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Child birth is an event. The road between conceiving and delivery is an adventure. After that, it’s pure joy!!

Bringing a new human life into this world is an exhilarating experience and every woman’s dream. From the time she knows she is pregnant, preparations automatically begin to give the best and most comfort to the baby . . . before it even begins to pop its head out and make its appearance into this big, wide, and wonderful world.

Experiencing the joys of motherhood is very spontaneous affair. One would hardly need any kind of confirmation or an outside source to let her know that she is pregnant. The connection between the mother and her unborn child clicks instantly. So deep is this attachment that the mother-to-be begins to prepare herself for the big day . . . the birth of her child; tuning in, adjusting to the constant changes that her body will go through intriguing, fascinating, and enjoying each step along the way.

The practice of Yoga during pregnancy not just enables you to enjoy a relaxed and smooth pregnancy, but will go a long way in ensuring a special kind of bonding between mother and child. While it is important to inculcate a feeling of happiness around you, without allowing minor things upset you, do remain cool, calm, composed and cheerful at all times. Yoga emphasizes on positivity of the mind and believes that it is the mind that can make or break a situation. The ability to gain complete control of the mind is important; the body willingly follows!!

As the baby within you grows, you will experience moments that you will enjoy and cherish . . . listening to the first heart beat of your child, the first kick that may catch you unaware at an odd time when your falling asleep or perhaps even when you are in the midst of a high-level conference at work . . .  The baby responds to sounds or music that you listening to the foetus receives signals, absorbs them, and responds to stimuli. This is most ecstatic!! Therefore it becomes necessary to feed the baby not just the best kinds of food for his physical growth but also with good emotional and spiritual material. How can this be done? Perhaps curl up in bed, read a good book in a relaxed atmosphere; listen to soft, soothing music that you’d enjoy; always carry kind and positive thoughts; avoid sudden and excessive bursts of emotions . . .

In pregnancy, the practice of yoga is the ideal way to keep your mind alert and body fit and prepared for the big day! A good session of yoga practice can work wonders. It helps to keep the mother-to-be stay in a happy and tranquil state of mind at all times, which in turn ensures an easy pregnancy and a natural childbirth. Besides working well for the mother-to-be, the practice of yoga also works wonders for the physical and mental development of the unborn child.

Simple asanas (physical yogic exercises) and pranayams (yogic breathing) helps bring about a world of positive changes in a pregnant mother. Meditation practised alongside can be very soothing. It assists you to be in touch with your inner self, relieves stress, is therapeutic in nature, calm and subtle on your senses, and can have a positive effect both on you and the baby.

A pregnant woman should always be aware of her posture and keep her spine erect. It is very important that the mother-to-be practices asanas that strengthen the spine. Yogic asanas are a perfect way to attain this. As pregnancy progresses, the spine helps the woman and makes it easier for her to carry the increasing weight of the child within her womb; or there is a probability that the protruding abdomen shifts forward the weight of the body causing not just discomfort but also the tendency to topple forward due to the growth and increasing weight of the baby. A strong spine ensures that the weight of the foetus is directly over the pelvis, which reduces pain, fatigue and discomfort for the woman’s back muscles.

Asanas are a very gentle and complete way of exercising during pregnancy, as it helps to keep the body active and supple without exertion or jerky movements.

Yogic breathing in combination with asanas can reduce nausea, morning sickness and mood swings. While certain asanas (Bhadrasana, Sukhasana, Padmasana) when practiced opens up the pelvic region, relieving tension around the cervix and birth canal area making labour easier and quicker; asanas like Utkatasana, Parvatasana gives mobility and flexibility to the joint muscles. During pregnancy, practicing simple basic pranayams or yogic breathing (Purakh, Khumbakh and Rechakh) can have extensive and far-reaching benefits as it not only helps conserve prana or energy for yourself but also provides high quality oxygen for the foetus. Moreover, a mother who breathes well and breathes complete taking in a good supply of oxygen will be stronger, and can offer a better life force for her child. Additionally, it prevents a bad back, pelvic floor weakness, uterus prolapse and mental and emotional tension.

Continuous practice of yoga helps in natural childbirth, a smooth-sailing pregnancy and quick restoration of the body after childbirth. Pregnancy is a very joyful period for a woman; but then it does bring with it a whole lot of discomfort and inconveniences as the body goes through changes physical, mental and emotional tiredness, abdominal discomfort, nausea, back pain, edema or fluid retention, cramps, varicose veins, impatience, depression, diabetes in some . . .

Muscle cramps, puffiness and/or edema (water retention especially in the ankles, feel and legs) is natural in most pregnant women; but, nature has its own way of taking care of these minor discomforts. Yogic practise can work wonders both for the mother and the baby-to-be as certain asanas help in the gentle massage of the abdominal muscles which strengthens and helps stimulate appetite, increases metabolism, and helps in bowel movement. Yoga in the post-natal stage (after delivery) helps in restoring the uterus, the abdomen and the pelvic floor, relieves upper back tension and breast discomfort. It helps the woman to get back into shape and to her normal self soon after delivery.

Part II of this article will demonstrate to you, simple asanas and pranayams mentioned above that can be practiced during pregnancy. 

Joyce d’Souza is a regular contributor of Yogic Arcles to Six Senses Yoga Society.  She is a trained instructor of Yoga, and a Yoga Therapist having studied Yoga at the Gurukul and at University level.  Joyce lives in India.