Prenatal Yoga 4 Women of Color

Maternal health for all women is vital to the overall health and well-being of our future. Healthy mothers create healthier babies which enlivens a healthier world.  The health of all women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period can not be ignored.

 

Yoga 4 Philly recognizes the importance of reducing maternal morbidity (any short or long-term health problems that result from being pregnant and giving birth) as well as reducing maternal mortality (the death of a woman from complications of pregnancy and childbirth that occur during the pregnancy). Although a healthy pregnancy and childbirth should be the norm, research shows that every 12 hours, a woman dies from complications from pregnancy or giving birth (Center for Disease Control, 2021). 

 

Unfortunately, Black and American Indian/Alaska native women are about three times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause. 

 

Yoga 4 Philly recognizes the positive impact of yoga for all people. At this time Yoga 4 Philly is placing particular emphasis on maternal wellness in an effort to pour into the health and well-being of future mothers. Pre-natal yoga is a multi-faceted approach to exercise that encourages stretching, mental centering, and focused breathing. Research suggests that prenatal yoga is not only safe but has numerous benefits for pregnant women and their babies including improved sleep,  reduced blood pressure, reduced stress and anxiety, an increase in strength, flexibility, and endurance of muscles needed for childbirth as well as a decrease of lower back pain, nausea, headaches and shortness of breath. Pre-natal yoga may increase a mother’s ability to cope with labor pain and even optimizes the mother-infant bond. By building relationships and community among mothers who may feel lonely or isolated, the many benefits of prenatal yoga are plentiful.  Yoga 4 Philly sees prenatal yoga as a necessity in improving the livelihood of our mothers, our children, and our world.