online yoga forum

Is it true that yoga is good for helping getting the body in shape for an easy labor? My friend is pregnant and does no exercise and I'm trying to convince her to do some and I think if this is true it might help!

Yoga definitely has many benefits if practiced safely during pregnancy. To name just a few, it tones the muscles of the whole body (to keep up with increasing weight of the belly, for a general well being and fitness and enough physical strength during labor), it helps to achieve a control over pelvic floor muscles (a fantastic tool for labor and a great prevention for post-natal incontinence).
As yoga works not only on the "muscle" level, all the systems of the body - digestive, circulatory, endocrine, etc. are stimulated as well. And yoga also teaches us how to relax, let go of stress, tension, anxiety and worries which I believe is a gift from heaven in a pregnancy!!

It is nice of you to think about your pregnant friend and you can definitely share all of this with her. But it think that it is important that she starts doing yoga if she wants to. My experience is that things work better for us if we make the decision ourselves, rather than doing something because someone else has pushed us.

I agree with you Viparita. I have had friends who have done NOTHING physical during their pregnancy and had really easy births, and then I have friends who have done yoga, swimming etc. and they had difficult births. I don't think there is a rule at all it is up to the individual.

Personally I after I had got over the first 3 months of my pregnancy I felt I wanted to get fit so that I could be strong for my labor (and yes it thankfully went as smoothly as possible - but let's face it giving birth is NEVER easy, yoga or not!!!) So Sallyoga, tell your friend about yoga, but don't push it. She won't thank you for it!

One of the best things about yoga during pregnancy is it gives you space to consider the little person growing inside and begin to develop a relationship. The same could be said about gardening, meditation, or singing ... in fact just about anything that feeds your soul.

Congratulations to your friend (Aunty) Sallyoga on her pregnancy, nothing in this world smells like a new born baby (except, of course a new born baby!).

Om Shanti.