First-time mothers that practiced yoga beginning in the 30th week of pregnancy had fewer caesareans, fewer low-weight newborns and milder and briefer labor pains. They were also less likely to require painkillers or labor inducement. The Mangalore, India, hospital study, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, included 150 women 20 to 35 years old that were pregnant for the first time and had no prior yoga experience. Half of the women did not do yoga, while the other half took 30-minute yoga classes once every week or two. Women in the yoga group were also more comfortable after giving birth.

This article appears in the May 2019 issue of Natural Awakenings.