Perhaps you have heard that if you’ve had an active yoga practice prior to pregnancy, you can continue to practice in the same way after becoming pregnant. You may have heard that active exercise during pregnancy will make labour and delivery more efficient and more comfortable. This post is not to discredit either of those statements, but to offer a different viewpoint on yoga during pregnancy.
Yoga is meant to be about calming the movements of the mind, and focusing on the here and now. During pregnancy, so many thoughts are focused on the future – on planning for the baby, on how life will be once the baby arrives, on setting a birth plan, etc. This makes the practice of yoga during this time that much more important.
During this time of so much activity – baby showers, setting up the nursery, figuring out how to use a car seat, stockpiling diapers and more, taking some time for yourself and slowing things down can be so beneficial. Prenatal specific yoga classes often include a focus on breath work and movements that can help you during labour and delivery, and they often move at a slower place than a typical class to give you some time to really be present inside your body.
Again, this is not to say that you should stop all other activity, just that perhaps yoga during pregnancy (and in general) should be focused on being present, and on taking some time to restore and relax.
If you are interested in prenatal yoga classes in Bradford, Ontario, you can find upcoming dates and times on my Prenatal Yoga Page.
Yoga With Nicole Allison 