About Prenatal Yoga
Prenatal yoga helps pregnant people reduce stress, build strength & stability, find comfort in their growing bodies, and prepare for birth. Below is a list of some benefits of prenatal yoga.
Benefits of Prenatal Yoga
Frequently Asked Questions:
Interested in practicing prenatal yoga with Ahsa? Click here to view her current class schedule. Or, visit the yoga sequences page on this website for free yoga sequences that you can practice in the comfort of your own home.
Benefits of Prenatal Yoga
- Cultivates stability & centeredness.
- Prepares the body and baby for optimal positioning for birth.
- Helps with pregnancy discomforts like, fatigue, low back pain, heartburn, shortness of breath, sleeplessness, and more.
- Improves connection with baby.
- Provides a supportive environment with other pregnant people, fostering community.
- Opportunities to practice pain coping techniques in class.
- Postures and movements help strengthen the pelvic floor and pelvic girdle.
- Breath awareness helps calm emotions, center the mind, and bring energy and alignment into the body.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- When can I start practicing prenatal yoga?
- Generally, after your first trimester. However, it is recommended that you check with your doctor or midwife before practicing prenatal yoga. There are some conditions that may be contraindications for prenatal yoga.
- When should I stop going to prenatal yoga class?
- Some pregnant people find it helpful to practice right up to their due date. Every body is different. Do what feels right for you and what is recommended by your healthcare provider.
- What can I expect in a prenatal class?
- Class will begin with a check-in where each student will have the opportunity introduce themselves and ask any questions or share anything they would like with the group. The check-in is a wonderful, supportive, community-building aspect of the class.
- Next, we'll move into a gentle seated warm-up with gentle breathing exercises, followed by a series of postures done on the hands & knees. The hands & knees poses help open the hips and strengthen the spine, and are very helpful for optimal fetal positioning.
- After our warm-up and hands & knees postures, we'll move into a series of standing poses designed to strengthen and stretch the body (especially the legs and hips), creating more space for you and baby.
- We'll then move into some balancing poses, to encourage hip strength and stability, followed by squatting exercises, to stretch and strengthen the pelvic floor, and seated postures.
- Finally, class will culminate with 1 or 2 restorative poses, to encourage rest and relaxation.
- Props, such as bolsters, blankets, blocks, and straps will be utilized throughout class for extra support and comfort. The wall is another tool often used in class for stability.
- Can I practice prenatal yoga if I have SI joint or pubic symphysis pain?
- Maybe. Check with your doctor or midwife, first. There are a number of yoga postures that can be very helpful in releasing tension in the pelvis and inner thighs, which is often a contributing factor to SI joint or pubic symphysis pain.
Interested in practicing prenatal yoga with Ahsa? Click here to view her current class schedule. Or, visit the yoga sequences page on this website for free yoga sequences that you can practice in the comfort of your own home.
