AAOS Recommends Yoga for Pregnant Women
In an official statement recommending yoga for pregnant women, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) states, "The rewards of basic yoga outweigh the potential physical risks, as long as you take caution and perform the exercise in moderation, according to your individual flexibility level."
According to orthopedic surgean Rachel Rohde, MD, "One of the best aspects of yoga is being in control of your body abd having the ability to do each movement at your own pace." the AAOS statement is significant in providing support for more healthcare practitioners to recommend yoga to their pregnant clients.
For mothers-to-be, yoga is an ideal way to prepare for birth and labor.
Pregnancy is a time of transition, when new sensations and experiences arise. When practiced during pregnancy, yoga will help you maintain your health and well-being. Additionally, practice peace and freedom to the body, heart and mind of both you and your child. Yoga helps build a harmonious bridge of contact between you and your baby. Your child is dependent on you physically but also sensitive to your mental and emotional states. The equilibrium yoga provides can only enhance the mother-child bond.
- promotes fitness and flexibility
- tones the pelvic area
- increases circulation
- works the cardiovascular system
- helps with breath control and breath awareness
- balances body-mind energies
- reduces stress and releases tension
- boosts energy and combats fatigue
- stabilizes emotions
Practicing yoga while you're expecting can help ease aches and annoyances, from swollen ankles to stress. But even if your pregnancy has been relatively comfortable, mastering yoga techniques might pay off on D-day. In a study of moms-to-be in Thailand, those who took yoga classes had a shorter and less painful labor and were more comfortable afterward than women who didn't. fitpregnancy.com/yoga.
Prenatal Yoga Tips and Guidelines : http://prenatalkula.com/listyogatips.htm
Geeta S. Iyengar writes in B.K.S Iyengar Yoga, The Path to Holistic Health in the Chapter "Yoga for Women",
During pregnancy, yoga has many benefits and can be tailored to suit the body's changing needs and capabilities. As well as helping to strengthen the uterine muscles and support the spine, enabling the back to cope with additional pressure, it also helps the body to deal with many of the health problems common to pregnancy, such as poor circulation, fluctuations in blood pressure, excess weight gain, fatigue, edema, and urinary problems.Regular practice of the yoga asanas strengthens and prepares the body for the demands of labor, easing delivery.
The disciplines involved in the asanas and the ability to achieve peace of mind enable the body to face contractions with less anxiety and to relax and let go with greater ease in between each contraction.
Regular yoga practice during pregnancy also speeds recovery and restores energy levels.
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Yoga Exercises – These gently work on the reproductive organs and pelvis to ensure a smooth pregnancy and a relatively easy childbirth. At the subtle level, these ensure optimum supply of blood and nutrients to the developing foetus. | |
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Breathing or Pranayama – These powerful techniques ensure the abundant supply of oxygen and a better life force for you and your child. These methods work on your fitness during pregnancy. |
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Mudras and Bandhas – The psycho-physical stimulation of these gestures and locks have powerful effects on a woman’s reproductive organs. |
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Meditation – As a therapeutic tool, meditation will help you resolve the deepest of neuroses, fears and conflicts, which are so common during pregnancy. Meditation brings with it an incredible awareness which helps you connect with your child in a way that is impossible to explain. |
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Deep Relaxation – Yoga Nidra (Yogic sleep) is particularly effective during pregnancy for physical and mental relaxation as well as for childbirth preparation. |
