Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum
Why have regular classes with a prenatal yoga practitioner?
A prenatal yoga practitioner works alongside a pregnant woman’s medical caregiving team which may include a combination of health and allied health specialists such as obstetricians, doctors, midwives, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, remedial massage therapists etc.
Due to the widely accepted understanding that yoga helps to promote improved mind body connection, a yoga practitioner is able to assist a pregnant women create and maintain improved emotional and physical wellbeing.
Almost all muscle groups are engaged in a yoga practice as well as the respiratory system through yoga’s diaphragmatic breathing techniques. Yoga lengthens and contracts a range of muscles and moves the joints of the body in different directions (or planes of movement) – a well-designed yoga class will also do both sides of the body.
This is because yoga recognises that the human body is an interconnected system of fascial connections, soft tissues, muscles, organs, vessels, nerves, ligaments and that a person’s physical state in one part of the body can greatly impact on another. The emotional state is also a contributing factor in the overall wellbeing of a person due to these connections as well as the way the automatic nervous system functions in particular the role of the vagus nerve.
As practitioners we have an anatomical understanding of the human body enabling us to identify specific types of movement and relaxation techniques that help balance a client’s emotional and physical state.
Over 70% of pregnant women will suffer from some form of discomfort and aches in the body during pregnancy typically in the lower back and pelvic region. Pregnancy and postpartum can also be a time of heightened anxiety and some women can experience mental health challenges such as perinatal depression that can occur pre or postnatally.
There are also circumstances that arise during pregnancy and postnatally where yoga can assist a mother greatly. For example, yoga practice and protocols can assist with situations such as:
Babies that are in sub-optimal positions for birth such as posterior or breech
Women who experience sciatica or other lower back/sacral pain
Women who experience neck and shoulder pain from constant infant care and feeding
Shortness of breath
Digestion issues such as constipation
Common pregnancy discomforts such as edema, leg cramps, varicose veins
Busy and active mind and hyper stimulated nervous system
Pelvic floor recovery
Diastasis recti recovery