Yoga Poses During Pregnancy: Safe Yoga Postures for Pregnant Women

 Pregnant women find that yoga helps them during their pregnancy and also during labor. Frequently asked questions are, is yoga safe during pregnancy? What are the benefits of yoga during pregnancy? Here are some safety tips and suggestions for safe yoga practice during pregnancy. It would be advisable to work with an experienced teacher for adequate guidance and assistance.

Yoga and Pregnancy

Yoga for Pregnancy: Benefits of Yoga During Pregnancy

 Modern lifestyle has made life easier, but our bodies have become less flexible and supple. Muscles that participate during labor remain grossly under-utilized in our day-to-day lives. Attention is usually focused on the abdominal and pelvic muscles; nonetheless, the muscles of the back, thighs, neck, and even the face participate in the process. Strengthening and fortifying these muscles will ensure a smooth and quick delivery.

Pregnancy Yoga: Safe Prenatal Yoga Practice Tips

There are several postures and numerous modifications, so as to enjoy the benefit of yoga during pregnancy; however, here are some pointers that you ought to keep in mind:

• Do not practice yoga during the first 3 months after conception. Stop yoga practice if you have missed a period and expecting to conceive.
• Keep a ‘fluid, flow’ feeling with your practice.
• Do not hold the poses for too long; flow in and out of the various yoga postures. Also, keep the session short, about 15 to 20 minutes every day.
• Always remember, exhale when you go down; and inhale when you come up.
• Breath awareness is very essential. Let your breathing be easy and gentle; this will help ease labor.




Benefits of Yoga during Pregnancy


• Ligaments tend to soften during pregnancy, consequently, take care not to overstretch them.
• Avoid yoga poses that increase intra abdominal pressure or put a stress on the abdomen.

Yoga for Pregnant Women: Safe Yoga Pose during Pregancy 
Vajrasana (Diamond Pose):

Vajrasana is an excellent pose for the muscles of the thighs, legs and waist. Furthermore, this posture boosts digestive processes and improves GI tract functioning. It is a very safe pose and can be performed daily for about 2 to 5 minutes. The technique is as follows,

1. Kneel on a yoga mat.
2. Then, slowly sit down, such that, the buttocks rest on the heels. Keep the thigh close, as much as possible. 
3. Let the hands rest on the thighs.
4. If you find it difficult to maintain the posture, place a pillow between the heels and buttocks; it will be helpful.
5. Hold the pose for as long as comfortable; breathe normally; and then slowly get out of it

Yoga Posture During Pregnancy: Safe Yoga Posture for Pregnant Females

The butterfly pose facilitates good contraction and extension of the pelvic muscles as well as the muscles of the belly and buttocks. It strengthens the muscles of the thighs and legs and makes delivery easy. The technique:

1. Sit comfortably on a yoga mat. Now, fold your legs such that the soles of the feet touch each other.
2. Grasp the toes with your hands and gently flap the thighs – up and down. Keep the spine erect.
3. Inhale when the legs move up, and exhale when they move down.
4. Do not jerk or perform the pose hurriedly.

 Yoga Posture for Pregnancy: Rejuvenate with Yoga

Shaktisancharan (Energy Flow):

 This asana strengthens and reinforces the muscles of th neck, shoulder and back. It boosts the supply of ‘prana’ or the vital force within the body. Better flow of energy through the body helps you increase your tolerance to pain and eases childbirth. The technique:

1. Sit comfortably in a cross-legged position.
2. Make a fist such that the thumb points upwards. Then, inhale and raise the arms sideways at an angle of 60 degrees, with the thumbs pointing up. Keep the arms straight.
3. Exhale and slowly drop the hands.
4. Breathe slowly and deeply and perform at least 5 cycles of this asana.

Morning Sickness During Pregnancy: Home Remedies and Tips to Treat Nausea And Vomiting

By and large, during the 1^st trimester, i.e. the first 3 months of pregnancy, you tend to feel extremely nauseous; however, the degree of nausea and vomiting varies from woman to woman. This can be fairly distressing and if the symptoms are not managed well can harm the mother and the growing fetus. Fortunately there are some home remedies and tips that can help keep nausea and vomitting associated with morning sickness at bay.

Vomiting during Pregnancy

What Causes Nausea during Pregnancy? What is Morning Sickness?

The exact cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is unknown. Morning sickness is usually triggered by the hormonal changes that take place or due to an imbalance in the serum sugar levels. 
Fortunately, for most, morning sickness stops after the 1^st trimester; though some may have it for up to the 5^th month. There are several effective remedies for morning sickness as well as nausea remedies during pregnancy that can help allay your discomfort significantly.

Symptoms of Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting in Morning Sickness

If you suffer from acute morning sickness and vomit profusely, you tend to lose lots of fluids and electrolytes from the body and this causes dehydration. If you are severely dehydrated and cannot retain even liquids, the condition is called hyperemesis gravidarum and necessitates medical attention. Hospital admission may be necessary and you may be administered fluids via a drip. Important symptoms and manifestations that you ought to look out for are:

• Giddiness and Dizziness
• Excessive thirst
• Passing very little, dark urine or none at all
• Presence of ketones in the urine, which can be identified by a fruity smell and a ketone test.

Morning Sickness Home Remedies: Morning Sickness Relief
Here are some important home remedies that can be beneficial in the management of morning sickness and nausea and vomiting during pregnancy,

Ginger helps manage Morning Sickness

1. Ginger root: ginger is unquestionably beneficial in treating nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy, including hyperemesis gravidarum. 1 spoon of ginger root powder taken by itself or as a decoction brings about a significant reduction in the severity of nausea and vomiting.
2.  Mint tea: Mint is exceedingly useful in managing GI and abdominal discomfort; it allays spasms and has a potent bowel comforting effect. Consume half a glass of mint tea after every meal, it will aid in digestion and reduce the extent of nausea and vomiting.
3.  Aromatherapy: ginger essential oil is an effective essential that can be safely during pregnancy. It is especially beneficial foe morning sickness and may be either sniffed from a tissue or blended in to your perfume. Not only will it speedily alleviate nausea and vomiting, it is also comforting and fortifying.

Morning Sickness Natural Cures : How to Prevent Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy?

Here are some tips that can help you manage nausea especially during the first trimester of pregnancy,

• In the morning take time getting out of bed.  Eat a little as soon as you wake up and before you get out of bed. Ideally Leave a snack beside your bed.
• Throughout the day, the key is to eat small quantities, frequently, every 2 hours; even when not hungry. Avoid spicy and greasy foods
• Steer clear of alcohol, carbonated drinks and caffeine.
• Drink plenty of liquid, about 12 glasses daily; also include lots of fresh fruit juice or herbal tea in to your menu.
• Dry crackers and toasted bread are exceedingly beneficial in managing constant nausea; have one every 2 hours.
• After eating, never lie down; sit for about half an hour, so that gravity helps keep the food in the stomach.
• Keep away from smells that make you sick. It is very essential that you get plenty of fresh air and exercise every day.
• Avoid active as well as passive smoking.
• At night before bed, have a snack, such as, yoghurt, sandwich or milk and cereal. If you awaken at night feeling nauseous, eat a small, light snack. Sleep with the windows open to get lots of fresh air.