Research

Mayo Clinic Staff:
“Yoga is a multifaceted approach to exercise that encourages stretching, mental centering and focused breathing. Research suggests that prenatal yoga is safe and can have many benefits for pregnant women and their babies. For example, studies have suggested that prenatal yoga can:
• Improve sleep.
• Reduce stress and anxiety.
• Increase the strength, flexibility and endurance of
muscles needed for childbirth.
• Decrease lower back pain, nausea, carpal tunnel
syndrome, headaches and shortness of breath.
• Decrease the risk of pre-term labor, pregnancy- induced
hypertension and intrauterine growth restriction —
a condition that slows a baby’s growth.”

The Effects of Mindfulness-based Yoga During Pregnancy on Maternal Psychological and Physical Distress:
“Women practicing mindful yoga in their second trimester reported significant reductions in physical pain from baseline to post-intervention compared with women in the third trimester whose pain increased. Women in their third trimester showed greater reductions in perceived stress and trait anxiety. Preliminary evidence supports yoga’s potential efficacy in these areas, particularly if started early in the pregnancy.”
Beddoe AE, Paul Yang CP, Kennedy HP, Weiss SJ, Lee KA.