Yoga practice during pregnancy is designed to help expecting parents build strength and fitness while accessing the inner resources to face the challenges of labor with confidence and calm. Prenatal yoga classes with Breathing Space might involve the following components:

Breathing

Prenatal yoga breathing techniques may help you reduce or manage shortness of breath during pregnancy and work through contractions during labor.

Strength and Fitness Work

Students in prenatal yoga are working to maintain fitness for a comfortable pregnancy as well as train for the endurance event that is labor and birth. Holding your body weight in postures while working against gravity is a great way to build strength. To build fitness, we'll also do pregnancy-appropriate vinyasa, moving with breath.

Stretching

You'll be encouraged to gently move different areas of your body through their full range of motion while standing, sitting, or lying on the ground.

Prenatal Yoga students rest in a restorative pose at the end of class at our student near Eastern Market, DC.

Mindfulness & Mental Focus

Through mindful movement, concentration exercises, and guided visualizations, mammas prepare for birth and parenthood. You might be encouraged to listen to your breathing, pay close attention to sensations, thoughts, and emotions, or repeat a mantra or word to bring about a state of self-awareness and inner calm.

Relaxation & Rest

Every prenatal yoga class sets aside time for conscious relaxation in restorative postures. You'll relax your muscles and restore your resting heart rate and breathing rhythm.

Regular Prenatal Yoga Practice May Impact Mental Health, Fitness, and Birth Outcome

While it's difficult to quantify the impact of one factor on a person's well-being or pregnancy experience, multiple studies [1] have demonstrated positive outcomes for prenatal yoga practitioners.

Pregnancy yoga practice may help:

build or maintain strength and flexibility;
reduce anxiety and perceived stress;
relieve physical discomforts of pregnancy; and
reduce the duration of labor.

Importantly, studies have shown the most benefit for expecting parents who start yoga practice earlier in pregnancy, with 12 weeks or more having the most substantial impact [1].

Are There Risks or Contraindications to Prenatal Yoga?

Yoga is considered a low-risk exercise during pregnancy, but nothing is without risk. Physical changes and hormones affect the way a pregnant person moves and feels. While concerns during pregnancy are often focused on the baby, the risk of physical exercise primarily applies to the pregnant person. Relaxin loosens ligaments and potentially destabilizes joints. Increased fluid makes aerobic exercise more challenging. Pregnant students should choose a class appropriate to their level of experience.

The Characteristics and Effectiveness of Pregnancy Yoga Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PubMed Central (PMC),
Sparks, Dana. Women’s Wellness: What You Need to Know about Prenatal Yoga. Mayo Clinic News Network, 24 Jan. 2019.

What Happens in Prenatal Yoga? Benefits for Pregnancy & Beyond