The Benefits of Yoga Before, During and After Your Pregnancy

The word "Yoga" came from the Sanskrit word "yuj" which means "to unite or integrate." Because pregnancy, birth and motherhood can be powerful opportunities for physical, psychological and spiritual integration, yoga is perfect preparation. Through asana (poses), meditation, relaxation and guided imagery, yoga keeps the body strong and flexible while quieting the mind to uncover wisdom and intuition all the way from pre-conception into motherhood.

Before conception takes place, yoga is a perfect practice for reducing stress and balancing the emotions. Once a couple decides to get pregnant, often anxiousness and impatience can set in. For some lucky couples pregnancy happens right away, however it can often take many months or longer. Stressful emotions activate the sympathetic nervous system, part of the “fight or flight” response, causing the body to release stress hormones into the bloodstream, possibly interfering with fertility. Yoga reduces stress levels, allows the energy centered in the pelvis to flow freely and increases circulation to the pelvic organs. Yoga gives women trying to conceive tools to help them stay centered and live in the present moment during this uncertain time.

Once a woman is pregnant, yoga can alleviate many pregnancy discomforts. There is approximately 45% more blood flow in the body during pregnancy. Yoga increases circulation and reduces swelling, providing more oxygen and nutrients to mother and baby. As the baby grows the diaphragm, the primary breathing muscle, is restricted. In response, many women breathe into their upper chest causing a stress response in the body. Yoga teaches that we can direct the breath into the belly, side ribs and even back to maintain deep and even breathing, reducing stress and anxiety. As the breasts and belly grow, compression of the lower back can cause moderate to severe pain. Yoga helps to elongate the spine and stretch and strengthen the back to relieve back pain and prepares the back for the physical demands of holding a baby. Also, when practiced properly, yoga stabilizes the joints which are more susceptible to injury because of relaxin, a pregnancy hormone that loosens the ligaments in the body so the pelvis can expand in childbirth.

In addition to helping pregnant women feel better, yoga helps them prepare for labor and childbirth both physically and mentally. Physically, yoga stretches the muscles that surround the pelvis and teaches proper posture which encourages the baby into the front of the pelvis where he or she can get into a good position for birth. Spending a lot of time slouched or reclined can possibly encourage the baby into a posterior position which is causes back labor. Women who practice yoga regularly have heightened body awareness aiding in the ability for a laboring woman to move intuitively in a way that best supports the birth experience. Mentally, yoga helps to still the mind. The knowledge of how to birth and nurture a baby are intuitive, beyond our thoughts that are often fragmented, changing and conflicting. Thoughts can actually confuse and disrupt intuitive impulses. During pregnancy, the mind fluctuates wildly in response to emotions. Yoga helps to identify negative thought patterns that can impact the birth process and encourages surrendering to the difficult task of not being able to “picture” and control what will unfold.

Yoga techniques can actually be used during labor itself. Practicing gentle postures during the early stages of labor will help to ease the baby into a good position, focus the mind and help relaxation. During labor oxytocin, the hormone that initiates contractions has an inverse relationship to adrenaline, if adrenaline increases than oxcytocin decreases, slowing down or possibly stalling labor. Yoga helps decrease adrenaline and other stress hormones and increase oxytocin and endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. Many yoga poses are wonderful positions for childbirth such as supported semi-squatting and variations of all-fours position. Having practiced these poses during pregnancy will make a woman more apt to spontaneously and comfortably assume these beneficial positions during birth.

One of the greatest benefits of yoga during labor is the ability to relax. Labor is physically demanding and many women tense up around the sensations of contractions. Unfortunately, this can make it more difficult for the cervix to open and can make labor longer and more painful. When pregnant women practice yoga, they regularly find the ability to relax even in very strenuous postures. Women in labor can use the same tools including breath awareness, slow movement, vocalization and visualization to relax and surrender to the natural rise and fall of the contractions.  

During the post-partum period yoga still has many benefits for mother and baby. Physically, it can help the uterus back into place, strengthen the core muscles that may have weakened during pregnancy including the pelvic floor, lower back and abdominal muscles and helps balance the hormones. More importantly, one of yoga’s greatest gifts is the ability for new mothers to be present and connected to their new baby. Sometimes, the slow pace and monotony of caring for an infant can be a difficult adjustment, particularly in our fast paced, modern world. Yoga teaches the ability to slow down, tune-in, and become mindful of the moment to moment attachment happening between mother and baby. When we surrender to this slow pace and let go of the “to do” list, moments of blissful quiet turn into transformative days of getting to know not only our babies but ourselves. 

Carrie Parker Gastelu is Director of Prenatal Yoga at Devotion Yoga in Hoboken and Head of Prenatal Teacher Training at Yoga Works, NYC. For more information see YogaWithCarrie.com