Pregnancy Exercises: The Role of Yoga

By: Bishop Candy, 2008-01-12

Pregnancy is the time when every woman is motivated since she wants to do the best for herself as well as the baby. In this way, even for women who have not exercised before, pregnancy is the time to start by beginning with simple ones with stretching, relaxation, meditation and deep breathing. Thus exercises relieve simple day-to-day problems of pregnancy but precautions should be taken not to be hard and fast on exercises. Since during the first trimester, maximum number of mis-carriages take place, it is important to be extra careful and start exercising from first trimester onwards. If the pregnancy is normal and the woman can do normal activities, exercises can be carried on until the time of childbirth. Exercises should be a combination of physical and relaxation kind.

During pregnancy, a gentle way of keeping active and agile is doing yoga. The magnificent effects of yoga asanas ensure a smooth pregnancy, natural childbirth and restoration of body shape after childbirth. It also does wonders on the physical and mental development of the fetus.

Yoga has five important tools for pregnancy.

Yoga exercises: At the subtle level, exercises ensure optimum blood supply and nutrients to the developing fetus and a relatively easy childbirth.

Pranayama: This gives abundant oxygen supply to the child.

Mudras and Bandas: They have powerful effect on the reproductive organs of the woman.

Meditation: Fears conflicts and trauma, which are so common during pregnancy, can be alleviated through meditation and it also brings an inexplicable bondage between the mother and the child.

Deep relaxation: Yogic sleep is very effective for childbirth preparation as it gives mental and physical relaxation.

Following these practices gives a delightful pregnancy and a chance for the best development of the child. Yogic exercises also help in relieving fluid retention, which is quite common in the last month. It also raises the level of energy and slows down the metabolism to restore calm. Pranayama also reduces nausea and mood swings quite prevalent during the first trimester. Even in postnatal care, yoga exercises restore the uterus abdomen and pelvic floor, relieving back tension and breast discomfort.

Women who have had frequent mis-carriages and bleeding during pregnancy and who have twins or low birth weight babies are advised not to exercise. Women with frequent backache feel relieved after exercises. Of all the exercises, walking for twenty to thirty minutes is the easiest and the best because it makes the blood flows right down evenly. But exercises need to be supervised and done in a controlled manner during pregnancy.

The web guide on pregnancy - http://www.myhealthinfo.info deals extensively with pregnancy related topics. You can find useful resources on a proper weight management during pregnancy on http://www.healthopts.com

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