Prenatal yoga is specifically designed for pregnant women. Practicing it helps you stay calm during pregnancy—but that’s not all! To discover all the benefits of this type of yoga for an expectant mother, May invites you to keep reading.
What are the benefits of prenatal yoga?
During pregnancy, different types of tension can be felt both in the body and the mind. Carrying a baby brings about many physical changes and can be a source of stress. Fortunately, there are techniques to promote physical health and emotional stability, and prenatal yoga is one of them! The benefits of this practice are numerous. It helps you to:
- Experience pregnancy more comfortably.
- Gain flexibility.
- Relax, unwind, and calm yourself.
- Learn how to breathe better (which will also be very useful on delivery day).
- Strengthen the connection with your baby.
In addition, prenatal yoga allows you to maintain regular physical activity (provided there are no contraindications from your doctor, of course). Like all forms of exercise, it can help you:
- Benefit from reduced mood swings.
- Boost self-confidence.
- Promote falling asleep.
- Prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy and support weight loss postpartum.
- Help prevent several pregnancy-related conditions: gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and possibly even gestational diabetes.
- Reduce the risk of urinary incontinence during pregnancy and postpartum
- Maintain your muscles (including your pelvic floor) and strengthen the abdominal core.
- Prevent and improve postpartum depressive symptoms
In general, prenatal yoga classes are accessible starting at 3 months of pregnancy. No prior yoga practice is required—so you really have no excuse.
So, have we convinced you?
Can prenatal yoga relieve back pain during pregnancy?
In pregnant women, the center of gravity shifts forward due to the weight of the belly and the chest. The entire body becomes unbalanced! The back muscles are therefore constantly under tension and in a state of “recoil,” as Dr. Bernadette de Gasquet likes to say. The first thing to keep in mind is that, contrary to what is sometimes believed, movement is a remedy for back pain! Any physical activity (adapted, of course) will help reduce the pain related to these changes. And once again, prenatal yoga is specifically designed to relieve these aches thanks to fully adapted postures—so go for it!
How can you practice prenatal yoga safely?
There are many different types of yoga, and not all of them are fully suited to pregnancy.
Some postures should be avoided or adapted, including:
- Deep backbends (such as the bridge): this pose strongly stretches the abdominal muscles. With a growing belly, it can increase the risk of diastasis.
- Postures lying on the stomach: avoid them as soon as they become uncomfortable.
- Postures lying on the back (if you have vena cava compression syndrome).
- Inversions: should be greatly limited, paying close attention to the risk of falls (ask your midwife or doctor for advice).
For this reason, prenatal yoga sessions are recommended, since all the postures offered are adapted and specifically designed for pregnancy.
One last piece of advice before you go: listen to your body. If it sends you signals, this is not the time to ignore them. The difference compared to “before” is that you should not push your limits.
Want to learn more? Feel free to download the May app, where you’ll find plenty of resources to support and guide you throughout your pregnancy.
Can prenatal yoga help during labor?
The answer is a big yes! Prenatal yoga helps you to:
- Maintain mobility (since you are trained to move into different positions).
- Manage your breathing—which is very important on the big day—and relax.
And since prenatal yoga is a form of exercise… it also helps with:
- Reducing excessive birth weight in babies.
- Potentially shortening labor and reducing the need for cesarean section.
Which breathing exercises are recommended for prenatal yoga?
Since the beginning of this article, we’ve mentioned breathing without really going into detail… At May, we asked a leading specialist in prenatal and postnatal yoga to talk to us about breathing and pregnancy.
Bernadette De Gasquet, a physician and yoga instructor, offers two masterclasses in the May app, including one focused on well-being during pregnancy.
She notably explains abdominal (or “diaphragmatic”) breathing, which is particularly beneficial:
Exhalation
Start by gently breathing out through your mouth: you’ll feel your spine lengthen (self-elongation), your belly deflate and draw in slightly, and your diaphragm and navel lift (as your lungs empty). Continue to exhale for as long as possible.
Inhalation
At the end of the exhalation, the inhalation happens naturally: air enters through your nostrils and you feel your belly expand as your diaphragm lowers (this downward movement allows the lungs to fill).
Then exhale again, and so on…
This way of breathing may not feel natural at first. Yet it truly is! Take the time to get used to it by practicing regularly, and soon you won’t be able to do without it!
In conclusion, practicing prenatal yoga—accessible to everyone—can only do you good (and your baby too!). It’s helpful during pregnancy and childbirth, and practicing it may even make you want to continue doing yoga after your baby is born.
Photo: Envato
This text was translated from French by an artificial intelligence. The information, advice, and sources it contains comply with French standards and may therefore not apply to your situation. Make sure to complement this reading by visiting the May US/UK app and consulting the healthcare professionals who are supporting you.
