Modern Stork interviewed yoga instructor Robin Sale, and she gave us tons of reasons why practising yoga while pregnant can help increase flexibility, decrease swelling and anxiety, and divert the pain of labor.

Modern Stork: How did you become involved in teaching Prenatal Yoga?

Robin: I began working with pregnant women as a massage practitioner and childbirth assistant in 1977. In 1985, I began broadening my skills to offer prenatal counseling and hypnotherapy. Having practiced yoga most of my adult life, it was a natural extension of my work to begin facilitating groups offering yoga and group support. Now there's more acceptance and interest in prenatal yoga in our culture, and I'm training other women to offer Prenatal Yoga and Support classes.

Modern Stork: What are the physical benefits of practicing yoga while pregnant?

Robin: Yoga is truly ideal for pregnant women. When practiced mindfully, yoga increases flexibility, strength, circulation and balance. Pregnancy is such a physical experience and a woman often becomes hyperaware of the many changes her body is going through. Yoga allows her to adapt more gracefully to these changes and to feel a sense of integration and appreciation for her body. Many women find that regular yoga practice helps to reduce swelling, back and leg pain, and insomnia.

Modern Stork: And the mental ones?

Robin: In a Whole Birth Yoga Class there is a strong emphasis on body/mind awareness. We spend the first part of class discussing issues of importance to women embarking on the path of motherhood. By honoring not just the joys of pregnancy, but rather allowing all feelings to be acknowledged in an environment of acceptance and support, a wonderful sense of community develops. The yoga practice also develops concentration, focus and reduces stress.

Modern Stork: How does yoga practice reduce stress and anxiety before/during labor?

Robin: I think the combination of discussing normal birth and exploring fears in a skillful way helps to reduce a huge amount of anticipatory fears. We also practice many pain managing techniques while doing yoga. When women get to have an actual experience of success at overcoming or accepting pain in a way that makes it completely manageable, they feel empowered and even excited about the challenge of labor.

The foundation of Whole Birth Yoga is mindfulness, which is a way of developing moment by moment awareness. Many women report back to me that this ability to attend to their labor moment by moment was the single most useful thing for them. So much of our fear and anxiety has to do with an imagined future, or comparing the present to the past. If you are feeling anxious about something, you might try asking yourself, 'am I OK right now?' Surprisingly, the answer is usually yes.

Modern Stork: How does yoga practice ease/divert pain during labor?

Robin: The ability to be present and breathe into the sensations of stretching or of holding a strenuous pose allows for a kind of softening and letting go that directly applies to the experience of labor. Women discover that much of their pain is resistance, trying to get away from or tightening around the sensation.

Modern Stork: Why do you feel yoga is more advantageous to pregnant women than other forms of exercise?

Robin: Some women feel they need to be in great shape for labor and are often depressed about not being able to do the same exercise routine they were doing previous to their pregnancies. Actually, body building and other activities that focus on building strength and control have been known to make labor more difficult. What is helpful to know is that the process of giving birth, is just that - a giving. It's more about yielding, opening, allowing, and softening. These are not qualities that many of us are familiar with. Whole Birth Yoga teaches this in a direct and immediate way.

Modern Stork: Are fathers involved in the practice?

Robin: In the Netherlands couples prepare for birth with yoga in their childbirth classes and they are known to have wonderfully smooth labors. We offer a one-day retreat for couples where we teach various yoga and meditation practices they can do. It's a lot of fun. Couples are often so busy that just taking the time to focus on this amazing event is, in itself, wonderful.

Modern Stork: Are there special accreditations or qualifications to look for when searching for a prenatal yoga instructor?

Robin: You might ask if they have special training to teach prenatal yoga or how long they have been teaching prenatal yoga. If you are new to yoga be sure the teacher is based in the more gentle forms of hatha yoga. Hopefully a prenatal yoga teacher has a solid understanding of pregnancy, birth and postpartum and knows what poses would be unadvisable.

Modern Stork: Can you practice at home, or do you need to be in class?

Robin: If you can't find a class, there are several videos and tapes available. A class is preferred for the unique experience of being with other pregnant women and for the guidance of the teacher.

Modern Stork: Up to what time before your due date can you practice yoga?

Robin: You can practice some yoga right into labor. One student told me she practiced the Tree Pose (a pose balancing on one leg) in early labor, between her contractions. She told me she had such wonderful associations with the pose that it was very calming to her. Her husband thought it was a bit strange though. Many poses can be done right up to the due date. Yoga practice during pregnancy deepens a woman's ability to respond intuitively during labor and so some women find themselves moving through various positions to help labor along.

Modern Stork: Is there a certain type of yoga that prenatal yoga is based on, or is it a combination of several different practices?

Robin: Whole Birth Yoga is based on the hatha yoga tradition of the Integral Yoga Institute. It is a gentle and very mindful approach. Also the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn at The Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical Center has been a strong influence.

Modern Stork: Do you have any other suggestions for pregnant women to have the most positive birthing experience possible?

Robin: Yes. Spend time in beautiful natural surroundings. Daydream. Slow down. There is a wonderful line in Mary Oliver's poem, "The Wild Geese" - 'You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.'

Check out Robin Sale's website Whole Birth Resources for more information.