Step-By-Step Yoga for Pregnancy

by Wendy Teasdill

Book Overview

A guide which presents yoga exercises for various stages of pregnancy. It provides a collection of postures. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809225433
• ISBN13: 9780809225439
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.3" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Great exercises , very good for pregnancy and labor

I love the exercises in this book. It does help if you have done yoga before but even if not, they are easy to follow. My pelvis feels stronger after doing them. The breathing exercises are good too and I love the kegel visualisations. Sometimes I wish it had photos instead of drawings but the drawings are actually very nice. Spiral binding would really help though, I like to keep my book open next to my yog mat.

Great for teachers

This is a great book for teachers. It has wonderful meditations, beautiful flow series and good medical info too. It is a well rounded book and a great addition to my prenatal library.

Covers prenatal yoga and provides lots of general info, too!

As a prenatal yoga instructor, I find this book to be very user-friendly, full of photos and illustrations, some original stuff that you won't find in every book on yoga for pregnancy. It contains not only programs suitable for the three trimesters, but also yogic breathing practices, simple ways to incorporate kegels, pelvic floor visualizations, a guided relaxation, very basic info on the chakras, nutritional information, tips for relieving backache and performing daily activities with optimal alignment. The Teasdill book is very pleasing to the eye, enjoyable and easy to read. I just love the "Salute to the earth - growing into gravity" series of poses. This series alone contains some positions useful during labor and delivery as well as in preparation for the big day. There is also a page of positions specifically useful for labor. There are other visualizations and meditation techniques suggested for use leading up to and during the birthing process, general info on the stages of labor and reminders of what may serve you during each stage. There is also a chapter on life after birth which includes yoga postures for recovery as well as general info on breastfeeding, nutrition, what to expect emotionally. This book does include a bit of yoga philosophy. The last lines of the book state, "Yoga is not just a system of stretching and meditation: yoga is awareness, yoga is living in the present, yoga is union, synthesis and integrity. Yoga is life." Preparing for birth requires more than just physical preparation. A lot of birthing is mental, being able to stay present for each contraction and rest between rather than creating more tension and pain in the body in anticipation of what may come, "complaining mind." The mindfulness and awareness of body and mind that come from the meditative aspects of performing the poses or sitting in meditation are valuable beyond the physical preparation. If natural birth interests you, you might want to check out Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Natural Childbirth. Another good book on prenatal yoga is Janet Balaskas' Preparing for Birth with Yoga. Wendy Teasdill's book has a more informal, conversational feel to it than the Balaskas book, if that is of interest. Makes is very easy and fun to read!

Well-organized, useful text ... a must for pregnant practice

Even as a yoga instructor, I found myself at a loss when trying to structure pregnancy practices. I picked up this book and found that it is very well put-together. It describes poses well and tells you when it is appropriate to do them, trimester-wise.The book does allude to some yogic philosophy (NOT religion; yoga is a science, not a religion), but for a serious practitioner of yoga this is actually good -- so many yoga books and videos don't even bother to acknowledge yoga's long-standing history!

Step by Step Yoga for Pregnancy

Terrific book. Very easy to follow and logically organized by trimester. Sound advice and good for everyone from the beginner to the very experienced. Gets a bit into the "religion" of yoga, however is still a great resource for the every day pregnant woman looking for a good ~ safe workout. I highly recommend this book!