International Yoga Day 2025: Prenatal yoga helps expectant mothers stay quiet, try the best dream and create stability, the expert says.
Pregnancy is often described as a miraculous journey filled with joy, expectation and excitement. But along with burning skin and baby strokes, many women feel emotional slides – outrage, mood swings, irritability and even depressive thoughts. It is not only “hormonal changes” that need to be repelled, but also important signals that the woman’s mental health requires the same concern as her physical well -being. On the eve of the 2025 International Yoga Day, learn about prenatal yoga, an affordable and holistic way to support mental health during pregnancy.
As a gynecologist, I urge women to give mental health as well as their scan, supplements and diet. A more calm, happier mother promotes a healthy pregnancy and a better impression. If you expect and often find yourself anxious, sullen or broken, try prenatal yoga.
This ancient practice of mind and body arises as a powerful tool to control stress, mood regulation and promoting emotional stability in expectant mothers.
The role of pregnancy hormones in mood changes
Hormonal fluctuations underpin many emotional changes during pregnancy. The level of estrogen, progesterone, cortisol and oxytocin increases dramatically to maintain the development of the fetus and preparation of the body for childbirth. However, these shifts also affect neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin and dopamine – chemicals responsible for mood regulation. As a result, many women feel:
Preferences prenatal yoga for mental health
Prenatal yoga is a therapeutic practice that combines soft movement, deep breathing (pranum), meditation and care. With safe practice, under the guidance, it can significantly improve the emotional and psychological state of a pregnant woman.
1. Deep breathing leads to a quieter mind
Breathing is the central aspect of yoga. Methods such as diaphragmatic breathing, alternative nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) and Ujjayi breathing activate the parasympathetic nervous system – “rest and digestion” mode.
The benefits of shortness of breath include:
- Lowered pulse and blood pressure
- Low cortisol (stress hormone)
- Improved oxygen flow to the brain and baby
- Improved sleep quality and digestion
- Increased emotional control and patience
“Simple deep breathing before bedtime can make miracles. This signals the nervous system slow down the speed, which makes it easier to fall asleep and sensation mentally justified,” explains D -or Bansal, consultant -oakusher -asteter and prenatal wellness.
2. Yoga helps prevent or manage prenatal depression
Prenatal depression affects 1 of 7 women and is not often recognized. Unlike postpartum depression, it can begin in the first trimester and intensify if left without cancellation. Symptoms may include:
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- Constant fatigue
- Hopelessness
- Wine or irritability
- A problem with your child’s connections
Studies have shown that women involved in prenatal yoga at least twice a week for 8-12 weeks reported a much lower depression and anxiety compared to those who haven’t done it. Yoga offers methods of care for reducing the rumanization, physical movement, to release endorphins (natural mood enhancers), a sense of community in practice in group classes, space for connection with the child and the construction of early communication.
“Many of my low-mood patients felt the authority and control more after a few weeks. Breathing and body awareness helps to interrupt the negative thinking models,” Dr. Bansal shares.
3. The best sleep and less irritability
Pregnancy often brings poor sleep, fatigue and physical discomfort – all this feeds on emotional instability. Prenatal Yoga includes restorative positions like:
- Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani): Reduces swelling and soothes the nervous system
- Pose Butterfly (Baddha Konasana): Improves circulation and relaxes hips
- Children’s posture (Balassan): Calms back and emotional tension
When practiced regularly, yoga improves sleep quality and depth, muscle relaxation, digestion and respiratory patterns, as well as mental vigilance.
4. Helps to create emotional stability and self -awareness
Attentiveness, key part of prenatal yoga, helps women become observers of their own thoughts and feelings without opinion. This self -awareness reduces excessive reactions to stress and enhances emotional maturity. Women report that they feel more oriented and less reactive, the ability to pause and breathe, not panic, a stronger sense of control over thoughts and fears, as well as emotional adoption of bodily changes and motherhood.
If and how to practice prenatal yoga
When to start?
Most gynecologists recommend starting after the first trimester (12-13 weeks) if you have already been engaged in yoga. If you are new, join the certified class of prenatal yoga or practice under a physiotherapist prepared for a pregnancy fitness.
When to avoid?
Avoid prenatal yoga if you feel the vagina bleeding or placental presentation, there is a history of premature births or miscarriages, suffer from serious anemia or heart problems, or if you are advised to be your medical experts.
Ideal Prenatal Yoga Rutin:
- Try to do 3 sessions 30-45 minutes per week
- Combine movement + breathing + 5-10 minutes of meditation
- Avoid intense supplies or deep turns
- For safety and comfort, use yoga requisites such as bearings and pillows.
