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Pregnancy Health Yoga: Your Essential Guide for Bump, Birth and Beyond
Two leaders in pregnancy yoga share useful yoga techniques to guide expectant mothers from bump to birth and beyond
Authoritative yet thoroughly accessible, this user-friendly book provides yoga techniques for pregnancy and beyond, helping expectant mothers to deal with all the physical and emotional changes you experience along the way.
Authors Tara Lee and Mary Attwood—both leaders in the field—explain the important fundamentals of pregnancy yoga, such
• Using breathwork to relax your body and reduce stress
• Guided meditations and visualizations to help you feel calm and positive
• Illustrated step-by-step routines to energize you and relieve muscle tension and pain
• Beneficial postures for a range of common pregnancy-related conditions, including back pain, breathlessness, and swollen ankles
• Advice on preparing for labor and childbirth
• Post-natal exercises to get you back in shape and energized as a new mother
Most importantly, Tara and Mary emphasize how every woman can take charge of her whole self to ensure a happy and healthy pregnancy and birth. The foreword by internationally celebrated Dr Gowri Motha, creator of the Gentle Birth Method, reinforces the message that pregnancy and childbirth is a positive experience to cherish and enjoy.
Authoritative yet thoroughly accessible, this user-friendly book provides yoga techniques for pregnancy and beyond, helping expectant mothers to deal with all the physical and emotional changes you experience along the way.
Authors Tara Lee and Mary Attwood—both leaders in the field—explain the important fundamentals of pregnancy yoga, such
• Using breathwork to relax your body and reduce stress
• Guided meditations and visualizations to help you feel calm and positive
• Illustrated step-by-step routines to energize you and relieve muscle tension and pain
• Beneficial postures for a range of common pregnancy-related conditions, including back pain, breathlessness, and swollen ankles
• Advice on preparing for labor and childbirth
• Post-natal exercises to get you back in shape and energized as a new mother
Most importantly, Tara and Mary emphasize how every woman can take charge of her whole self to ensure a happy and healthy pregnancy and birth. The foreword by internationally celebrated Dr Gowri Motha, creator of the Gentle Birth Method, reinforces the message that pregnancy and childbirth is a positive experience to cherish and enjoy.
- GenresNonfiction
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
8 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Tara Lee
44 books1 followerTara Lee teaches in the Department of English at the University of British Columbia. Her teaching and research interests include media and technology, science fiction, critical race theory, and contemporary minority Canadian literature. She also works as a freelance writer and broadcaster for a variety of local and national publications.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 25, 2016
Initial reaction: Great, encouraging resource for not only pregnant women who want to do low impact and relaxing yoga poses for toning, but also for relaxation and with specific attention to aches and pains such as backaches and leg pain. The specific information for poses during the different trimesters was also helpful.
Full review:
Quick review for a quick read. I read "Pregnancy Health Yoga" back in 2013 as a resource for looking at fitness programs for special populations, and I ended up loving this concise, easy to understand guide towards helping women begin a yoga program during the various stages of their pregnancy. It begins with attention drawn to way one breathes (which is something that's key to meditations) and positive affirmations the client can use. Then the book expounds upon different movements illustrated in full-color photos and defines the benefit of each stretch, posture and movement though each section of the book. The guide highlights movements not only for the purposes of relaxation, but also for common aches and pains associated with pregnancy (stiff back, morning sickness, heartburn, pubic pain, and several other ailments). My galley copy was about 144 pages long and certainly not only a resource I'll use for future reference, but also recommend to clients as well. Highly recommended.
Overall score: 4.5/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
Full review:
Quick review for a quick read. I read "Pregnancy Health Yoga" back in 2013 as a resource for looking at fitness programs for special populations, and I ended up loving this concise, easy to understand guide towards helping women begin a yoga program during the various stages of their pregnancy. It begins with attention drawn to way one breathes (which is something that's key to meditations) and positive affirmations the client can use. Then the book expounds upon different movements illustrated in full-color photos and defines the benefit of each stretch, posture and movement though each section of the book. The guide highlights movements not only for the purposes of relaxation, but also for common aches and pains associated with pregnancy (stiff back, morning sickness, heartburn, pubic pain, and several other ailments). My galley copy was about 144 pages long and certainly not only a resource I'll use for future reference, but also recommend to clients as well. Highly recommended.
Overall score: 4.5/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
December 22, 2015
I am not pregnant or planning to get pregnant but I still was curious about this book and when I got a free sample I jumped at the chance.
Being a big yoga nerd, everything about yoga excites me. Even if it's a book for pregnant women. I loved it! You can definitely read it anyway, and I believe it is valuable whenever you are going through big changes in your life.
It had great affirmations, great practices and great information about birth. I will admit to being slightly scared about what a pregnancy would do to my body and this book made me wanna get pregnant straightaway. Lol!
I would recommend this book to all pregnant mothers-to-be, to all women contemplating pregnancy and all yoga nerds out there. If I get pregnant, I will keep this book close.
ARC provided by Watkins Publishing Limited and Netgalley for an honest review.
Being a big yoga nerd, everything about yoga excites me. Even if it's a book for pregnant women. I loved it! You can definitely read it anyway, and I believe it is valuable whenever you are going through big changes in your life.
It had great affirmations, great practices and great information about birth. I will admit to being slightly scared about what a pregnancy would do to my body and this book made me wanna get pregnant straightaway. Lol!
I would recommend this book to all pregnant mothers-to-be, to all women contemplating pregnancy and all yoga nerds out there. If I get pregnant, I will keep this book close.
ARC provided by Watkins Publishing Limited and Netgalley for an honest review.
May 16, 2020
Loved this book, it gave me a chance to learn to use different poses to make my own practice. However I was feeling I could use this at home and teach myself at my pace. I enjoye learning poses specifically during my pregnancy. It'll be interesting to use some of the techniques during labor though!
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February 16, 2022A wonderful and easy to follow yoga book for pregnancy and post-partum women. I found following the guidance of this book to ease a lot of discomfort.
December 15, 2022
Had things that were okay but also had things I was taught are not totally safe to do during pregnancy, like twists and breath retention
July 8, 2013
Pregnancy Health Yoga by Tara Lee & Mary Atwood is an excellent resource for moms-to-be who would like to incorporate yoga breathing, stretching, and strengthening into their pregnancies.
I’ve practiced yoga for years, so I knew the breathing techniques and poses in the book well, but it was helpful to see them placed in the context of pregnancy, especially by trimester and divided into which can help with common pregnancy issues ranging from heartburn to lower back pain.
The photos accompanying the poses are easy to understand for even beginners, and the explanations are both thorough and soothing. I think it would be difficult to be stressed about pregnancy and birth after reading even a few passages of this book.
I especially love the affirmations with each chapter (I’ve written them on notecards so I have them handy) and the brief birth stories add a nice personal touch as well.
Overall, I couldn’t recommend this book more to anyone interested in yoga in pregnancy; I look forward to referring to Pregnancy Health Yoga throughout the rest of my pregnancy (I’m six months along as I write this) and then after birth, as it also offers poses and advice for the post-partum period as well.
I’ve practiced yoga for years, so I knew the breathing techniques and poses in the book well, but it was helpful to see them placed in the context of pregnancy, especially by trimester and divided into which can help with common pregnancy issues ranging from heartburn to lower back pain.
The photos accompanying the poses are easy to understand for even beginners, and the explanations are both thorough and soothing. I think it would be difficult to be stressed about pregnancy and birth after reading even a few passages of this book.
I especially love the affirmations with each chapter (I’ve written them on notecards so I have them handy) and the brief birth stories add a nice personal touch as well.
Overall, I couldn’t recommend this book more to anyone interested in yoga in pregnancy; I look forward to referring to Pregnancy Health Yoga throughout the rest of my pregnancy (I’m six months along as I write this) and then after birth, as it also offers poses and advice for the post-partum period as well.
June 10, 2013
I started *really* reading this book the week I started my prenatal yoga class. While I don't regret taking the prenatal classes, I don't really feel like I needed them after completing this book. It's very thorough, I loved the affirmations, and it gave you a lot of information for prenatal, labor, and post labor. It set my mind at ease and allowed me to look forward to the months to come rather than dread them.
May 18, 2014
I have made many attempts at beginning yoga in the past...it's been so hard to find a program that explains the steps in detail enough that I can follow them without previous experience. But this book combined with the DVD does an amazing job of making the yoga steps accessible. So I would highly recommend it for anyone who is interested!
May 17, 2017
Wonderful & useful book for all future mothers & for therapists or yoga teachers who give prenatal classes.
I loved everything about this book; most importantly, the affirmations at the beginning of every chapter.
I loved everything about this book; most importantly, the affirmations at the beginning of every chapter.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews