5. Belly Breathing
Sit erect on a pillow in a comfortable, cross-legged position, your hands on your lower belly. Close your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose, keeping your face and jaw relaxed. Focus on relaxing your pelvic-floor muscles. Exhale slowly and repeat.
While you’re in labor, you can rely on ujai pranayama, an ancient breathing technique, to help you relax through contractions.
Keeping your jaw and face relaxed and eyes closed, place the top of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and hands on your belly. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose and imagine drawing the breath into the crown of your head and the deepest part of your belly. Then exhale through your nose, drawing the belly in to empty all the air out.
>> By Teri Hanson & Jennifer Barrett
How Yoga Prepares You For Labor
Prenatal yoga addresses the physical challenges inherent to pregnancy, such as a shifted center of gravity and lower back pain. These moves will help alleviate aches and build strength in your legs, back and abdominals to prepare you for giving birth. Yoga also can ease labor and delivery, with moves that relax the hip muscles and use gravity to your advantage.
