Prenatal yoga class in Portland Oregon a picture of the pregnant women doing yoga with the word Prenatal Yoga and all the ways it helps pregnancy and birth

Prenatal Yoga and All the Ways It Helps

Did you know that prenatal yoga can help build your pain tolerance for birth?

Plus, it helps you breathe better, stay flexible, more build more stamina and strength for birth. And get this — prenatal yoga has been proven to shorten labor by an average of two hours! With that kind of benefit, you’ll want to shout, “Sign me up!”  

Prenatal yoga is the hardest non-aerobic workout you’ll ever experience, in all the best ways. 

I think people forget that birth is an athletic event. There’s not really anything else like it that your body will go through in your life. So it bodes well to be prepared, and to give yourself as much of an edge as possible. Prenatal yoga may not make you drip sweat (although it might!), it has huge rewards when it comes time to give birth.  

Handling pregnancy aches and pains with prenatal yoga

Prenatal yoga helps lengthen and relax the muscles, which can help your birth experience.  

So many times, labour is long, complicated because of a baby malposition. (Sometimes this is due to tight muscles that won’t allow the baby to turn and engage properly.) According to Spinning Baby techniques, stretching certain muscles can allow labour to get back on track. In yoga, these very muscles are stretched on a daily basis, which increases the chance that your baby will land in a proper position for birth and reduce complications and length of labour. Every mama wants that! 

Easier Birth with prenatal yoga

It helps you breathe better. 

Breathing shouldn’t take a lot of thought, right? That’s true for most of life, but labour pushes boundaries, and one of those is how we breathe. Breathing is key to staying calm, grounded, and feeling less pain in birth. In prenatal yoga, breathing is a part of each pose, surrendering to the stretch, sinking into the uncomfortable, and letting go with each breath. 

When we breathe calmly and deeply in labour, the heart rate and blood pressure regulates and keeps the body in a parasympathetic / relaxation mode. Staying relaxed in your breathing in labor allows more progress, reduces fear and pain in the mother, and also keeps your baby’s heart rate steadier, reducing interventions. 

Prenatal Yoga helps you build your Mama Village

Prenatal yoga helps you handle pregnancy aches and pains.   

Growing a baby is hard work and can take quite a toll on the body! Prenatal yoga can help with lower back, hip, neck and shoulder pain, all those places that can ache and hurt during pregnancy. And it reduces swelling and pregnancy edema. It also calms the nervous system down which encourages more healthy digestion, better sleep and an increased immune system which means less colds and flus.

Prenatal yoga has spiritual, emotional, and mental benefits, too. 

It’s easy to believe that prenatal yoga helps the physical body as is changes with pregnancy. And it does! But we believe pregnancy preparation should be well-rounded, and prenatal yoga helps you spiritually, emotionally, and mentally as well. 

  • Pregnancy gives us 9 months to focus on the baby that we will meet, but we don’t spend a lot of time connecting with the baby inside, in the present. Yoga allows this time, which leads to better bonding, a deeper connection. And more readiness for birth. 
  • Feeling calm and grounded limits stress and creates a more positive outlook. 
  • Connecting to your own body and giving time for selfcare will help you enjoy the whole process of pregnancy. Our pregnant bodies are pretty amazing! 

It helps you build your Mama Village 

We hear all the time from new moms that they’ve met great friends in their pregnatal yoga classes. Being at the same stage of baby development, working towards a common goal opens up friendships in an amazing way. This group of strong women will inspire you as you work towards becoming a mother. You’ll probably find yourself scheduling baby and mommy classes together to keep the relationships growing. 

yoga balls for prenatal stretching

Find a Prenatal Yoga Class Near You 

So many reasons, so little time. Take advantage of pregnancy perks, and start prepping for birth with some prenatal yoga. Your body and your baby will thank you!

Vancouver Prenatal Yoga Classes

  • Ready, Set Grow provides individual classes and scheduled group Prenatal yoga sessions at Vancouver Wellness Studio. An instructor comes to your home in Vancouver, WA or Portland, OR and spends individual time in your yoga practice. They’ll meet you where you are, and work around your schedule.
  • Inner Sanctuary Yoga also provides personalized yoga in own home. Can be adjusted to meet certain health challenges, before and after baby comes.
  • The Breathing Room at Vancouver Yoga Center offers regular yoga classes that can be adapted to pregnancy. 

Portland Prenatal Yoga Classes