Through running Yogipod I get to meet lots of other yoga teachers all of whom have their own interests, expertise and focuses. I always say if you gave us each the same class plan we would still all deliver a totally different class. One of those teachers that I have met through Yogipod is Lucy, an antenatal educator and yoga teacher, specialising in pregnancy and postnatal movement and she has very kindly written our latest guest blog.
Pregnancy yoga has many benefits for you and your baby and can help to prepare you for birth and the postnatal period. In this blog we are going to look at the top benefits of pregnancy yoga and how props can make your experience even better.
Five Benefits of a Pregnancy Yoga Class
- Reduces stress and anxiety – Pregnancy yoga promotes deep breathing and relaxation. This can improve stress and anxiety, particularly any anxiety you have about the birth of your child or the changes that motherhood can bring.
- Increases strength and tones important muscle groups – It can be hard to know which forms of exercise will be best for you throughout your pregnancy. You may have heard that swimming is a gentle and safe form of exercise – this is true but swimming has different benefits to taking a yoga class. A pregnancy yoga class will help to tone your pelvic floor, your thighs and will help to alleviate any aches and pains you may have in your back from the excess weight of pregnancy.
- Decrease shortness of breath – Your secret weapon during the birth of your child is your own breath. By breathing deeply, you will be triggering your parasympathetic nervous system which will trigger a calm and relaxed state. This will help your hormones to work effectively in birthing your baby. Breath is a core part of a pregnancy yoga class, in fact, you will be encouraged to take deep long breaths throughout the class and this will help you to learn how to breathe during labour.
- Increase the bond with your baby – Stepping onto a yoga mat means you are stepping away from your busy life to take some time to yourself to wind down and disconnect. Doing this with your baby in utero means that you are giving yourself a chance to have some quiet time with your baby. It’s likely that if you’re over 20 weeks and feeling movement that the relaxation sessions will prompt your baby to kick and move.
- You become part of a likeminded community – We all know that finding your ‘mum-tribe’ is so important for new mothers. By joining a pregnancy yoga class you will be meeting other women who are entering into motherhood at the same time as you. Forming a bond with other likeminded people can be so beneficial for your emotional and mental well-being.
How yoga props can make pregnancy yoga even better
It’s no secret that during pregnancy you might be seeking extra support for your body. Whether it be a pregnancy pillow for sleep or a strap to support your growing bump in the 3rd trimester – having a little extra support is no bad thing.
A pregnancy yoga class is a great way to discover safe new tools that could help to move your baby into the optimal position for birth and give your body more support – when it needs it most. Here are my favourite pregnancy yoga props and how they can help you prepare for the birth of your baby:
The Bolster
The mighty bolster! You may be familiar with the bolster or may not have come across one before. A bolster is a long, round cushion that is usually filled with buckwheat to enable it to move and mould with you. How can a bolster support you in the lead up to and during labour? Well, it can do a few things for you, including:
- Giving your body extra support during savasana. By propping yourself against a bolster or hugging one between or under your legs, you’re automatically giving yourself more support.
- Helping your baby to move into the optimal position for birth. The optimal position is head down, facing your spine. If your baby is in this position they will have an easier time navigating the bones of the pelvis. If you straddle a bolster your knees will be lower than your hips and that will mean more room in your uterus and more room for your baby to move into the optimal position for birth.
For more guidance on how to use a bolster we recommend the pregnancy yoga programme on the butterbean website where you’ll find 28 yoga classes, most of which use a bolster for optimal foetal positioning.
Eye Pillows
An eye pillow is a wonderful prop to use during savasana as it’ll help you to relax even more deeply. This will trigger a calm and relaxed state and if your mind associates an eye pillow with relaxation – guess what, using it during labour will mean your body and mind are more able to switch off and connect.
Meditation Pillows
We all know that having a still mind during labour can have such a positive impact on how you give birth. This is because having an anxious mind will trigger adrenaline in your system and that could derail your labour. A meditation pillow will help to give you a reason to find stillness while pregnant, practice your breathing and focus on you and your baby.
Yoga Strap
It’s hard to take your usual forward bends while pregnant and a yoga strap can make such a difference in helping you to stretch without putting any pressure on your bump. You can use a strap beneath the feet in poses such as half forward fold or ianu sirsasana (seated forward fold).
Yoga Blocks
Finally, yoga blocks are regularly used during non-pregnancy yoga classes but they actually have even more benefits while pregnant. Bringing two yoga blocks together can give your pelvis more support when in a seated position and this can help to bring your knees lower than your hips which will help to move your baby into the optimal position for birth. A yoga block can also give you more height when in poses such as trikonasana or revolved warrior and this takes some pressure off your torso and your bump. When in savasana, a yoga block under the head can alleviate nausea and give your spine more support.
How the way you sit impacts how your baby lays in utero
The way we sit can impact how our baby sits in utero. To enable more room in the uterus we need to make more room – the uterus will move and flex with you as you move throughout the day. When you bend over to pick something up, your uterus will be a different shape to when you’re standing up. If you think about how we sit throughout the day, we tend to recline or slouch on the sofa, in a car seat or in an office chair. This changes the position of the pelvis, making it tip back and this changes the shape of the uterus and makes it harder for your baby to move into the pelvis before birth.
You may have been told that during birth you need to be upright, forward and open to enable your baby to descend through the pelvis and into this world. Did you know that being upright, forward and open applies to pregnancy too? If you can get yourself into this position while watching TV and sitting at a table or desk then your baby will have a much better chance of engaging into your pelvis in readiness for birth.
To enable this, we need keep your knees below your hips. It is as simple as that. The best tool you can use for making that happen – a yoga bolster. By sitting with a yoga bolster between your legs your knees will naturally fall down and your hips will be up. If you do this, notice how it stretches your uterus up and this automatically creates more room for your baby to get into the optimal position for birth.
Lucy Woodbridge is an antenatal educator and yoga teacher, specialising in pregnancy and postnatal movement. Founder of education platform Butterbean she aims to support women from pregnancy all the way through to the first year of their baby’s life, fully aware of their options, and knowing they are not alone.
To find out more about how pregnancy yoga can support you throughout pregnancy and take a week-by-week programme, head over to the butterbean website to find out more and get started.