Prenatal Yoga DVD

What is Prenatal Yoga?

Much like other forms of yoga, prenatal yoga focuses on relaxation and gentle stretching. It can help increase blood circulation, tone the muscles, improve your balance, and make it easier for you to move around with your increased weight.

Many people find working with a prenatal yoga DVD or joining a prenatal yoga class to be a gentle way to keep exercising during pregnancy without worrying about how strenuous your activity is.

Check With Your Doctor

Always make sure you check with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine or changing your routine, especially if you have had a complicated pregnancy or have a history of miscarriages.

Yoga, in general, is a very gentle exercise as long as you are doing moves designed for pregnancy, but you should take care to make sure that any exercise choice keeps you on the road to a healthy pregnancy.

Choosing a Prenatal Yoga DVD

There are many different prenatal yoga DVDs out there. Some are catered to people who have not done yoga before, while others are geared toward more experienced practitioners. Still others focus more on relaxation than movement, which is something every new mom-to-be needs!

One of the best ways to find a prenatal yoga DVD that is right for you is to browse your local video store. They should have at least a couple of different DVDs and reading the text on the back of the box will give you a good idea who the DVD is geared toward.

Of course, you will find a much larger selection of DVDs on the Internet. This is a great option if you're willing to do a little browsing before you buy.

Prenatal Yoga DVDs Online

• The Movement Center sells a "complete home practice" DVD as well as a DVD using a modification of the sun salutation pose (which is not for beginners). They also offer a relaxation CD and you can view clips from the DVDs on the website.
• Shiva Rea's prenatal yoga program is a 60-minute sequence of stretches and strength-building exercises, which includes modifications for each trimester.
• Chiropractor Dr. Christine Anderson has developed a 90-minute yoga series that can be completed in one session or broken up into smaller segments. It provides thorough instructions for beginners as well as more challenging modifications for advanced yoga practitioners. Anderson used these techniques during her three pregnancies.
• Zen Mama is a 52-minute DVD that guides moms-to-be through a series of relaxing poses that also prepare them for childbirth. Three models are used so you can see exactly what you should be doing depending on which trimester you are in.
• Fit Mama is a 55-minute video combining traditional yoga work with salsa-inspired aerobics. Women in all three trimesters are represented and exercises focus on strengthening the back and lower body, which is so important during pregnancy.

Using Your DVD

Always watch your prenatal yoga DVD before trying to follow along with the exercises the first time, particularly if you are new to yoga. You will not always be able to see the television screen as you are going through the movements, so it really helps to preview the movements before you try them.

If you are new to yoga, you'll probably want to take a day off between sessions. Even though these movements are generally gentle, you're probably using muscles in ways you haven't before, which can cause soreness.

Take care not to stretch beyond where you body wants to go--you'll just hurt yourself. Yoga is not a contest. Think of your time working with a prenatal yoga DVD as a special boding time when you are tuning into and focusing on your child and his or her preparations to come into the world. If you consider it that way, you might even start looking forward to exercise.