Weekly Pregnancy Yoga practice is a great way to get to know your body better, it’s the perfect opportunity to connect with your body and your baby. Exercising during pregnancy also increases your strength and stamina which can help you maintain an upright position and keep active for longer during labour. Being able to work with and have control over our bodies is key for a positive birth experience, we call this Active Birth.

Active Birth is instinctive, left to our own devices (with no external influence) women are unlikely to choose to lie down during birth, the practise of lying on our back during birth that we’re all so familiar with seeing these days came about out of convenience and comfort for Dr’s and medical professionals to get a better look. Anthropologically birth has always been a vertical activity (think of Neolithic women swinging from trees during childbirth) and we should trust in our instincts and the natural function and involuntary nature of birth, there’s no better time to get to know your body, baby and mind better than an hours undisturbed movement and relaxation during a Pregnancy Yoga session.

We should have the freedom to use our bodies as we choose and follow its urges. Pregnancy Yoga allows us the opportunity to get familiar with the positions we might want to adopt during pregnancy so we’re already at an advantage by the time we get to labour. Less effort is needed by the uterus if we remain active during birth. Not only that but it allows us breathe deeply, gives us the freedom to move and respond instinctively.

Birth works better when we have gravity on our side and we’re giving our pelvis the best chance of widening and opening. By lying down the pelvis becomes locked and narrows by up to 27%. Upright positions also puts a lot more pressure on the cervix which releases more prostaglandins which in turn creates more oxytocin which fuels our labour!

Not only this, but when we’re fixed to a bed, lying on our back all of our weight and the babies weight is pressing in to the nerve endings at the base of the spine, increasing the pain you’re feeling. You’re also really restricting the flow of oxygenated blood back to your uterus and baby as you’re putting pressure on the main artery, the Vena Cava which runs down your spine.

If you would like to build strength and stamina for labour, bond with your baby, connect with your body and mind and learn loads of great positions for an active birth ZenMuma Elle runs Pregnancy Yoga sessions in Enford, Durrington and online as well as Hypnobirthing and Birth Prep courses if you’re interested in learning more about how our bodies are so well designed for birth.

You can book classes online at: https://www.zenmuma.co.uk/wiltshire-west-hampshire or drop Elle an email on elle@zenmuma.co.uk if you want to ask a question.