Pregnant in Perth? Here’s why you need a Pregnancy Yoga Class!
Attending specially designed prenatal yoga classes is not just about accommodating your growing belly, it’s also about expanding your mind, exploring your options for birth and joining together as a collective community as you begin your journey into motherhood. Pregnancy yoga offers a depth and a warmth beyond the yoga postures themselves, and like everything in life, some teachers will resonate more than others, so seek out a class (and a suitably trained teacher) that suits – you’ll know your community when you find it!
5 Yoga Poses to Ease Back Pain during Pregnancy
Here are 5 yoga poses to help you stretch to alleviate piriformis / sciatic pain during pregnancy - please note that some of these yoga postures will need to be modified or are not suitable if you have pelvic girdle pain, low lying placenta or a breech baby - if you're unsure please seek the advice of a specially trained Prenatal Yoga Teacher who can provide safe alternatives using props in a Pregnancy specific yoga class.
Pregnancy, Yoga + the Pelvic Floor
It's a common myth that if you have a caesarean birth then you don't need to do pelvic floor exercises - WRONG! As your baby grows and becomes bigger, this additional weight on your pelvic floor causes it to stretch and weaken. Learning safe and correct techniques to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles will help prevent leakage when you sneeze or cough – something that becomes a lot harder to restrain from after giving birth!
How Prenatal Yoga can help your birth
When it comes to labouriNG and giving birth (ANY birth), the mind-body connection is PARAMOUNT! A prenatal yoga class can help women to access deep reserves of emotional strength and resilience that can be put to good use not just during contractions but for being present and anchored in some of the challenges that are likely to come up throughout your labour and giving birth to a baby.
Mental Health Matters
There’s a common misconception that yoga teachers have it all together! Let me tell you that this could not be further from the truth! Although I have had a dedicated yoga practice for more than a decade now, let me be the first to tell you that yoga is not a magic pill to avoiding matters of the mind. While it can certainly provide the tools to assist with some of the overwhelm and anxiety associated with depression, it’s by no means a cure. I wanted to share my personal struggles with the intention of opening up a conversation, a dialogue about the importance of not just looking after our body, but our mind too.