Yoga – The Natural Boon for Pregnant Women

Are you expecting? Congratulations to you for bringing a new life into this word! It is quite natural that you will be overwhelmed with some mixed feelings of happiness, excitement, and fear during the time of pregnancy.

The maternal feelings cannot be expressed in words, but expert health practitioners suggest practicing yoga workouts during the time of pregnancy because yoga is a boon to motherhood. It is a natural exercise that will act like meditation and control your mood swings. Moreover, it will also improve your hormones which can help you during the time of child delivery.

How Yoga is Beneficial During Pregnancy?

Motherhood is the purest blessing of God to women, that is the reason women or mothers are respected more than anyone in this earth. It is really not easy to carry a child in a womb for nine months and bearing the pathetic pain during child delivery. Along with that, a pregnant lady has to face several problems. The natural science of yoga asanas will alleviate your health issues in the following way:

• Yoga keeps your body supple and relieves tension around your cervix by opening your pelvic region. This helps in normal delivery and reduces the labor pain during delivery of child.
• Yoga asanas help pregnant ladies recover faster after delivery.
• It alleviates the symptoms of leg cramps, swollen ankles, diarrhea and constipation.
• The breathing process purifies the impurities of your body.
• It helps the baby in your womb grow comfortably.
• It reduces the lower back pain of the ladies.

5 Remedial Yoga Asanas for Pregnant Ladies

Physical activity like yoga is natural and stress-free, so it helps the pregnant ladies delivering their child easily without any stress. Experts of Starmark has suggested some yoga poses for pregnant women so that they can enjoy their novel motherhood.

1.       Marjariasana (Cat Stretch)

Marjariasana stretches the shoulders and neck and alleviates stiffness of the upper portion of the body. It keeps your spine flexible and reduces the back pain of the pregnant ladies. Moreover, it also helps in toning the muscles of lower abdomen.  Cat Stretch is a powerful workout to improve blood circulation and keep your child well. You can practice this exercise after your child's delivery also.

Steps:

• Sit on a standing position on your knees or in Vajrasana.
• Lean in the forward direction.
• Place your hands flat on the floor with the help of your palms.
• Look towards the forward direction.
• Keep your hands in line with your knees.
• Keep your thighs perpendicular to the floor.
• Now once look upward, then look downward.
• Do this for 10-15 times, and relax.

2.       Badhakonasana (Butterfly Pose)

Butterfly Pose or Badhakonasana improves the flexibility of your groin and hip region. It stretches your leg and reduces your knee and thigh pain. This yoga asanas also alleviates fatigue and helps in smooth child delivery.

Steps:

• Sit on your legs in a stretched way.
• Keep your neck, torso, and head in a straight line.
• Breathe in and breathe out normally.
• Bring your feet towards your pelvis.
• Ensure that the lower part of your pelvis, perineum and pubic bones are placed properly.
• Now close your eyes and breathe normally.

3.       Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Trikonasana maintains the mental and physical balance of your mind and body during pregnancy. You will often experience mood swings during the time of pregnancy and menstruation. This yoga asana controls your mood swing and keeps you fresh. Moreover, Triangle Pose reduces your back pain and stress.

Steps:

• Keep your legs about 3-4 feet distance apart from each other.
• Raise your arms straight out to both sides in a line with your shoulders.
• Face your palms downward-facing your palms down.
• Move the right foot to the outward direction.
• Turn your left foot slightly inward.
• Now bend your trunk completely and keep your hand close to the right ankle by touching your fingers slightly to the floor.
• Keep your right palm on the floor.
• Now stretch your left arm vertically.
• Look straight my moving your head in an upward direction.
• Try to hold the position for a minute.
• Lift the arms and slowly move your trunk back to the upright position, and relax.

4.       Veerbhadrasana (Warrior Pose)

Veerbhadrasana is a remedial exercise for pregnant ladies which improves the balance of the body. It also tones the muscles of your arms, lower back portion, and legs. Moreover, Warrior Pose increases stamina.

Steps:

• Stand straight in mountain pose.
• Start breathing deeply and step your legs 4-5 feet apart.
• Raise your arms in an upward direction and join both the palms over your head.
• Exhale and turn your right foot outwards to a 90-degree right angle.
• Now, slightly turn your left foot inwards to 45-60 degrees on the right side.
• Place your right heel aligned to the arch of the left heel.
• Rotate your torso towards the right side by keeping your arms straight.
• Stretch your left leg by tightening your knees.
• Repeat the same step for your left leg.

5.       Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique)

This breathing yoga helps keep your mind calm and release your stress. It is also a good respiratory workout that improves the functionality of your lungs. The body temperature of pregnant women often fluctuates. This yoga asana maintains the body temperature and enhances the supply of oxygen that helps in the healthy growth of the baby.

Steps:

• Sit in a lotus position or any other comfortable position.
• Keep your spine and head straight.
• Elevate your right hand in a pranayama pose.
• Focus on conventional breathing for 3-5 minutes.
• Shut the nostril of your right nose with your right thumb and inhale deeply with the left nostril.
• Now reverse the position, but shut your left nose with your ring finger.
• Practice twenty rounds of this breathing exercise.

Precautions for Doing Yoga during Pregnancy

Practicing yoga workout is a good habit when you are in the stage of motherhood, but there are some important precautions that you should take for the safety of your child:

• Do not practice inversion poses.
• Do as much as your body has the capacity to do.
• Don’t practice yoga from the 10th-14^th week of pregnancy because that time is a crucial time.
• Do meditation if you cannot do yoga for a day.
• Don’t practice abdominal yoga asanas that give pressure to your abs on the primary stage of pregnancy.
• Avoid practicing yoga workouts like Naukasana (Boat Pose), Halasana (Plow Pose), Viparita Shalabhasana (Superman Pose), Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), Ardha Matsyendrasana (Sitting Half Spinal Twist) and Chakrasana (Wheel Pose) because these poses can harm you during pregnancy.

Enjoy the spirit and new zeal of motherhood by practicing various yoga for women, but consult a reputed gynecologist before you add these exercises in your fitness schedule. The aforesaid yoga asanas can be practiced during menstruation also. Try to practice these yoga workouts under the supervision of an expert yoga trainer for the safety of your baby.