Pregnancy Yoga - 10 Brilliant benefits (especially when socially distancing!)

Even if you have never stepped foot on a yoga mat before, you could well be drawn to yoga during pregnancy, as many women are. Pregnancy yoga provides a safe and supportive way to move your body in pregnancy, working with your pregnant body as it grows and changes. But pregnancy yoga offers *SO* much more than just some exercise appropriate for the pregnant body.

As the mothers-to-be tell me all the time, they find that through my pregnancy yoga classes they are taking so many more benefits than they imagined. It’s really something that supports pregnant women in so many way, on so many levels. The yoga is multilayered. On one level you are helping to relieve the physical demands of pregnancy on the body, on another you are preparing yourself physically and mentally for labour and birth, on another connection into your inner confidence, and also having time to relax and connect with your unborn baby.. But what is the most wonderful aspect is that many friendships are forged in these classes, which are a haven and reassurance for women as they all share in their experiences at such a pivotal time in their lives. It is the practice of yoga, and the support of the shared community created (in yoga called ‘sangha’) that can totally transform the experience of pregnancy and new motherhood for many. There lies its true power and magic. And this is actually all the more important in lock down, with LIVE zoom classes instead of in-person classes - the connection with other mums to be and the support that gives you is hugely important.

So when, as a pregnancy yoga and a hypnobirthing & antenatal course teacher I am asked (and I often am) what the benefits of pregnancy yoga are, this is some of the things I tell people. Here’s my guide to 10 brilliant benefits of pregnancy yoga (social distancing, lockdown or not):

1) Ease out tension in your pregnant body

A pregnant body is an amazing and beautiful thing., as your baby grow and changes so does your body as a mother to be. It’s an amazing transformation, but it can also be a difficult one for some women both physically and emotionally. Finding space to breathe by easing out the sides of the body, easing out tension and tightness in the upper back and the shoulders in particular, stretching out the legs and relaxing the compression of lower back can all make a difference to how you feel in your body and make the journey through pregnancy feel better in your body too. And when you feel less tense and tight in your body, softer and more relaxed, then you also feel calmer and more at ease in your mind too.

2) Breathe better in pregnancy and in labour

Pregnancy yoga is wonderful for working on breath, learning to breathe in a way that is beneficial to you and your baby too. It really is such a powerful practice - simple changes to your breathing can make a difference to how calm you feel, and changing your breathing pattern can actually change the level of stress hormones in your bloodstream (reducing them hugely) and brings you into your bodys ‘relaxation response’. Simple yet hugely effective. Connecting you your breath is also a great way to connect to yourself in the moment, to be more present in your pregnancy and also present with your baby too - because don’t forget that you are breathing for two.

Not only can the breathing practices help you be calmer, feel more connected in your pregnancy I’ll also teach you breathing practices that are so helpful in labour too. I have even introduced an extra specific breath work and relaxation pregnancy class to my timetable during lockdown, as it is so powerful and effective and you cannot spend too much time practicing.

3) Strengthen your pregnant body and mind

Finding strength in your body in pregnancy can be so beneficial, getting your body strong to carry your baby through your pregnancy and ready for the physical demands of labour too. Both strengthening and knowing how to soften your pelvic floor will also serve you well. In addition to this pregnancy yoga does so much more than physical strengthening - it will also help you strengthen you connection to you body, to your instincts (which grow and flourish in pregnancy and motherhood), strengthen your confidence and your inner wisdom. These are vital connections to make and to strengthen as motherhood and pregnancy and instinct driven. The more we are strong mentally as well as physically, the more we can make a confident and calm transition to motherhood.

4) Community - meet other awesome mums-to-be

This for me is something *very* special. As humans we crave human connection, we want to feel part of something and we take support from others around us. Pregnancy can be a time of huge change, and many women feel out of their comfort zone with all the newness and changes, they have questions and want to know others are feeling the same as them. This is where being part of a group of other pregnant women on a regular basis can really help - and my pregnancy yoga classes give you that point of connection. As well as moving, breathing and relaxing there is time to chat together too in a supportive and easy way. Everyone is welcome to say as much or as little as they feel comfortable with.

“Susan has been brilliant at supporting women through this emotional time when preparing for an equally emotional moment in your life. The support and care she has provided throughout lockdown has enabled fellowship and community that provided a space for care and joy.”

Don’t worry if you never done yoga before because anyone can do it, whatever your previous experience, body shape of fitness level - it’s really irrelevant. Lots of women start in their pregnancy, often having heard from a good friend who has come before. Their friend enjoyed it – and they want to try it for themselves. Many women then continue post-pregnancy at Mum & Baby Yoga as they really feel the benefits. It’s also a great way to meet other like-minded mums and create long-lasting friendships, a close-knit and supportive community for mothers and expectant mothers.  A bit like a “village green” where women met, connect and learnt directly from each other just by being in each other’s company.

“I did both Pregnancy yoga and now Mum & baby yoga via zoom with Susan and it has been such a sanctuary and the most amazing place to meet and connect with local mums to be, and now mums. A true feeling of community, for which I am so grateful to Susan”

“Susan is a fantastic and passionate yoga and hypnobirthing teacher and a very caring and compassionate person. She couldn’t have done more for the women in her pregnancy yoga or post natal yoga classes In the past few months since the start of Covid 19. It made a huge difference to my wellbeing during my pregnancy and postnatally. Without it the end of my pregnancy would have felt a lot more lonely and anxiety provoking, instead I felt connected with others and reassured.”

“I can’t thank you enough for the support you have shown, it has really helped more than you know and especially with all the worries of Covid-19 too. I’m so so pleased I was lucky enough to join in with this amazing little community through all this craziness!!  Thank you xx”

5) De-stress in pregnancy

Having dedicated time in your pregnancy each week to move kindly, to ease out tension in your body, to soften your focus and to give yourself the gift of some time to relax and unwind is really so important. Having a class that you can put in your diary really makes you see it’s important and makes giving yourself that time to rest and de-stress non-negotiable. It helps you stick to your commitment to have time for you. That’s another really good reason why committing to a class (or two) each week will help you carve out some time for yourself, to get away from the everyday busyness and stress, and to really help you reset your system, let go of stress and worry, and find a more relaxed and calm body and mind through pregnancy yoga.

6) Positive resolve

Sometime in pregnancy we have doubt, well lets be honest I think everyone who has ever been pregnant has felt that at some time. This doubt may be something we’ve been told, it may have come from hearing the stories of others births, it may be due to a test or measurement that’s been taken, it may be from the media - it’s likely to be something that has its root in others stories and projections (I talk about this lots more on my Hypnobirthing & Birth preparation Courses) Having some time to regularly connect to your body, to your breath, to your baby through pregnancy yoga helps you connect to your deep wisdom and intuition. It helps you listen to yourself, to your heart and to feel more connected to that. This in turn helps you release others stories, and helps you find your own path and to trust in yourself more at this important time. The more you can have a positive resolve, feel positive and confident in your body and your pregnancy and have greater trust in yourself, the more it will help you through your pregnancy, in labour and birth and long after as the travel through motherhood. It’s all about rewiring your neural pathways, and overcoming your brains natural ‘negativity bias’. (more about that again on my For Modern Mothers Hypnobirthing & Birth Preparation Courses)

7) Connect with your baby

In pregnancy yoga classes a space is created in which you can slow down and really connect with yourself and your amazing pregnant body, and also really importantly with your baby growing inside you too. It’s so valuable to have that opportunity to get comfortable with your body while going through the many changes pregnancy brings, and to connect to why they are happening. and that they are because you are growing a whole new human! It can be all too easy to feel that pregnancy is happening ‘to you’ rather than feeling you and your baby together are of course growing, changing and blooming together. This is a connection that can be nurtured through pregnancy yoga, to bathe in the awe and wonder of your body and your deep connection physically and emotionally to your baby. Giving yourself the time for that to unfold and grow and to savour this special time of pregnancy.

8) Reassurance

Being in the space together with other pregnant women is a powerful thing. That applies both literally when you are in the same studio or room, and also virtually via live zoom classes - it is still a gathering of pregnant women in the same space. It is still a shared and connected space, and that is something we crave as humans. Live zoom online classes are very different to pre-recorded video classes practiced on your own. It is hugely reassuring to know that other pregnant women are experiencing similar things at the same time, and knowing you can ride the waves through pregnancy together to very reassuring. So many women tell me that there is so much they learned from my classes and this interaction that they just wouldn’t have know otherwise - from the other women in the group, as well as the suggestions, ideas, and tips from me too. That’s why my pregnancy yoga classes include time to chat within the group. Because it’s very reassuring to know that you are not alone, that sense of connection and community is *hugely* important. In yoga we call it ‘sangha’ and it means community.

“Susan’s pregnancy and mum and baby yoga moved online when the pandemic started. They say it takes a village to raise a baby and in a time when very few people had one, Susan created one. She is kind and generous and constantly supportive. Her classes were a highlight of my week”

9) Relaxing in pregnancy

We all perhaps dream of floating calmly through pregnancy, but many women feel more vulnerable or anxious, and through this COVID period it has been even more pronouned which is completely understandable. So having time to rest and relax in your pregnancy is really important. Not only do you need to take that time to relax and to nurture yourself because it’s so beneficial to help your body do that utterly amazing thing of growing a whole new human. But also because baby will benefit from that relaxation and reduced levels of stress too. We know that stress during pregnancy can have some negative effects like it can increase the chances of having a premature baby (born before 37 weeks ) or a low-birthweight baby. The good news is that yoga can help  Tommy’s researchers have shown that weekly yoga sessions can help reduce anxiety and depression in pregnancy.  The study showed that pregnancy yoga can reduce stress hormone levels and reduce maternal anxiety through a combination of breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques and physical postures, all within a supportive group setting of women together. A single session of yoga was found to reduce self-reported anxiety by one third and stress hormone levels by 14%. Encouragingly, similar findings were made at both the first and final session of the eight-week intervention. A number of complementary therapies that have been tested in pregnant women have shown an initial effect on mood symptoms. However, this often disappears over time, whereas this study found that the effects of pregnancy yoga remained - amazing!.

And with up to 1 in 5 women develop mental health problems during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth, it is important to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health. Pregnancy yoga can really help you with that. 

In addition practicing relaxation techniques in pregnancy can be so beneficial in labour too. As you need to be in a relaxed state for the hormones of labour to flow as they are designed to. That’s something you’ll learn so much more about on my For Modern Mothers Hypnobirthing and Birth Preparation Courses. We look at how to have a positive, calm and confident birth in all situations and places. This is your complete antenatal education course, preparation in mind and body for the best possible birth for you and your baby.

10) An empowered pregnancy

Many women perhaps imagine that pregnancy yoga is all about learning to breath the baby out to whale music and candle light - and if that’s your thing then absolutely go for it! But the essence of my pregnancy yoga classes are about empowering women, about giving you tools and practices that will help you nurture and look after your pregnant body and help you find calmness in your mind. By allowing you to connect more deeply inward it helps you to be more connected to yourself and your inner wisdom (something that everyday life dampens down but pregnancy naturally allows to grow - if you know to listen for it) , and that helps empower you to own your pregnancy, own your birth and have greater trust in yourself, your body, your mental strength, and the physiological process of birth. It’s a real game changer, and hugely powerful

So there you have it. Relaxation, body awareness, empowerment, long-lasting friendships the list does go one and on when it comes to ways that pregnancy yoga can support you - whether in the studio or through my live classes online via the magic of Zoom. There are so many other things I haven’t even mentioned too, like helping ease pelvic girdle pain and sciatica, strengthen your pelvic floor (as well as knowing how to release it too), improve your sleep and being more mindful.

And don’t just take my word for it. Head over to take a look at some of the reviews and testimonials on my pregnancy yoga page or my Facebook page too.

It is such a privilege to teach pregnant women and become part of their journey into motherhood. I have had the most wonderful feedback from the hundreds of women that have passed through my classes. If you are pregnant, or know anyone who is, and want to join a super friendly and welcoming pregnancy class (and who wouldn’t after heading about all the brilliant benefits?!) then you can find out more and book a place here - Yoga For Modern Life pregnancy yoga classes in York each week (details here).

I currently have FOUR pregnancy specific classes each week held here in York, currently online live via Zoom. And you can join as many each week as you would like to for the cost of just one class a week - so amazing value too to help you in these uncertain times.

Any questions at all just let me know.

Susan x