PRENATAL YOGA in Livingston

5 week series PRENATAL YOGA CLASS starts Wednesday June 30th at 12:15 at Breathing Room Yoga Studio.

The benefits of prenatal yoga

Prenatal yoga classes are more popular than ever. When paired with walking , swimming or hiking, yoga can be an ideal way to stay in shape during your pregnancy. This age-old practice keeps you limber, tones your muscles, and improves your balance and circulation, with little, if any, impact on your joints.

Yoga is also beneficial because it helps you learn to breathe deeply and relax, which will come in handy as you face the physical demands of labor, birth, and motherhood. In fact, one of the first things you learn in a yoga class is how to breathe fully. The breathing technique known as ujjayi requires you to take in air slowly through your nose, filling your lungs, and exhale completely.

Learning how to do ujjayi breathing, OCEAN BREATH, prepares you for labor and childbirth by training you to stay calm when you need it most. A regular yoga practice will help you fight the urge to tighten up when you feel pain, and show you how to relax instead.

Along these same lines, according to a report in the April 2009 issue of theHarvard Mental Health Letter, rigorous studies have found scientific proof that yoga helps the body deal with stress by slowing heart and breathing rates and lowering blood pressure -- which can benefit new moms after the baby's born, too.

The benefits of yoga aren't limited to your physical well-being. Taking a prenatal yoga class is a great way to meet other pregnant women — to become part of a community. Being in a positive, supportive environment with others like you can give you a regular emotional boost and keep you motivated to continue exercising.