5 Reasons to Practice Prenatal Yoga Throughout Your Pregnancy

Prenatal Yoga is a powerful way to keep your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing in balance throughout your pregnancy. And let’s be honest, a little balance probably sounds pretty good right about now. It’s easy to get swept up in all the “to-dos” of pregnancy, but sometimes the best thing to do is slow down, check in with your body, and connect with your baby. On top of the fact that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) names it one of the safest exercises for pregnant people, establishing a regular yoga practice throughout your pregnancy might just be the missing link you need to feel comfortable and at ease in your growing body. Want to know more? Here are 5 great reasons to practice Prenatal Yoga:

Community Support
Group prenatal yoga classes are an easy and fun way to connect to other pregnant people in your area who are going through a similar experience. The number of changes that happen to our bodies during pregnancy can seem strange or scary at times, but being able to confirm that other people are also having bizarre dreams, lower back pain, or that they too are peeing a little when they sneeze, can be really comforting.
Connect To Your Baby
It can be too easy to go about your usual routine and not remember to take the time to connect with the little person growing inside your uterus. Life doesn’t automatically slow down just because you’re now pregnant. But in a prenatal yoga class you have the opportunity to set aside time to step outside that routine so that you can pause and connect inward. Yoga means “yoke”, “to join”, or “union”, and in the case of prenatal yoga, a focus on the unique union between parent and child.
Alleviate Aches + Pains
The moment you become pregnant your hormonal composition changes. Estrogen, Progesterone, and Relaxin all work together to soften your ligaments, joints, smooth muscles, and connective tissues. This newfound elasticity is wonderful for allowing your body to expand and make space for your baby to grow and eventually be born, but in the meantime it can create a myriad of discomforts in your body. Prenatal yoga classes are designed with these body changes in mind and to offer tools to help balance, stabilize, and relieve common pregnancy aches and pains so you feel more comfortable in your growing body.
Reduce Stress
Yoga is well established as a tool for stress reduction. Even the happiest person to be pregnant will still experience some level of stress throughout their pregnancy. Creating, growing, and birthing a human is no small task! Prenatal yoga incorporates breath work and mantra specifically designed for stress-reduction, as well as aspects of restorative yoga which help bring our bodies from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest) dominance.
Childbirth Education
Most prenatal yoga teachers incorporate various childbirth themes and inspiration from different birthing trends into their classes. One class might center on the anatomy of the pelvic floor while another could offer a few great pushing positions to use while you’re in labor. The list of things to learn is endless, but luckily you can gain a well-rounded understanding of these tools and themes the more classes you take!