Yoga for Smooth Pregnancy

A woman is all about abundance, beauty and bliss. No wonder that the Almighty has given her a major role in the procreation of a new life. In fact, the whole of her body is like a fertile piece of land. You sow the seeds and get back plenty in return. Her sacrosanct sacrifice can never be underestimated.

So you can understand how crucial pregnancy is to a woman. This pregnancy is, in fact, a gift to relieve a woman in the macro-sense, by revealing the true nature of her role in the prospering of a species. So upkeep of the female body is extremely important, especially during the period of pregnancy. But a big question arises, how do you that?

Learn Prenatal Yoga

Through Yoga, a woman gains knowledge of herself and her body. As a woman understands the vastness of the body, her compassion knows no bounds and a bliss induces in her mind and body. For achieving this state, she has to practice Yoga.

What does Prenatal Yoga teach? Basically, it teaches a person a lot. When a woman does it, and as she grows compassionate, she allows her energy to radiate the body. This way she becomes empathetic of other beings in this realm. In this state, she transforms from blissful to bountiful.

A lot of Prenatal Yoga has got to do with touch. But ambiance also counts a lot. If you practice the mudras of Yoga in a place that is far from the hustle and bustle of city life, and this particular space has clean air, with a favorable cover of forests on all sides, then there is a big chance that exercising in this manner will be more beneficial.

An ashram in locales of Kerala or Goa is highly recommendable but not always practical because hey, we have to have a look at our budgets too, right?!

THE PROCEDURE

If you are pregnant and contemplating pregnancy yoga first sit in Padmasana or Gyan Mudra pose for thirty-one minutes with our right hand straight forward, palm facing down, reaching for the horizon at sixty degrees. The left hand would be at the knee, the thumb needs to be pressed to index finger and the other fingers should be kept straight.

Now chant this mantra –

I am my soul’s light

Full of bounty

Full of beauty 

Full of bliss

I believe in myself

I AM, I DO

These are simple and effective words which work wonders in the period of your pregnancy. These words and asanas of Yoga help your body to prepare for pre-childbirth duration. Yoga during pregnancy will effectively help you to counter pain and can also make the entire process more predictable.

Most of the new mothers are overwhelmed by the symptoms which their body is experiencing for the first time. In fact, it is a common retort of most new would-be Moms, ”I had no idea it was going to be like that.” or “Give me the Goddamn epidural! NOW!” It is a state of panic and pandemonium that ensues as she moves towards the third trimester of pregnancy.

Yoga and meditation keeps your body in a state of alignment. It also keeps your mind strong, both physically and mentally. Additional benefits of Yoga are that it balances your glandular system. Apart from the brain, it also keeps the circulatory system in check, by controlling the flow of hormones. Overall, you will feel calm and cheerful.

HONORING YOUR WOMANHOOD

This is another important aspect of motherhood. You should respect yourself by staying positive and honoring what you are – a mother.

THE EMOTIONAL ABYSS 

Often in the first trimester of pregnancy, women experience a lot of sickness, exhaustion, and most of the times, they are in a state of confusion.

Why do you feel sick all the time during pregnancy? That’s because you are nauseated and woozy all throughout the day. It’s similar to sea-sickness. This doesn’t seem to end during the entire duration of the pregnancy.

The exhaustion is mostly there because your body has grown in size. The confusion is present because the sensation in the body is new and disorienting. You wish it would go away, but no, it’s as if it will never end. But not every woman experiences these symptoms. For those who do, it can be a daunting challenge.

Pregnancy will certainly disrupt your entire routine, but you have to understand one thing clearly – do not leave those activities that you enjoy doing. That’s because it helps in relieving you of the stress that comes in this state. It is also wise to have a friend by your side, most of the times, if not all the time. Make sure they are women who have already experienced childbirth. That’s because they will understand what you are experiencing and might be able to help you in a better way, if possible. In fact you will notice this evidently that by the time you complete this particular activity, you will always feel better.

Being with others, that too in positive company, helps a would-be mother with morning sickness and exhaustion. But you should be able to come to terms with one thing –If you are pregnant, you will have morning sickness, heartburn, and your back will hurt. You will also have shooting pains down in your legs. You will also feel that your body cannot accommodate the baby. But relax, it happens with every mother.

A supporting husband and a friend by your side works wonders

EXERCISES FOR EMOTIONAL BALANCE

Here is a simple exercise that energizes the body by building your electromagnetic field, and improves the balance in the hemispheres of your brain. It consists of two poses – easy and complex. Here is how you do it –

• In easy pose, you need to stretch your arms up above your ears with the palms facing each other stretching to the sky. Keep your arms and palms in one position without shaking them.
• Begin to move the arms back and forth and then back in. Keep your eyes closed and rolled upward. Move your hands vigorously, for at least three minutes, working up to seven minutes.

GETTING RID OF MORNING SICKNESS

Eating during pregnancy can be quite a challenge. You have to carefully monitor your blood glucose levels. You will feel fatigued, irritable, and emotional. Your sense of smell is hypersensitive. So cooking is not favourable, because all the smells can cause havoc and can be quite powerful and overwhelming. It will freak out your mind. And this might be the last thing you can imagine doing. Just the smell of coffee will make you throw up.

What You Can Eat

You can eat whatever you like, just make sure you don’t add a lot of sugar and spice. While sugar could cook up the risk of gestational diabetes, spice might up the acidity levels.

So, if you feel like eating pasta, make sure the ingredients are organic. Plain pasta might be just fine. Keep the oil, tomatoes and the pepper levels low and you will just be fine. Add a lot of veggies so that you can increase the nutritional contents of the pasta.

Keep some healthy snacks by your side. Whenever you feel low, you can grab a handful and just munch on them. A vegetable or a fruit salad is good. Try raisins, almonds, fruit, crackers, or soy nuts. Just make sure you have packed enough protein in your munchies! Also keep yourself hydrated at all times.

But why do you need so much? That’s because these food items help to increase the levels of the hormone Oxytocin in the body. This specific hormone is called love hormone and it helps you a lot to keep happy.

GOOD-BYE TO QUEASINESS

Again we have Yoga to the rescue. But you should also walk for half an hour. Why? As you walk, you reduce the stress levels. The importance of Yoga needs not to be explained again.

As you walk, do not forget to press the thumbs of both hands to each of the fingertips. You should do it in the following order – from thumb to index, thumb to middle finger, thumb to ring finger, thumb to pinkie.

Each of these are actually mudras of various Yogic asanas. These have been devised to provide specific benefits:

• Thumb to index finger is a mudra called gyan mudra. It has been devised for knowledge
• Thumb to middle finger isanother mudra called the shuni mudra for wisdom, intelligence, and patience
• Thumb to ring finger mudra is the surya mudra for vitality of the body
• Thumb to pinkie mudra is the bhudi mudra. It increases the body’s ability to communicate well

Chant in a monotone the syllables, Sa-Ta-Na-Ma, verbally or mentally, one syllable to each finger.

Repeat this exercise every day.

IMPORTANCE OF BREATHING EXERCISES 

In yogic terms, the life force is named prana, which comes to us through breath. Yama means controlling the action, even of breathing. Together they constitute the word Pranayama. This is one of the terms we use in yoga. In simpler words, it means directing life energy to light your body source.

Breathing exercises give you clarity and cool-headedness. That’s because it brings oxygen and nitrogen to the brain cells. This, in turn, pumps spinal fluid to the brain. Further, it prevents the buildup of toxins in the lungs. As the lung capacity increases it stretches your pituitary gland which is the regulator of all the hormones in your body. It becomes stimulated and secretes the necessary hormones.

If you would like to hire a personal yoga trainer for yourself during pregnancy please give us a call and we will arrange a certified prenetal yoga specialist to train you in the comfort of your home 🙂