The Benefits of Prenatal Yoga & Pilates (+ a video workout for you!)
Staying active during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for your health and your baby's. Prenatal movement will help lower the risk of certain pregnancy-related conditions such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia as it will manage blood pressure and blood sugar. Please always check with your healthcare provider before starting any new prenatal exercise, especially if you have complications or are high-risk.
Below, we talk about the benefits of prenatal movement, but if you’re 6+ weeks postpartum and want to return to movement in a safe, restorative way, Laura led director Lisa in a 30-min postpartum yoga & pilates workout for you on Instagram, and we uploaded it to YouTube for you! (Scroll down for the video.)(Or if you’re currently pregnant, bookmark this video on YouTube for later!) Grab your mat and enjoy…your body, mind & spirit will thank you! We recommend you put your earbuds in; Laura’s verbal cueing is so good you don’t even really need to look at the screen most of the time.
Benefits of Prenatal Yoga
Gently builds muscle tone, especially in the back, hips, and pelvic floor.
Breathwork in yoga will help during labor and delivery, and will also reduce stress throughout pregnancy.
Helps alleviate common pregnancy discomforts such as back pain, hip tightness, swelling, and even insomnia.
As your center of gravity shifts throughout pregnancy, yoga improves stability and coordination.
Fosters body awareness, helps you tune into emotional sensations that live in your body and promotes bonding with your baby.
Yoga will give you the tools to listen to your body and trust it.
Benefits of Prenatal Pilates
Strengthens deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles in a safe way, which will promote pelvic stability and minimize diastasis recti (abdominal separation).
Helps counter the posture changes (thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis) that come with a growing belly and shifting weight.
Low-impact workouts help maintain energy and endurance.
Strengthens glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings to stabilize the pelvis and sacrum, preventing or easing lower back, SI joint and pelvic girdle pain.
Prenatal Pilates will keep you strong and supported.
This post was written by ERDC doula Laura
