Pregnancy and the Benefits of Pilates 

Exercising during Pregnancy keeps you healthy, improves your overall mood, helps you sleep better and reduces your pregnancy aches and pains.

Pilates in pregnancy can help strengthen the right muscles during these growing changes, helping to promote good posture, supporting you as your body grows and the changes that your body undertakes. Pilates focuses on precision and concentration improving body awareness.

Greater body awareness grained through Pilates has been shown to improve Optimal Foetal Positioning, (baby’s position in pelvis). Pilates is a holistic form of exercise which links the body and mind through the fundamentals of concentration, breathing, control; precision and flow.

Pilates not only strengthens your back, pelvic and abdominal muscles – which help with labour and delivery – but it also helps to improve balance and flexibility. The breathing component used in Pilates can aid relaxation and help in the management of Labour Pain. Mothal Gowi (2004) suggests that one of the greatest barriers to a natural child birth is fear and anxiety, releasing adrenaline – constricting and reducing the body’s own natural pain relief, (endorphins).

Pregnancy Pilates Class

This class is an hour long session combing the use of the Birthing Ball / exercise ball to take you through a sequence of exercises which will help loosen tired achy bodies while at the same time working to physically improve and strength the stabilising muscles of the abdomen and pelvis. Although the movements can be challenging, they won’t put strain on your body or baby.

You do not need to have any experience with Pilates to attend this class, and although often full, spaces become available throughout the term.

If you are worried about exercise in pregnancy or perhaps you have had difficulties or complications with current or previous pregnancies, please contact me to discuss any worries.