a deeper and stronger connection with the baby. This also physiologically prepares the female for the labor process. This pranayama also helps in preventing postpartum depression.
The prenatal yoga can be practiced under able guidance from the first day of pregnancy. The postures are gradually modified to suit the stages of pregnancy, as per the pregnancy trimesters.
Suksham Vyama or mild Joint movements; Modified Suryanamaskara, as per Trimester; Standing aasanas, Seated Aasanas, Supine Poses, Twits, Inversions.
Breath-work
Meditation with Mudras
