7 Amazing Yoga Postures For Normal Delivery
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Are you an expectant mom and are worried about your labor? Do you know that yoga postures can help you prepare for a normal delivery? Well, if you are clueless and curious reading this post is a good idea! Prenatal yoga is a safe workout during pregnancy. Read on to know more about yoga postures for normal delivery.
The sensitive phase of pregnancy brings unique and memorable experiences in every woman’s life. Practicing yoga can help the mother enjoy a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery. Prenatal yoga is the branch of yoga that deals with specific asanas that you can safely perform during pregnancy. The basic aim of prenatal yoga is to minimize pregnancy complications and help the mother go through a normal delivery.
The postures of prenatal yoga differ for every stage of pregnancy. It is advisable to seek requisite medical guidance, before practicing yoga while expecting. Regular practice of yoga postures helps in toning the back and pelvic muscles and readying your body for labor. (1)
Different Yoga Postures For Normal Delivery:
Some of the effective yoga asanas for normal delivery are:
- Vakrasna (Twisted Pose): The yoga posture strengthens the spine, neck, hands and legs and gently massages the abdominal organs to facilitate a normal delivery.
- Konasana (Angle Pose): The posture stretches the spinal cord and the sides of the body. It helps in toning the arms, legs, and the abdominal organs. Expectant mothers suffering from constipation and sciatica pain can get relief by practicing this asana.
- Utkatasana (Chair Pose): The pose helps in stretching the chest muscles, spine, and hips. It strengthens the lower back and torso. The yoga posture helps to attain mental strength as well as physical balance and helps to prepare the mother’s body for labor.
- Paryankasana (Ham’s Pose With One Leg): The yoga posture strengthens the thighs, abdominal and pelvic muscles and eases normal delivery. It stretches the respiratory diaphragmimproves breathing and fights fatigue.
- Bhadrasana (Butterfly Pose): The asana strengthens the inner thighs, makes the hips more flexible and improves blood circulation in the pelvic region. Practicing the pose on a regular basis can facilitate a smooth labor.
- Parvatasana (Mountain Pose): By stretching the muscles of the abdomen, arms and back, the pose helps to relieve severe back pain.
- Yastikasana (Stick Pose): The simple pose helps relax the tense abdominal and pelvic muscles. It helps the body prepare better for normal delivery as it also helps you beat fatigue and stress.
[ Read: Benefits Of Doing Squats To Induce Labor ]
Health Benefits Of Prenatal Yoga:
Check out here amazing benefits of practicing pregnancy yoga exercises for normal delivery:
- Facilitates Labor: Yoga is an excellent way for a pregnant woman to prepare her body and mind for the birth of her baby. The combination of physical exercise, meditation and relaxation works wonders for maternal and fetal health. Practicing prenatal yoga for an hour each day between 18 and 20 weeks gestation until childbirth helps to increase the birth weight. It also helps to decrease the chances of a preterm labor, isolated intrauterine growth retardation, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. By improving muscle strength and increasing energy reserves and flexibility, yoga works to prepare a woman’s body for labor prior to the event.
- Improves Sleep: Sleep may be difficult during advanced pregnancy due to the restricted positions in which the expectant mother can rest. The increase in fetal movement may also take a toll on the quality of sleep a woman enjoys during later stages of pregnancy. Yoga not only reduces pregnancy-related stress, anxiety, and pain, but it also improves the quality of sleep and rest during pregnancy.
- Reduces Pain: Yoga helps reduce aches and pains associated with advanced pregnancy as it helps stretch muscles, improve breathing and boost blood circulation. Prenatal yoga helps to fight lower back pain, nausea, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches and shortness of breath. (2)
Things To Remember:
- Depending upon the stage of pregnancy, you should modify the intensity of the yoga workout. Practice simple stretching exercises during the advanced stages of pregnancy.
- You should stop trying an asana completely if you experience strain, breathlessness, dizziness or discomfort.
- Avoid forwarding bending asanas, as it may induce pressure on the abdomen and increase the stress on the fetus and uterus.
- Also, avoid backbends to abstain from straining the softened ligaments of the lumbar spine.
- Refrain from lying supine for long periods to prevent vena cava compression.
- It is a good idea to practice prenatal yoga under the supervision of a trained instructor.
With adequate knowledge of yoga postures, as an expectant mommy now you know how you can prepare your body better for a normal delivery!
Did you practice prenatal yoga during pregnancy for normal delivery? Did it help you prepare better for normal delivery? Do share your experience and advice with other moms here.
