Benefits of Yoga

If I had to sum up yoga in one word, as cliché as it sounds, it would be “balance”. For example, there are some things about yoga that everyone seems to know – on a physical level it makes you more flexible. But a lot of people don’t realise that yoga also makes you stronger. One without the other can lead to bad posture, pain and/or injury. A good yoga class will address both qualities equally. And it’s no surprise that students who come to class with existing pain or injury often find relief through their practice. Sometimes it’s a matter of yoga being the perfect complement to other sports such as running or netball. They balance each other out.

Yoga also affords balance on a mental and emotional level. At the end of a class you usually feel pretty relaxed and calm but the beauty of yoga is that you also feel alert, motivated and focused at the same time. The best of both worlds! And the great thing is that the effects are often still noticeable days later. Probably the most specific and frequent feedback I get from students is how yoga helps them to sleep better. I think it’s most likely a combination of expending some energy, handling stress better, and breathing more efficiently. You become free to let go mentally and physically at the end of the day.

There are many other wonderful spin-offs of yoga (see side-bar) but in the words of B.K.S. Iyengar “Words fail to convey the total value of yoga. It has to be experienced”.

Yoga and Pregnancy

A lot of women have their first experience of yoga when they are pregnant. And it is a great time to start yoga as long as you keep a few important points in mind:

Wait until you have reached week 14 of your pregnancy before starting (unless you have been regularly practicing yoga).
Keep me informed of any changes that will impact your practice (medications, changes in blood pressure, new sensations or discomforts, etc).
If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.

As with regular yoga, the benefits of doing yoga during pregnancy are many and include:

Developing strength in the muscles that need to support the weight of your pregnancy
Gaining flexibility in the muscles that need to release and open for birth
Increasing your stamina
Optimizing your posture
Alleviating and/or preventing common pregnancy problems such as back pain and swelling
Improving circulation and balance
Learning effective breathing techniques to help cope with labour
Meeting other pregnant woman to share your experiences with
Working on your mental attitude to birth
Reducing stress and anxiety

Doing yoga in pregnancy is not a guarantee that you will have the perfect birth. But it will prepare you, in many ways, to be unprepared, to enjoy the journey, to go with the flow, to let go of rigid expectations, and to be comfortable with discomfort.