Midwives are fond of announcing that giving birth is roughly equivalent to running a marathon (all 42k of it!). Yoga helps you to be prepared physically for the big day. Yoga also opens the door to the possibility of different birthing postures. Without yoga or a similar exercise squatting is out of the question for many women because we just don’t have the necessary strength and stamina. This has more to do with modern living (chairs and couches) than innate ability. However, with practice this can become a viable option where gravity works with you instead of against you.

The breathing exercises practiced in our pregnancy yoga class are a massive help when dealing with the labour process. The breathing exercises help to keep you relaxed while developing the ability, through practice, to exhale for the full length of a contraction. The combined focus on breathing and relaxation reduces anxiety and makes you more comfortable during the birth of your child.

Relaxation and breathing techniques help to release endorphins, natures natural painkillers. Regular exercise also releases endorphins. With prenatal yoga you get both. Yoga does not negate the possibility of using medicinal pain relief if you wish. Even with an epidural, practicing yoga beforehand can help you to sense contractions sufficiently to allow you to rely less on external cues. Increasingly, women are moving away from the epidural because it limits you to the bed (you can’t use your legs) and makes the actual delivery harder because of position (lying on your back means that the baby has to go against gravity turning upwards on exit due to the position of the tail bone). Many women who wish to give birth without an epidural find that yoga is of significant help with pain management either alone or with additional pain relief, which is why it is one of the things that midwive’s recommend for pregnant women.

Many women faced with a first delivery hold many anxieties connected with the birth. Friends and family love to tell horror stories! Practicing yoga specifically designed for pregnancy gives you the confidence that your body is well prepared for labour and the knowledge that both mentally and physically you are ready for this amazing experience.

The fitter you are, the more likely you are to return to your original shape and condition faster postpartum. With prenatal yoga, the exercises you practice are specifically aimed at the parts of your body you will be placing demands on during labour and birth. With a new baby you will want to be back in shape as quickly as possible.

Pelvic floor exercises that will form part of your prenatal yoga practice help your pelvic floor to return to normal quickly after birth. This reduces instances of incontinence associated with weak flaccid pelvic floor muscles which have been stretched during the birth of your child. Pelvic floor exercises improve the blood flow to the area speeding up recovery time if you should have a tear or episiotomy during the birth. As a side note, perineal massage can reduce the chances of a tear or need for an episiotomy if this is your first birth.

Hormones released during pregnancy soften your ligaments making your joints looser. While this is predominantly useful for your hips it affects your whole body which is why you may feel more clumsy than usual when pregnant. Pregnancy yoga works with mother nature by making you even more flexible. The more space you can create in your pelvis, the easier it is for your baby to pass through on it’s way to say hello to you for the first time. Yoga also brings tone and awareness to your body which can minimise those clumsy moments too!

As you begin to show, your centre of balance changes as your uterus (and with it your belly) expands. This forward shift in weight places extra strain on your back. When combined with loosening joints due to hormonal releases it can all add up to a miserable time with back pain. Once again yoga can come to your rescue! Increased core strength as a result of yoga gives you the strength to hold a better posture which in turn reduces the chances of back pain turning your pregnancy into an ordeal instead of a beautiful experience. Postural exercises train your body to adopt a better posture automatically (like your fingers remember the keys when you learn to type).

A degree of swelling, particularly noticeable in the feet and ankles is normal in pregnancy. This edema (the medical speak for swelling due to fluid retention) is one of your bodys ways of making sure you have enough resources for baby. Somewhat surprisingly, drinking more fluids can actually reduce edema. Yoga helps out too by improving your circulation. Movement can help relieve discomfort and if you are sitting, raise your legs. Should you suffer from edema, it should be brought to the attention of your medical practitioner.

The time spent practicing your prenatal yoga is time focused on you and your baby. This helps you to bond with your baby even before you first meet him or her. More than this, studies have suggested that a mothers mental state can pass to the baby through the placenta in the form of hormones. Thus, time spent in a relaxed and aware state is likely to have beneficial effects on your baby. By contrast, one study from Imperial College, London showed that maternal anxiety doubled the risk of hyperactivity in boys. The stress hormone cortisol has also been linked to lower IQ scores, increased anxiety in infants and impaired blood flow through uterine arteries.