Yoga during pregnancy

Yoga is wonderful while pregnant, providing a plethora of benefits. Yoga improves circulation to the extremities, which can lesson leg cramps, and varicose veins. Yoga relaxes the body, and can help to keep the blood pressure in a healthy range.

Yoga strengthens the postural muscles. Yoga helps alleviate heartburn, backache, hip joint, and ribcage aches. Breathing, and relaxation skills help increase oxygen supply to the fetus, and helps increase energy levels.

As a general rule do not plan to dramatically increase, or improve your workout when you are pregnant, unless you have been doing very little prior to becoming pregnant. Plan on cutting back, or at most maintaining your typical activity if you are on an established exercise regimen.

Replace lower extremity strenuous exercise with other activities whenever possible. Swimming, and water exercises are a great substitute.

Use your maternal pulse as a guideline of workout intensity. Plan on exercise routines that do not increase your pulse by more than 30% over your pregnant baseline pulse rate, for extended periods of time. Pulse monitors are very handy for this.

If experiencing pre-term contractions, or vaginal bleeding, stop immediately, and contact your physician. Pre-term contractions are generally concerning when they occur at frequencies of 4 per hour or greater. Less frequent contractions may still be a sign that you are overdoing it.