Prenatal Yoga with Jackie Bell
By Patti Smith Photos by Katie DeSantis
Achiness, loss of sleep, and lower back and leg pain are common problems for pregnant women, but some in the community have discovered prenatal yoga as a way to combat these symptoms, which are quite normal. Prenatal yoga focuses on the deep-breathing practices of yoga to bring more oxygen into the body as well as promoting relaxation and stress relief. Practicing this calming technique has helped women during the labor and delivery process. Gentle stretches make room for baby to grow and modified poses help strengthen mom to give her more energy.
Theresa Taylor suffers from low back pain. She is in the last trimester of her second preg- nancy so lately that pain has intensified . Some friends who recently gave birth to children urged her to start attending Jackie Bell’s prenatal yoga class at Studio by the Sea in Panama City Beach. After the first class, Theresa is glad she took her friends’ advice. “I was afraid it might hurt too much. My muscles were a little sore in spots but that’s because I haven’t used some of them in forever,” Theresa says.
Jackie Bell, owner and operator of Yoga by Jackie, is not surprised because she knows the lower back benefits from the stretching and strengthening movements of yoga. Jackie hears all the time that people don’t think they can do yoga because they aren’t flexible enough or they think they have to be able to twist their body into a pretzel shape. “Yoga is for every- body . Everybody can do yoga,” she states. “Yoga increases our flexibility. Super strong people need to stretch and really stretchy people need to become stronger.”
Practicing yoga also can help improve posture, concentration, moods, and cardiovascular health. It can increase lung capacity, reduce stress, and help with conditions such as arthritis, insomnia, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. Prenatal yoga is modified so stretches are not as deep and there is a greater focus on breathing and posture to make more room for the growing baby. Prenatal yoga is a safe exercise but Jackie recommends talking to your doctor first if you have experienced complications in a previous pregnancy.
The Baby Center, an on-line resource which offers information for pregnant women and parents, advises that, when combined with cardiovascular exercise such as walking, prenatal yoga is a great way to achieve optimal health. Information at babycenter.com confirms that prenatal yoga helps moms stay limber, improve muscle tone, balance, and circulation with minimal, if any, impact on joints. Deep breathing is a priceless practice for pregnant women especially during a physically-demanding labor and birth. Breathing techniques teach you to take air in slowly through the nose, filling the lungs, and exhaling completely, until you feel the stomach compress. An article appearing on Baby Center’s website explains how the body responds to pain. “When you’re in pain or afraid, your body pro- duces adrenalin and may produce less oxytocin, a hormone that makes labor progress. A regular yoga practice will help you fight the urge to tighten up when you feel pain and show you how to relax instead,” the article advises.
Jackie said an extra benefit of yoga for new moms and people in general is the stress- relieving factor. When she is dealing with stress associated with conflict or finances, she can use breathing techniques to refocus and calm her mind and body. “It helps us escape the rat race, be present and enjoy where we’re at right now,” she said.
Sarah Miller experienced this peace while she was in labor with her second child. She sat through twenty-seven minutes of heavy contractions with no pain medicine or any other medical intervention. “I told my husband, ‘Don’t talk to me. Don’t touch me. I am going to sit here and breathe,’” she said. Her first labor experience was completely different and included many interventions to help her deliver her baby. “The deep breathing I practiced and the silence helped me feel calm. It was night and day.” Sarah enrolled in prenatal yoga classes when she was thirteen weeks into her second pregnancy. She attributes her improved birthing experience to all that she learned during the weekly class. Her stamina, strength, and balance improved. She learned to relax her mind and body and focus on nurturing her unborn child.
Theresa will continue with yoga after her son is born because she plans on having at least two more children. “I want to be in better shape with the next pregnancy, so I want to keep up with it,” she said.
Jackie started teaching prenatal classes before she became a mom. When she learned she was pregnant with her now eight-month-old son, Matthew, she was excited to see how her own body would react. During pregnancy, she was diagnosed with sciatica—a condition that causes pain, tingling or numbness that branches from the buttocks to the foot. The gentle stretches and body positions of yoga helped cure it. While Jackie guarantees pregnant women will feel better and have a better pregnancy experience if they practice prenatal yoga, there are no guarantees for the outcome of childbirth. “We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “We don’t know how the physical birth will go but we can do our best to prepare ourselves and be comfortable while we are going through this beautiful process.”
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Want to know more?
Yoga instructor Jackie Bell teaches a prenatal yoga class Mondays at 9:30 a.m. at Studio by the Sea in Mirabella Plaza on Panama City Beach.
Jackie will also be teaching a series of prenatal yoga classes at Gulf Coast State College. Following are dates and times:
Wednesdays, September 10-October 29, 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Wellness Building, Room 133. CRN: 98179; Course: XCE0131; Fee: $69
Saturdays, September 13-October 25, 1-2 p.m. in the Wellness Building, Room 133. CRN: 98179; Course: XCE0131; Fee: $69
For more information, visit yogabyjackie.com [/box]