Participating in Yoga While Pregant
When a woman is pregnant, there are certain activities that have to be avoided for the safety of the baby. The individual is not allowed to do any strenuous work, to use the elevator rather than the stairs to go a floor up or down and to not engage in a lot of physical activity.
Doctors advise the mother to rest to prepare for the birth of the child. In order to stay physically fit even during pregnancy, one exercise is possible and that is yoga.
Yoga can really help a lot during pregnancy. By doing the breathing exercises properly, it provides oxygen for the body and the growing baby. It has shown to help relax the mother from experiencing pre and postnatal depression.
Since the baby will grow bigger in the next nine months, yoga can help the expecting mother strengthen the neck and pelvic muscles. This is important since the woman will be carrying the baby inside until it is time to give birth and will have to care for it until it becomes a toddler.
Yoga should be done carefully during those nine months. During the first trimester, it should only be limited to light stretching. This is so that the body will not reject the pregnancy and toxins inside can be eliminated.
Studies have shown that doing yoga lessens the feelings of nausea. Should morning sickness be experience during this time, the person can either continue or stop. It is advisable to eat before class and have lots of liquids before, during and after the session.
In the second trimester, the most important thing to monitor is the temperature in the room. Since the stomach of the woman has gotten bigger, regular yoga positions can’t be done. Alternative forms are available which the instructor can teach during this time. Having water nearby and not sweating too much is advisable during this stage in the pregnancy.
In the third trimester, modified exercises that were done during the second trimester can still be used. Other exercises can also be taught by the instructor during this delicate part of the pregnancy.
There are some reminders that the person must be aware of should the individual decide to do yoga while being pregnant. If the person has been doing practicing yoga before getting pregnant, this should be done a level lower than normal.
Should the person need to bend, power should come from the hips and not the back. Distance between the pubic bone and the breast bone should be given to make it easier for the participant to breathe normally.
The person should not do any exercises using the back since it could cut blood flow to the uterus. When standing, one hand should be on the wall or on a chair to make sure there is balance at all times. The pelvis should always be kept upright when stretching the chest and the front of the thighs.
No jumping or rolling must be done. If the person needs to move, it should be done by crawling and stepping instead.
Yoga is a low impact exercise that anyone who is pregnant or not can engage in. By first consulting the doctor to be sure the individual can participate in such classes, this is guaranteed to keep the person stay in shape. By practicing it regularly, it will also improve one’s well being both spiritually and physically.
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