I am one of those people who absolutely loves being pregnant. While I don’t love the sciatica, leg cramps, morning sickness, or fatigue, I love the feeling of inner strength and wisdom that comes with pregnancy. I am constantly in awe with my body’s ability to grow a baby. To sustain another life for nine months. To provide oxygen, nutrients, EVERYTHING for two (or more!) bodies. It is an absolutely amazing, empowering, and sacred experience to me.
This time around one of the best things I have done early on in my pregnancy is developing a regular prenatal yoga practice. I already got certified as a yoga instructor last spring, so have had my own yoga practice off and on. But being pregnant and knowing the benefits of yoga during pregnancy has given me the extra boost to really get into a good yoga routine. (Plus I am in the process of being prenatal yoga certified, which I am so excited about!)
I want to share with you some of the AMAZING benefits of yoga during pregnancy. Seriously amazing. And yes, it reaches above and beyond the benefits of “normal” exercise.
Here are some of the amazing effects of yoga during pregnancy. Not only personal experience… these are evidence-based tried and tested benefits of practicing yoga during pregnancy! (look below to see references to a few of the studies related to yoga during pregnancy)
Decreased Stress
Yoga helps you to relax. The combination of movement with breath helps to lower your heart rate, moving you out of physical, emotional, mental stress. Whatever is stressing you out or worrying you during pregnancy, yoga can help to relieve that load.
Stability for Loose Joints
You get all sorts of wobbly and unstable during pregnancy. You’ve got a rapidly growing belly. On top of that, hormones that help to loosen your pelvic joints to make space for childbirth also loosen every other joint in your body. So now, more than ever, your body needs support! Learning from a good prenatal teacher who teaches you to properly engage your muscles and support yourself in poses can give you the stability you need to keep you strong and safe throughout pregnancy.
Relief of SO MANY pregnancy ailments!
Seriously, pregnancy can be ROUGH. But regular yoga practice can help so much. Many of the physical pains of pregnancy (back pain, neck/shoulder pain, sciatica, hip pain… pain and discomfort in lots of places…) can be helped by a strong yoga practice that helps you get into better alignment.
Help Open the Pelvis to Prepare for Labor
Prenatal yoga instructors know all the great poses to help you open up your hips and pelvis to allow for a more gentle, smooth labor. They’ll help you open up in safe ways, without overdoing it and while maintaining that stability you also need.
Teach Endurance and Breath Work to Help You through Labor
The practice of breathing through strenuous poses is an AMAZING preparation for childbirth. Maybe no yoga pose can compare with the intensity of childbirth. But the concepts translate over. If you can learn to deeply relax and keep breathing during difficult yoga poses, you will be so prepared for the relaxation you need during labor!
Increased Self Efficacy Around Labor – Believing in Yourself!
Self Efficacy is essentially believing in yourself in a specific situation. Studies have shown that prenatal yoga specifically contributes to your feeling of self efficacy surrounding labor. For many women who have fears surrounding childbirth, a little boost in belief and trust in your body’s inherent ability to give birth can go a long way!
Shorter Labors
Studies have shown that prenatal yoga practice leads to shorter lasting labor! Who doesn’t want that? Apart from making things easier, shorter labor means less stress on baby as well, leading to a healthier newborn.(higher APGAR score, less stress during labor)
Lower Levels of Pain during Labor
Women who practiced yoga during pregnancy have even reported (on average) lower levels of childbirth pain than women who didn’t practice yoga (see reference to this and other studies below).
Decreased Chances of Preterm Labor
Not only does yoga improve outcomes during labor, but women who practice prenatal yoga are less likely to go into preterm labor.
Connect You with a Community of other Moms-to-Be
If you’re able to attend in-person yoga classes, this is an amazing opportunity to connect with other moms-to-be! You’ll want all the support you can get during pregnancy and as you adjust to motherhood. This can be the perfect place to find love and support from other women who are experiencing the same changes!
Preparation for Motherhood
Learning to breath through hard things. Learning to relax. Learning to decrease stress in positive ways. Practicing a little self love. All things that every mama needs!
Yoga is just awesome.
Seriously though. Yoga just makes pregnancy easier. It helps your body handle all the changes. It helps you to feel more calm and love yourself and your changing body. It basically helps labor go more smoothly in about every way I can imagine.
If you’re looking for one positive routine to start during pregnancy, this may be my number one recommendation. Prenatal yoga is just that great.
Are you looking to prepare for an unmedicated childbirth? Yoga may be the perfect place for you to start. Check out these other resources I have posted on preparing for an empowering natural birth.
Resources for a Natural Childbirth
10 Actionable Ways to Have and Empowered Birth
Our Beautiful Natural Birth Story
Posts with thoughts on our experience taking a Hypnobirthing Course
Do you want to hear more about more holistic and sustainable pregnancy and motherhood? Join my email list so you don’t miss out on future posts like this one!
Evidence Based Resources
Here are some awesome articles that investigated the many benefits of yoga practice! I wrote an essay on yoga and childbirth outcomes during my last semester of school (last spring) and have been dying to share some of these amazing facts I learned!
Hayase, M., & Shimada, M. (2018). Effects of maternity yoga on the autonomic nervous system during pregnancy. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 44, 1887-1895. doi:10.1111/jog.13729
Kusaka, M., Matsuzaki, M., Shiraishi, M., & Haruna, M. (2016). Immediate stress reduction effects of yoga during pregnancy: One group pre-post test. Women and Birth, 29(5), e82-e88.
Narendran, S., Nagarathna, R., Narendran, V., Gunasheela, S., Rama Rao Nagendra, H. (2005). Efficacy of yoga on pregnancy outcome. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11. 237-244.
Sun, Y., Hung, Y., Chang, Y., Kuo, S. (2010). Effects of a prenatal yoga programme on the discomforts of pregnancy and maternal childbirth self-efficacy in Taiwan. Midwifery, 26, e31-e36.
Tournaire, M., Theau-Yonneau, A. (2007). Complementary and alternative approaches to pain relief during labor. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 4, 409-417.
Williams, K. A. et al. (2009). Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficacy of iyengar yoga therapy on chronic low back pain. Spine, 34, 2066-2076. doi:
Zoogman, S., Goldberg, S. B., Vousoura, E., Diamond, M. C., & Miller, L. (2019). Effect of yoga-based interventions for anxiety symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 6(4), 256-278.
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