Prenatal Yoga

The Basics of Prenatal Yoga

Before I start my “Find your Flow” posts, I think I should give a brief introduction to prenatal yoga.

We busy modern humans spend so much time running around and doing things for other people that it’s hard to get a chance to put the focus on ourselves on a regular basis, even when others tell us to! This constant rush of activity puts stress on our body and emotions, which can cause problems at any time, but is especially an issue during pregnancy. Stress and overactivity distracts us from the beauty of life, and finding true happiness and inner peace.

Yoga works in many ways to relieve our bodies and minds of the impacts of stress, and bring focus back inward to cultivate patience, compassion, and focus itself. When do you need those traits more than pregnancy and parenthood? If you have answers to that, those are just more reasons to do yoga.

What is Prenatal Yoga?

Prenatal Yoga is specially formulated to cater to the needs of a woman’s body when she is undergoing the biggest transformation of her life; pregnancy. Prenatal Yoga is a tender and sensitive form of yoga for all those mothers-to-be!
Prenatal Yoga helps strengthen the muscles and joints during pregnancy (muscles and joints become more vulnerable to damage during pregnancy) amongst many other health benefits.

Do’s and Don’ts

• Do: trust your instincts. If something feels bad, stop, and if something feels really good, do it more!
• Don’t: use inversion poses (bending upside down, or legs above the head) because they encourage blood flow away from the uterus, which is bad. 
• Do: stay RELAXED. Don’t stress too much about getting the pose right, we’re trying to de-stress here.
• Don’t: Lie on your stomach or your back.
• Don’t: use overly strenuous twist or backbend poses especially later in pregnancy because they cause pressure in the abdomen.

Just Remember…

• Poses can be easily modified to suit any body condition, also with the help of props.
• Yoga is a fantastic exercise but it should also be paired with a non-rigorous cardio activity such as walking.
• Pay attention to breath; an important part of yoga is the sync between breath and movement.

I’m sure there will be plenty more to learn in later posts. These are just the basics. Good luck!

A bit about our Author, Camille Brown: Hi there and welcome to my segment, The Daily Om. I'm a twenty-something lover of health, fitness, yoga, personal style, reiki, nature, travelling, and capturing those special moments in life that matter the most. My daily goal is to be the best I can, give all I know about yoga, holistic living, and just living your most authentic natural life. I will offer challenging asanas that will push your personal limits in order to achieve success on the mat and offer insight mantras to get your day started your day on a positive note. Remember, "A day without laughing is a day wasted."
Read more from her at http://
www.cammieyogaom.blogspot.com