Prenatal yoga: helpful poses and breathing techniques

Pregnancy is a time to care for your health and emotional wellbeing. Using yoga as part of your preparation for birth can help you feel significantly better. In this article, we explore poses and breathing techniques that may be helpful during pregnancy.

It is important for women who practise yoga to consult a doctor, to make sure that neither mother nor baby is put at risk. For those who have never practised yoga, prenatal yoga offers gentle, accessible poses to help maintain physical and emotional balance during pregnancy.

Prenatal yoga prepares you for birth both physically and psychologically. The poses help strengthen and stretch muscles, improve circulation, manage weight, supply tissues with oxygen and support immunity. Breathing techniques help expand the lungs and encourage oxygen flow. Yoga is also a spiritual practice that teaches self-control, relaxation and how to let go of negative thoughts.

Prenatal yoga uses specially adapted poses to help women feel comfortable and safe during practice. These poses are generally gentler and performed more cautiously, reducing the risk of injury.

Prenatal yoga classes also tend to move at a slower pace, giving women time to connect with their bodies and notice how they feel. Rather than more intense exercises that may cause tension or discomfort, the focus is on relaxation, breathing and meditation.

Prenatal yoga classes are held under the supervision of an experienced instructor, who can help adapt the exercises to each woman's individual needs and circumstances.