Prenatal Yoga Classes
Preparation for Labor and Birth
The blessing of a new baby brings joy, excitement, and a new love that you never thought possible in this lifetime. This is life changing, empowering, and absolutely the most beautiful moment of a woman's life. To fully enjoy this transforming journey, many women turn to prenatal yoga. Yoga is a wonderful way to stay healthy and help pregnant women prepare for the birth of their baby. During a prenatal yoga class, moms work on strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and stability, while focusing on breathing and relaxation.
The classes are designed to be safe and gentle enough for moms at all stages of pregnancy, whether they are newly pregnant or due any day. Modifications are always shown to provide alternatives to each pose. Participants adjust the class to meet their own needs while working with their ever-changing body. Throughout the class, women listen to their body above all and work within their own limitations.
Many exercises and stretches done in a prenatal yoga class not only help to alleviate common aches and pains of pregnancy, but also are also good for practical birth training. Many exercises and stretches can be done during labor and some can be used during the actual birth itself. For example, “cat” and “cow” poses are wonderful to help stretch and release tight back muscles, and can assist in rocking the baby into the proper position for birth. For those with sciatica pain, “pigeon” pose can help open the tight muscles that are putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. Doing kegel exercises help to tone and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. As these muscles become stronger, they tend to be more elastic and stretching with more ease during birth. This can help to prevent tearing or having to have an episiotomy during birth. Deep squatting (like a frog position) during birth can help to open the pelvic floor, creating more room for your baby to descend and being upright allows gravity to assist in bringing baby down.
Yoga also gives an expectant mom time to block out all distractions and focus only on their body and baby. This quiet time helps them prepare not only physically, but also mentally, for the event of their baby's birth. Mothers learn breathing techniques that they can use during their labor and birth. They also learn to fully relax the body and mind, which can aid in a much easier and enjoyable childbirth.
Lastly, during prenatal yoga, there is a constant reminder to the moms that their body is very strong and very wise. Their body was made for this, and it knows what it is doing. Women have been birthing babies for thousands of years and through prenatal yoga, mom’s learn to find the confidence within them, so they can enter their labor with strength, confidence and courage and ultimately achieve the birth they desire.