If a woman is pregnant and awaiting the birth of her child then she should prepare for the miraculous event. Antenatal yoga is the best way to prepare for the birth of the child. The different forms of yoga and exercise movements help to calm the mind, body and soul with each breath. Yoga helps to connect the mind, body and soul and a strong connection between these three help to ease the labor and delivery process. The delivery process is a very stressful situation, so it is very important to feel relaxed, focused and calm. The health benefits that one achieves with pregnancy yoga are makes for healthy mother and healthy baby.
The yoga forms involved in antenatal yoga involves light stretching and deep breathing exercises that helps to relieve pain, reduce tension and increase the flexibility of the body. It also helps the pregnant lady to sleep soundly in order to have perfect combination of a sound body and a sound mind. Yoga exercises that are specially meant for pregnant women also help to strengthen the muscles that are used for delivery of the baby.
There are four main reasons why you should try antenatal yoga as following.
Stress Reliever
Stress is very harmful for the body especially for pregnant women. If a pregnant lady is stressed then it might prove to be dangerous and detrimental for the health of the fetus. The body produces cortisol, a type of hormone, to deal with stress which might be harmful for the baby if it reaches its brain. The neurotransmitter activities of the brain are altered by cortisol which might prove to be harmful for the unborn baby. According to a research conducted by medical experts, it was revealed that if cortisol reaches the brain of the baby then it might lead to serious mental health conditions like depression, personality problems and attention deficit disorder.
Studies have proven that regularly practicing yoga helps to give relief from stress both during pregnancy and after the delivery of the child. The exercise forms involved in antenatal yoga focuses on deep breathing that increases the oxygen level in the body and enhances blood flow. It is also beneficial to calm the mind, reduce blood pressure, provide relaxation and relieve stress.
Sleep Enhancer
A study conducted by a group of Californian health experts has revealed that pregnant women during their second trimester become insomniac. When women perform pregnancy yoga exercises that involve active mindfulness then it helps them beat insomnia. The prenatal yoga poses that involve meditation helps to reduce the number of sleepless nights. A research conducted by yoga experts in India who have been researching the effects of yoga and pregnant women led to the discovery of a surprising fact. The pregnant women who have been practicing antenatal yoga for at least three months had higher levels of melatonin than the ones who did not. The increased melatonin levels in their body greatly enhanced their sleep as this hormone improves the feelings of well-being and control sleep cycles.
Pain Reducer
With pregnancy a lot of pain and stress come along, so regularly performing pregnancy yoga exercises help to reduce pain. The women who participated regularly in an antenatal yoga program reported lesser pains and fewer body aches than the ones who did not participate in any form of yoga program. The ones who practiced yoga regularly till their delivery process also experience lesser pain and the delivery of the baby was more effective. The postures involved in pregnancy yoga helps to relax the pelvic muscles and loosen them. When the muscles become loose and relaxed then it becomes easy to give birth. Prenatal yoga also helps to give relief from soreness and tension that occurs due to pressure exerted to the pelvic region as a result of weight gain.
Baby Builder
A surprising fact about antenatal yoga is that it helps to build the fetus inside the mother’s womb too. The fetus in the womb is well grown if the mother performs pregnancy yoga during her pregnancy days. As yoga involves exercise and deep breathing, which improves blood circulation, the growth of the fetus is also enhanced. The increased level of oxygen in the body means higher supply of oxygen to the fetus too which is beneficial for the growth of the internal organs of the baby.
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