Scientists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center joined forces with Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation in Bangalore, India, to follow 335 women, ages 18 to 35, who either took an hour-long yoga class or walked an hour each day during their second and third trimesters. The researchers found that those who did yoga were half as likely to give birth prematurely (14% versus 29%) and had lower emergency C-section rates (23% versus 33%) than those who walked. The yoga moms also had lower blood pressure and better fetal growth rates, on average. “The improvement we saw in those who did the stretching, breathing, and meditation exercises could be due to an increase in blood flow to the placenta, a decrease in stress hormones transferred to the fetus, a decline in the early release of hormones that could trigger labor, or all three,” says study coauthor Vivek Narendran, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the center. [sidebar]Women interested in adding yoga to their prenatal care for a healthy pregnancy need to find a safe class, says Nicole DeAvilla Whiting, a certified Yoga Alliance instructor. For starters, she advises: Look for yoga classes designed for pregnancy. Safe yoga styles include Hatha, Iyengar, Ananda, and Kundalini. Know what to expect. All yoga classes should be gentle and offer modified standing, sitting, and floor poses; breathing exercises; and exercises to help you relax. Avoid risks. Steer clear of Power, Ashtanga, and Bikram (hot yoga) styles and postures that put pressure on your abdomen or involve jumping, twisting, or lying on your back. Find a class. Start with your OB/GYN or midwife. Go to Yoga Alliance to find certified yoga instructors with at least 200 hours of teacher training.
