The power of yoga in keeping the mind and body relaxed and healthy is well known. Body and mind of a woman undergoes dramatic changes during pregnancy. According to health experts, it is the best and safest method to overcome the physical and mental changes a woman experiences during pregnancy.
"Yoga during pregnancy helps a woman increase her strength and flexibility, even as her body goes through the dramatic changes of pregnancy" Fox news quoted Mary Barnes, director and owner at Yoga for Two in New York, as saying.
Prenatal yoga, adopted by some of the celebrity moms like Hilary Duff, Pink and January Jones has the power to help the mother-to -be in preparing their body and mind for labor and birth. It can also treat pregnancy symptoms like constipation or morning sickness and physical discomforts like back pain and swollen ankles.
The following are some of the yoga postures, recommended by health experts and provided by FOX News that can be helpful to expecting moms:
- Exercises that strengthen transverse abdominal muscles(to help pushing during birth and recover abdominal strength after birth)
- Kegal exercise to strengthen the pelvic muscles (to solve incontinence problem)
- Pigeon Pose(to relieve the discomforts in the lower back and buttocks)
- Virabadrasana I, Virabadrasana II and Squats (Standing poses that strengthen legs and gluteals)
Prone positions (lying on the back), deep back bends (wheel pose) and deep abdominal twists are some of the poses a pregnant woman should avoid during pregnancy.
Depression is one of the serious problems faced by one in every five pregnant women. The mental position can lead to poor weight gain, preeclampsia, premature labor and trouble in bonding with the newborn.
Though antidepressants are available to treat the condition, many avoid them during pregnancy to ensure safety. In August, a team of researchers from the University of Michigan, after examining pregnant women with symptoms of depression, found mindfulness yoga, a combination of meditative focus with physical poses, the right option for expecting mothers to overcome their mood disorders.
