Yoga has long been known to be a great exercise for expecting women. Not only does it tone the muscles and make the body more flexible, but it is also a good way to relieve stress.
Unfortunately, practicing yoga while being pregnant comes with a few warnings. Yoga should only be done gently and several poses should be avoided. Furthermore, a lot of women are also concerned about doing yoga during the last few weeks of their pregnancy.
However, according to The Washington Post, a recent study which has been published in the Harvard Health Blog, provides women evidence that several yoga poses which were once deemed risky, are in fact, safe to do even until the final weeks of pregnancy.
25 women, who were around 35 to 38 weeks pregnant participated in the small study, which was headed by Dr. Rachael Polis, a researcher from Jersey Shore University Medical Center located in Neptune, N.J. 10 were regular yoga practictioners, eight were simply familiar with yoga while seven had no experience with the discipline at all.
Each of them participated in a one-on-one session with yoga instructors and performed a total of 26 yoga poses. In a few instances, the women were allowed to use a chair or rely on the wall to help themselves balance.
Included in the poses they performed were a few that experts formerly thought were harmful. These include downward-facing dog, child's pose, happy baby pose and corpse pose.
As reported by Consumer Health Day, the women's vital signs were monitored while they performed all 26 poses. The vital signs, which include uterine contractions, heart rate and blood oxygen levels remained normal. Though a few of them reported having sore muscles the next day, they did not experience serious problems such as vaginal bleeding within the next 24 hours.
Yoga provides several benefits to pregnant women. It is a harmless tool that can help reduce the amount of stress and anxiety expecting women feel during their pregnancy. However, pregnant women should still consult with their doctor before starting any kind of exercise routine.
