3 Surprising Benefits of Yoga During Pregnancy
Your Body Gets More Support
During pregnancy your body experiences an accelerated pace of change and prenatal yoga is designed to support you every step of the way. Every posture and breathing technique is modified to help support you and your baby throughout these important months. A prenatal practice offers you a healthy, safe way to strengthen your muscles, increase your flexibility, and ways to decrease pregnancy discomfort. According to Mayo Clinic, research has found that prenatal yoga increases strength, flexibility and endurance for muscles needed for childbirth while also decreasing lower back pain, nausea, carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, headaches and shortness of breath. This will help you through these rapid changes and will ease the process by supporting your growing belly.
Prenatal Yoga Decreases Stress Hormones
A study published in the journal Depression and Anxiety shows that women who attended prenatal yoga class once a week for eight weeks had decreased anxiety scores. A single session of yoga was found to reduce self-reported anxiety by one third and stress hormone levels by 14%. Even though our bodies are equipped to handle changes, this study is incredibly reassuring because excess stress can actually do harm to you and your baby.
You and Your Baby’s Brain Will Benefit
As John Medina, New York Times bestselling author and molecular biologist, explains in his groundbreaking book “Brain Rules for Baby”, an overabundance of cortisol targets a baby’s developing neurons, interfering with proper brain development. Medina recommends removing as much stress as possible for you and for baby during pregnancy.
Though there are many ways to reduce stress in your life. Medina suggests at least 30 minutes of exercise each day will help. Prenatal yoga is a known stress-reducer, good for keeping glucocorticoids away from baby’s vulnerable neurons (and yours too), and it produces lots of brain-friendly chemicals and reduces the risk of clinical depression and anxiety disorders.
OB/GYN Humberto De Los Santos, MD, recommends prenatal yoga as a safe option during pregnancy. He tells his patients, “pregnancy should not be a state of confinement, and pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancies should be encouraged to continue and engage in physical activities.”
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Unique Footprints Authors:
Jenny Morrow, RN, IBCLC, LCCE, RYT
Jenny is a mom, neonatal nurse and founder of Unique Footprints (online pregnancy and early motherhood courses). Jenny has taught over 10,000 expecting families how to prepare for this time in their lives. Read more about Jenny here or you can watch her story.
From the Unique Footprints editorial team and Jenny Morrow, founder of Unique Footprints. Unique Footprints follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources from ACOG, the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC, the U.S. Surgeon Guidelines and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The UF TEAM also thoroughly researches peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Unique Footprints is endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association.