Yoga For Pregnancy

Why Yoga For Pregnancy ?

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful aspects of womanhood. Each pregnancy, each child born, is a special opportunity for a woman to discover within herself great strength and flexibility. She can discover her great power yet her ability to surrender; her great compassion yet a detachment. Most importantly, her greatest capacity to LOVE.The experience of a Natural Birthingis a peak experience in your life. Yet, surprisingly, the experience of childbirth often leaves you physically shattered, emotionally bereft and mentally confused.

There are difficulties and disappointments, but, ultimately one needs to go past those varicose veins, edema, back pain, nausea, impatience, frustration, tiredness, abdominal discomfort, sleeplessness, depression… Gosh! Did I leave out anything??

All these as well as birthing traumas can be overcome if the mind and heart remain one-pointed on the true purpose of procreation, rather than the unfolding effects of it. Yoga and Meditation have the capacity to produce a higher quality of conception, a healthier maternal environment for pregnancy and a more harmonious birthing experience.

Yoga Exercise

Yoga Asanas or exercises are ways of moving or holding the body in different positions.
Yoga has several exercises or postures that work wonders on a woman’s health and in pregnancy conditions. Varying widely in application and style, these exercises (postures) gently stretch and explore all parts of your body.

During pregnancy, yoga Asanas are a gentle way to keep active and supple. The remarkable effects of these postures in pregnancy show the power of yoga for ensuring a smooth pregnancy, natural childbirth and restoration of body shape after childbirth.

How Pregnancy Yoga Exercises Can Help?

Relieving edema (fluid retention) and cramping which can be quite common in the last months.
Influencing the position of the baby and turning it in advance if needed. Strengthening and massaging the abdomen which help stimulate bowel action and appetite.

Raising the level of energy while also helping in slowing the metabolism to restore calm and focus.

Helping to reduce nausea, morning sickness and mood swings in combination with pranayamas (yogic breathing).

Focus on relieving tension around the cervix and birth canal.

Focus on opening the pelvis to make labor easier and quicker.

Pregnancy Diet

Pregnancy Diet

It is crucial that your body has the necessary chemical elements, strength and stamina to make it through pregnancy with good health. Poor diet during pregnancy can have lifelong consequences on the physical and mental health of your child.

Unfortunately, for most of the women in affluent Western societies who have unlimited access to all kinds of food and no mentor to guide them through pregnancy, the trap of eating what they should not eat and at the same time of not knowing what they should eat is very likely.

The ideal diet is a balanced whole foods one which gives the crucial inputs required during pregnancy.

Growing a baby requires a lot more energy especially in the earlier months when cell division is most intense. Vegetarians can source these from pulses and legumes (peas, lentils, beans, nuts, soy products) eaten in combination with whole grains such as rice, wheat ,oats, barley, rye, corn, buckwheat etc.

Try to eat high protein foods for lunch when you will be able to process them more efficiently than at night.

In the last months, calcium is released from the maternal bones to provide for the baby, so increased dairy, soy, greens and seaweed are useful. Raspberry leaf tea is especially useful in the last months as it softens up the cervix in preparation for birth as well as stimulates milk production.

Special Pregnancy Needs Nowadays, nutrition experts recommend “chemically prepared” dietary supplements taking for granted an assumed deficiency in the diet to meet the special pregnancy requirements. However, a balanced whole foods diet can more than make up for these “deficiencies”. Moreover, we believe, supplements can have undesired or harmful effects.

Folic acid (Foliate)
Folic acid aids cell division in early pregnancy and damage to the fetus from low folic acid can occur even before pregnancy is confirmed. Folic acid is well sourced from yeast, wholegrains, pulses, nuts, dairy products, Jaggery – again no need for supplements- just a whole foods balanced diet.

Vitamin B
Can be sourced from yeast, seeds, beans, nuts, dairy foods, wheat germ, whole grains, avocadoes – all good staples for the whole foods vegetarian. Vitamin B supplements cause urine to turn dark yellow. This can cause urine tests to show high protein which can lead to pre-eclampsia! Taking supplements removes this vital sign whether we are taking enough fluids!!

Yoga and Pregnancy

Yoga eases many of the problems present during pregnancy like nausea, cramping, high blood pressure etc. It maintains good posture, and thus eliminates back pain. The deep yoga breathing and yoga meditation techniques cause mental relaxation and thus the pains during pregnancy and childbirth are minimized. The relaxation also aids in speedy recovery of the body after the childbirth. However avoid poses on your back abdomen and inverted poses and back bends during this time since they can harm your baby. Also don’t over stretch your muscles or increase the intensity of your practice.

Yoga works great for pregnancy. That’s wonderful and TRUE. But do you know how?

Yoga has 5 vital tools for pregnancy. When followed together, they work wonders on your health and your capability to have a smooth pregnancy. Smooth pregnancy and a natural childbirth are just some of the benefits of yoga. But more importantly, yoga does wonders on the physical and mental development of the foetus. Ensuring a healthy baby is every woman’s dream and yoga helps you do just that.

So what are these 5 tools:
Yoga Exercises – These gently work on the reproductive organs and pelvis to ensure a smooth pregnancy and a relatively easy childbirth. At the subtle level, these ensure optimum supply of blood and nutrients to the developing foetus.

Breathing or Pranayama – These powerful techniques ensure the abundant supply of oxygen and a better life force for you and your child. These methods work on your fitness during pregnancy.

Mudras and Bandhas – The psycho-physical stimulation of these gestures and locks have powerful effects on a woman’s reproductive organs.

Meditation – As a therapeutic tool, meditation will help you resolve the deepest of neuroses, fears and conflicts, which are so common during pregnancy. Meditation brings with it an incredible awareness which helps you connect with your child in a way that is impossible to explain.

Deep Relaxation – Yoga Nidra (Yogic sleep) is particularly effective during pregnancy for physical and mental relaxation as well as for childbirth preparation.