Trading dumbbells for cat cow’s never seemed appealing to me – before I was pregnant I was an avid gym goer and loved lifting weights…

But of course pregnancy gives you the opportunity to adapt your lifestyle in many positive ways, and I soon discovered that Pregnancy Yoga would be my fitness go-to. I have found prenatal yoga impactive for the following reasons:

Breathing techniques – I am confident that all of the breathing patterns I learned during yoga will help me to progress with labour and endure any discomfort, especially during the early stages. The breathing not only helps me to feel grounded, but filters all of the unnecessary distractions from my mind.

Slower pace – After practising yoga I always feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. It gives me an air of free spiritedness (I know I sound like a new age hippy, but dammit that’s how I feel). My energy is channelled and I feel ready to face anything.

Energy levels – Because Prenatal Yoga isn’t a high intensity workout as such, it allows you to focus on the parts of the body which require loosening.

Preparation for labour – The Yoga poses I practise are supposed to be ideal for labouring (I will let you know just how ideal). They encourage optimum positioning for baby and promote flexibility and strength of the pelvic area.

I would strongly recommend Yoga to any expectant woman that is over 12 weeks pregnant. Even if you do not have the means to attend a local class try some of these exercises at home.