Prenatal Yoga
by Janice Clarfield
What is yoga? The word "yoga" is translated from Sanskrit to mean "union"—union of the body, mind and spirit. From a yogic point of view, life is to be enjoyed and experienced fully. With pregnancy, there is more joy.
What is prenatal yoga? Prenatal yoga is a nurturing activity undertaken when time is spent (a little or a lot) to gently relax, release, and attune to your body and your rapidly growing baby within. The natural, vital, and restorative energies of the body and mind are enhanced through gentle yoga postures.
When pregnant, one feels the strains of the ever-changing body, particularly the new demands upon the back. Yoga work counterbalances the growing abdomen and maintains good posture. Stretching while strengthening helps to release the pelvic opening in preparation for birth. Toning the pelvic floor allows for a more controlled birthing, lessens complications, and enhances postnatal healing.
Breathwork is practiced in preparation for responding to labor by coordinating with the rhythms of contractions. Breathing awareness is essential for relaxation, comfort, and confidence.
Just being in your body that is home for two is yoga. Your pregnant body is naturally and miraculously in a state of enhanced energy and creativity. Taking time to pause in the stream of day-to-day activity to connect with your body enables you to experience and enjoy these augmented senses.
With hormonal changes, emotions are also heightened. Whether they are in the realm of joy or sorrow, love or anger, you may experience feelings with surprising depth and in rapidly changing rhythms. Noticing and allowing yourself to feel your emotions fully has a positive effect on your health and, therefore, on your baby’s health too.
All women experience some fear of labor. A simple foundation in yoga prepares you to face childbirth with courage. Being relaxed and confident during labor reduces fear, tension, and fatigue. Flexibility and calm ease the birthing process, thus reducing pain and increasing the joy of giving birth.
While practicing yoga, your relationship with your baby deepens—physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is a time to be mindful that you are engaged in the creation of new life and to be attentive to the impact of this major life passage. Taking time in this way allows the quickly passing nine months to be cherished.
Even if you have never practiced yoga before, being pregnant can provide the motivation for beginning this healthful practice that will hasten your recovery and that you can carry on long after your baby is born. You will find that your practice will become a source of strength and love, during and after pregnancy.anice Clarfield offers prenatal yoga teacher trainings throughout the United States and Canada.
Janice Clarfield offers prenatal yoga teacher trainings throughout the United States and Canada.
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