Prenatal yoga - Benefits and Posture

Transcript

namaste my name is Nancy and I'm a yoga teacher with the Rutland gets to you first I'm going to talk about the physical benefits that yoga can give the mother-to-be one is that as you are pregnant and as the baby begins to grow but your stamina comes down yoga actually helps to improve stamina so that you're able to meet the physical demands of your baby growing inside you as well as the physical demands of the outside world on you with efficiency and with no problem the second thing that happens is that a lot of strain as the baby grows is put on the lower back or the lumbar region this region needs to be strengthened so that you do not have any problems as the pregnancy progresses yoga addresses that concern not only does it strengthen and relax the lower back but it also helps in preparing the back for labor the third physical benefit is that it improves circulation in your body as your body begins to move through the yoga asanas it improves the circulation in the body thereby improving circulation to all your extremities like your fingers and your toes which will tend to get swollen as your baby begins to grow also it improves circulation to the womb increasing blood flow through your baby the fourth thing that it does is strengthens the arms strengthens the legs and strengthens the hips fifth thing that it does also is that it opens up the inner thighs as your pregnancy progresses your body preparing for labor releases this hormone called relaxin relaxin helps the muscles in your uterus and your cervix expand when the baby is ready to be delivered this relaxin flowing through the rest of your body also improves flexibility in the rest of your body so this is a very good time for you to practice yoga asanas and to get maximum benefits now I'll talk about the mental benefits of yoga for the mother-to-be the number one benefit is that it helps to give the mother a good body image when a mother is active and is able to do a lot of asanas that gives her a lot of confidence in herself and her body and that gives her a lot of mental strength to deal with whatever is to come next the second thing is that yoga is extremely relaxing so it helps the mother completely relax and it helps the mother deal with anything that comes her way with equanimity and with no emotional upheaval the third benefit of yoga is that it helps the mother to be be more in control of herself whatever is going to happen to her the baby actually interprets the world from you all the baby can hear is your breathing your digestion your heart rate when you are stressed or you are under any sort of tension of pressure your heart rate increases your digestion is not at optimal levels and your breathing is shallow this puts unnecessary strain on your baby through yoga you're able to bring all this under control I'm going to demonstrate the correct breathing technique and posture for prenatal yoga as your baby grows bigger it puts a lot of strain on your respiratory system so what is very important during pregnancy so that you and your body are getting enough oxygen as well as ensuring that your baby is getting enough oxygen is to ensure that whatever lung capacity you have is being used to the maximum so to begin with that first I'm going to teach you about posture as your baby grows bigger you will have a tendency to sit like this because it is easier for you to sit like this but what happens here is that there is a contraction of your chest and therefore a contraction of your lungs as the baby grows bigger already the lung capacity is reduced posture becomes very very important for you what is now important is that you keep the spine straight the shoulder blades directly under the years so that you are utilizing your lung capacity to the maximum as you breathe in and breathe out I would suggest you keep accounts to your breath as you inhale you count on one on two on three till you're comfortable and as you exhale you do the same this will improve your breathing by about 80% and you will find that you have more energy to do go through the chores of the rest of your day this breathing posture can be practiced by everybody but it becomes especially important for pregnant women so sit in the correct posture as much as you can and Stacey you