Exercise in general is one of the best ways to stay healthy. For many women, staying active is valuable during pregnancy as well. One increasingly popular form of prenatal exercise is yoga. However, is this just a fad or a science-backed way of keeping you and your baby healthy? This article reviews the health benefits of yoga during pregnancy and what other things you should watch out for.
What is yoga?
Yoga is an ancient practice that originally was focused on spiritual development. In the modern world, however, yoga is used more as a form of physical exercise as well as a method to boost wellbeing. It typically focuses on asanas (body postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), dyana (meditation), or a combination of them. There are many types of yoga, some of which are more popular than others. Some focus more on postures, while others on controlling thoughts or reaching spiritual enlightenment. You can check this list or go here to read more about different types of yoga.
Over 14% of American adults practiced yoga in 2017, compared to just over 9% in 2012, with women more than twice as likely to do yoga than men [1]. These upward trends also apply to children [2], with 8.4% of them doing yoga in 2017, compared to only 3.1% in 2012. What is interesting is that many start yoga in order to increase their fitness and wellbeing levels, but stay on for stress management purposes. What’s more, according to the same survey, 16% of people start yoga in order to manage a physical or mental health condition [3].
Research has shown that yoga is indeed beneficial for health in general, with positive effects ranging from improved sleep, to lower pain levels or to having an improved quality of life even when dealing with chronic conditions [4]. You can also read more about yoga as a stress management technique here. However, there is one specific period when yoga may prove particularly helpful, and that’s pregnancy.
Health benefits of prenatal yoga
Growing a human body is a powerful and individual experience. Still, the changes associated with pregnancy do have their downsides. Studies show that anywhere between 25% and 90% of women will have lower back pain [5], while 46% report poor sleep [6]. At the same time, other studies indicate that yoga can bring a series of health benefits to practicing women. Here is a list of some of them, so you can decide what is best for yourself.
During pregnancy
Improved mental health – Yoga is linked to better mental health among women, both before and after childbirth [7]. According to several studies [8], yoga can reduce depression during pregnancy. Integrated yoga practice, which also includes pranayama, meditation, or deep relaxation, fared better in terms of reducing depression symptoms, compared to physical-exercise-based yoga [9]. Still, if you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, it’s always good to contact a healthcare professional who can assess the severity of your symptoms. The tests conducted on the effectiveness of yoga were only on women with mild levels of depression.
More relaxation and lower stress – Practicing yoga during pregnancy may also activate the parasympathetic nervous system during the third trimester. More precisely, yoga practice meant better sleep at night. It also meant lower alpha-amylase levels [10]. Alpha-amylase is an enzyme, and salivary measurements of this enzyme are starting to be used as a biomarker of stress [11]. Hence, yoga also leads to lower stress levels during pregnancy, which is good news for any expecting mother.
Speaking of stress, yoga can produce an immediate stress reduction. One study conducted in Japan found that women had lower salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase concentrations after yoga, compared to before class [12].
Boosted immune system – In connection to stress, yoga is also linked with better immune function. One study on healthy pregnant women found that those practicing yoga for 70 minutes twice a week had lower salivary cortisol levels and higher levels of immunoglobulin-A [13]. Cortisol is not just a marker of stress but it in the long term it can also suppress the immune system [14]. Immunoglobulin-A is an antibody that is a part of the body’s immune system. So these changes in both of them can signal changes in the immune system as well.
Fewer aches and pains – One frequent complaint during pregnancy is back pain or aches and pains in general. The data is a bit inconsistent in terms of pain. Some studies show that yoga may provide pain relief when it comes to low back pain and pelvic pain [15] or pain in general [16]. In others, women who practiced yoga had lower mobility impairment related to gestational lower back pain than women who did not, despite no actual difference in back pain. This finding was tied to higher levels of wellbeing among yoga practitioners [17]. Still, whether it’s actual pain relief or just higher wellbeing, yoga does seem to add some benefits in this department, as well. To make things even better, yoga is also tied to lower weight gain during pregnancy, on top of lower levels of back pain [18].
During delivery
Women who did yoga during pregnancy had lower C-section rates, as well as lower self-perceived pain levels and discomfort during delivery, according to one study looking at the effects of antenatal exercise [18]. These findings are supported by another study that found even more benefits. Women who had never done yoga before were divided in two groups – one that received yoga sessions after the 30th week of pregnancy and one that did not. Women who benefited from yoga needed fewer inductions and pain killers, had more vaginal deliveries, had a shorter first stage of labor, and reported less pain [19].
Yoga can boost your self-efficacy when it comes to labor. Seeing that the idea of labor can be scary, especially for first-time mothers, this is no small feat. More precisely, yoga can increase a woman’s sense of confidence and competence through pain management strategies, affirming language, as well as through positive labor stories [20]. In one qualitative study, researchers interviewing women also found that yoga helped increase feelings of competency and of having the ability to control the body during childbirth [21].
After birth
Regular prenatal yoga sessions are also beneficial for the postpartum period. In this sense, women who attended yoga had faster recovery from childbirth, compared to women who did not do exercise, including yoga [18].
Health outcomes for baby
Regular exercise and yoga is also linked to higher newborn weight [18]. This finding of fewer babies with low birth weight among mothers practicing yoga has been reported several times [14, 16, 19]. However, there are studies that do not confirm this or, in other words, that did not find any link between yoga and the birth weight of the baby [22]. In other words, while yoga may be beneficial, there is no reason to believe that not doing yoga may affect in any way the health of your baby.
Other things to consider
Overall safety – As you might have guessed, many pregnant women practice yoga. Studies on health outcomes of prenatal yoga did not show any safety issues with this type of exercise. However, if you’re planning to start yoga for the first time after getting pregnant, you might think it’s not safe or beneficial for you or your baby. However, a study looking exactly at women starting yoga for the first time during pregnancy did not find any changes in blood flow to the baby immediately after yoga sessions, nor any changes in maternal or fetal heart rates, or maternal blood pressure [23]. It’s important to also mention these women had uncomplicated pregnancies. So, as long as your doctor is fine with you doing yoga, you might try and even enjoy it throughout your pregnancy.
Pose safety – There are some concerns over the safety of some yoga poses during pregnancy. However, one study focusing on 26 postures, including some potentially contraindicated during pregnancy, showed no adverse effects of yoga. This means there were no significant changes in heart rate, temperature, fetal heart rate between pre-session and post-session measurements, as well as no contractions, subsequent bleeding, or injuries [24]. It’s important to note though that even in this study certain postures were avoided altogether, while others were modified. For example, prone poses (face down) and inversion poses, like handstands and headstands, were not used. Postures such as Warrior III or the Extended Angle Pose were modified to help with alignment and reduce risk. So, even if yoga is safe, there are some poses that should be modified or eliminated when pregnant.
Not all types of yoga are a go – some forms of yoga are riskier than others. For instance, hot yoga may not be the most suitable option, since exposure to high heat during pregnancy has been associated with neural tube defects and other malformations of the fetus [25].
Pick your instructor wisely – Since some poses may require modifications and others might be completely left out of the sessions during pregnancy, you might want to choose your classes wisely. There are actually special prenatal yoga sessions you can attend or virtual classes especially dedicated to expectant mothers. With so many styles and interpretations of yoga, you should be on the lookout for instructors certified in prenatal yoga in order to best serve your needs during a time of so many changes!
Is yoga safe in high-risk pregnancies?
If most people would imagine exercise during pregnancy as healthy, the same cannot be said about high-risk pregnancies. You might think that staying in bed or reducing movement as much as possible will protect your pregnancy. However, as long as your doctor does not advise against it, yoga can also be practiced in high-risk pregnancies. In fact, women with high-risk pregnancies who took part in yoga sessions had lower stress levels than those who did not [26]. This is especially relevant since maternal stress is linked to various detrimental effects, including low birth weight [27]. Women hospitalized for pregnancy complications reported the same beneficial results of lower stress levels, after practicing yoga in a hospital setting [28].
Note: As is the case with any form of exercise, especially during pregnancy, it is important to clear this activity first with your medical care provider. There may be conditions that are not compatible with yoga or any form of exercise, so it’s always wise to ask a specialist who knows firsthand your medical history first.
CONCLUSION: Yoga is an increasingly in-demand practice, in part due to the positive effects it has on health, both mental and physical. This is also the case during pregnancy. Women who attend yoga sessions may expect some benefits both during pregnancy, as well as while laboring and beyond. Lower stress and pain levels, feeling more empowered during labor or better mental health are just a few of the reasons to do yoga. However, despite it being a low-risk activity, you should also be mindful of choices and pick the instructors and type of yoga wisely, so you can enjoy this time to its fullest. Namaste!
What was your experience with prenatal yoga like?