Benefits of Physiotherapy Supervised Prenatal Yoga
At Myofascial Release Mississauga (MRM), we offer a whole range of services dedicated solely to women’s health. One of the services we offer is Prenatal Physio-Yoga. Many women consider prenatal yoga when looking for an option to relax or stay fit during their pregnancy, but many may not know that this type of yoga can also help prepare a woman for labour and can promote the health of the baby.
What exactly is prenatal yoga?
Prenatal yoga is a multifaceted approach to exercise that focuses on stretching, mental centering and focused breathing. At Myofascial Release Mississauga, our prenatal yoga classes combine yoga and mindfulness techniques to aid women in developing their awareness of their mind-body connection. By doing this, women will feel less stressed and more confident — preparing them for not only pregnancy and delivery but also the transition to motherhood and navigating life after birth.
Monica Bhardwaj, Myofascial Release Mississauga’s life coach and yoga instructor, leads our prenatal yoga classes and they are supervised by our physiotherapy team. At MRM, out of concern for the safety of our participants, we have all interested participants partake in a physiotherapy assessment before beginning one of our prenatal yoga classes. This helps us to identify any potential complications or contradictions to movement. Our physiotherapists supervise these classes to address any new issues that may arise and modifications that can be followed up with one-on-one. Our prenatal yoga classes can also be covered under physiotherapy benefits.
What are the benefits of prenatal yoga?
Research has shown that prenatal yoga is safe and has many benefits for pregnant women and their babies. Prenatal yoga can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, increase the strength flexibility and endurance of muscles needed for childbirth, decrease lower back pain, nausea, headaches and shortness of breath and it can even help improve your sleep.
Pregnancy-related lower back, pelvic or leg pain is a common problem for pregnant women. More than two-thirds of pregnant women will experience lower back pain and nearly one-fifth will experience pelvic pain. However, four studies found a positive correlation between yoga intervention and decreased pain. The findings show that yoga practice can decrease lumbar pain and gradually reduce pain intensity for pregnant women experiencing lumbopelvic pain.
In addition to all of that, prenatal yoga can also introduce you to other pregnant women to allow you to form bonds with them and prepare for the stress that comes along with being a new parent.
Another great benefit of prenatal yoga classes at Myofascial Release Mississauga is that each program is tailored by our physiotherapist and instructor to meet the unique needs of each participant.
What happens during a typical prenatal yoga class?
A typical prenatal physio-yoga class will usually consist of breathing exercises — encouraging you to breathe in and out slowly through the nose, gentle stretching in areas such as your neck and arms, postures — gently moving your body into different positions to develop your strength flexibility and balance, a cool down to relax your muscles and restore your resting heart rate and breathing rhythm and of course, relaxation.
Is prenatal yoga for me?
Although prenatal yoga is less strenuous than other types of yoga and has been proven to be safe, we still recommend talking to a health-care provider before starting one of our prenatal physio-yoga classes. If you do choose to partake in our classes, make sure you don’t overdo it — always pay attention to your body and how you are feeling. You should only stretch as far as you would have before pregnancy.
While participating in prenatal physio-yoga classes, if you notice that you are experiencing vaginal bleeding, decreased fetal movement or contractions, you should stop and contact a health-care provider.
