Is it good for pregnant women to do yoga? Can pregnant women do yoga to lose weight?

Yoga is a sport that is good for health and well-being. Yoga is gentle and safe for pregnant women. So what are the benefits of doing yoga for pregnant women? Can pregnant women lose weight by doing yoga? Let's take a look.

Can pregnant women practice yoga?

In the eyes of the older generation, pregnant women should move less and rest more to avoid disturbing the fetus. In fact, all obstetricians recommend that pregnant mothers do moderate exercise before giving birth, which can not only relieve the discomfort during pregnancy, but also help with childbirth and postpartum recovery. Many pregnant mothers will choose yoga during pregnancy. Is it really safe to practice yoga during pregnancy? The pregnant mothers doing yoga in the pictures we see look very relaxed and healthy, don’t they?

Characteristics of pregnancy yoga: slow and gentle, just right for pregnant mothers.

The role of yoga during pregnancy

1. The main function of yoga during pregnancy is to strengthen the pelvic muscles and increase the strength of the lower body, so that pregnant women have enough strength to support the growing belly and reduce the burden on the knees. Leg cramps are also caused by the increase in weight, which increases the burden on the calf muscles, causing painful contractions in the calf and foot muscles and leading to cramps. These discomforts can be relieved through yoga.

2. Many pregnant women have swollen hands and feet during pregnancy. In severe cases, they even look like a big balloon from a distance. This is because after a woman becomes pregnant, the progesterone in her body begins to increase to help the embryo implant firmly. However, progesterone also increases the concentration of sodium in urine, which causes edema. The deformation of the appearance is often difficult for beauty-conscious mothers to accept. Pregnant women yoga can improve blood circulation and metabolism in the body, reduce edema during pregnancy, and give mothers a good appearance.

3. Pregnant women yoga can also increase cardiopulmonary function, promote blood circulation and metabolism, and reduce fatigue caused by increased oxygen demand during pregnancy and asthma caused by breathing difficulties.

4. The fetus is connected to the mother by blood, so proper exercise by pregnant women is also beneficial to the growth of the fetus. The enhancement of the mother's blood circulation also increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, promoting the development of the fetus's brain and body.

5. Many mothers suffer from esophageal reflux or constipation because their babies grow up in their stomachs. Many yoga poses for pregnant women can promote gastrointestinal motility, help defecation and exhaust, and relieve flatulence and constipation.

6. In addition to eliminating physical discomfort symptoms, learning how to control and slow down breathing from basic yoga breathing management and meditation can help pregnant mothers eliminate the stress that may be caused by pregnancy, relax and calm their emotions.

Can pregnant women do yoga to lose weight?

How can pregnant women lose weight during pregnancy? Are they powerless? No, you can lose weight by practicing some yoga. The following are recommended yoga exercises suitable for pregnant women to lose weight. Please choose the exercises carefully. It is best to consult a professional yoga instructor before practicing.

1. Cat Stretch Yoga for Pregnant Women to Lose Weight (0-36 Weeks)

When doing this weight loss yoga exercise, you must pay attention to tightening your buttocks and thigh muscles and protecting the muscles under your back. This can enhance spinal flexibility, relieve back pain during pregnancy, calm your mind, and to a certain extent help you lose weight and control your weight.

The specific yoga movements for weight loss are to first get on your hands and knees with your knees shoulder-width apart, sit on your heels, stretch your hands forward, relax your body with your forehead on the ground, regulate your breathing, bend your waist and raise your head when inhaling, arch your back and lower your head when exhaling, look towards your navel, repeat 5-6 times, inhale, straighten your upper body, and exhale.

2. Frog pose yoga for pregnant women to lose weight (0-36 weeks)

The frog pose yoga for pregnant women to lose weight mainly stretches the hip, pelvic and inner thigh muscles, which is beneficial for childbirth and is more conducive to weight loss.

The specific steps of this yoga movement are to support your upper body with your arms, kneel on the ground, bend your legs with your toes facing each other, spread your thighs as far as possible, sit your buttocks on your feet, exhale and lie prone, without your buttocks leaving your ankles, expand your groin, inhale, retract your arms and slowly stand up, exhale, straighten your legs and relax.

3. Heroic Yoga for Pregnant Women (0-36 Weeks)

If you feel your knees are not flexible when doing this weight loss yoga exercise, you can put a mat under your hips, straighten your legs and shake to relax when you return to the pose. People with high blood pressure should not raise their hands above their heads, and people with knee diseases or lower limb edema should not practice this. This weight loss yoga exercise can promote deep breathing, stretch the inner thigh muscles and knee ligaments, expand the chest and lungs, and is very beneficial for leg weight loss.

Pregnant women should avoid 8 actions when practicing yoga

1. Excessive forward bending

Bending forward can also compress the blood vessels and nerves connected to the uterus. To ensure normal blood flow, you can do a split forward bend, open your legs appropriately, and leave some space for your abdomen when you bend forward.

2. Excessive twisting

Twisting your body too much can also reduce blood circulation, so be sure to adopt an open posture and avoid touching your knees when doing twisting movements.

3. Lie flat

When you reach the second trimester, try to avoid lying flat for long periods of time. The increasing weight of the uterus can affect the flow of blood and nutrients to the growing fetus, and may also increase pain in the lower back and heart, and cause an increase in blood pressure. Use cushions and other objects to support your body instead of lying flat. If possible, find ways to stand, sit, support yourself on your hands or knees, lie on your side, and stretch your muscles appropriately.

4. Postures for training oblique abdominal muscles

As your abdomen expands, your rectus abdominis (when you see six pack muscles on someone's abdomen, those six pack muscles are the rectus abdominis) can no longer bear the weight of your abdomen. This is when you need to use the muscles on both sides of your abdomen - the oblique muscles. Overtraining your oblique muscles may pull your abdominal muscles, causing what is medically known as dislocation. To avoid this risk, skip those exercises that train your oblique muscles.

5. Excessive backward bending

If you've been doing yoga for a few years and are now pregnant, you may feel better with some modified backbends (like Wheel Pose). If you're new to yoga or your back isn't particularly flexible, over-bending can put you at risk for dislocation. So practice some simpler backbends, like Camel Pose variations—you can even do it with just one hand.

6. Handstand

Just like you can’t ride horses or ski during pregnancy, any yoga poses that are dangerous should be avoided during pregnancy. Yoga poses that can easily cause you to fall or get injured are not good for you or your baby. The weight gradually increasing in your abdomen can make it easy for you to lose your balance. In order to maintain your balance, you must exert an extra 100% force to help you complete the handstand, which can be very dangerous. In addition, once you reach the third trimester, your baby is in an upside-down position, so you should avoid all exercise. This includes handstands, which will put the baby back into the original position and are not good for pregnancy.

7. Hot Yoga

You sweat profusely in an air-conditioned car and feel very comfortable. Do you also take it for granted that practicing yoga in a heated room is also very comfortable? To avoid the risk of dehydration, try not to practice hot yoga during pregnancy. Make sure your reusable water bottle is filled with water so that you can take a few sips of refreshing water during the practice.

8. Doing too much practice

Pregnancy is definitely not the time to push yourself to the top of your yoga game, or even to maintain your previous level. Your goals for yoga during pregnancy are to stay flexible, relieve pain (like backbends), reduce stress and anxiety, and give you and your baby time to connect. Parenting is hard work. So during these 40 weeks, try to take it easy. Embrace what your body can do, and don't force yourself to do what it can't. Don't hesitate to take a break, and you can even decide to skip class and take a nap.