The capacity to reduce labour pain is something any woman giving birth would wish for.
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published on July 28th 2024 shed light on the potential of yoga to reduce labour pain. The review included nine clinical trials with a sum total of 660 participants across the studies and determined that yoga practice could reduce the severity of pain.
The results found that pregnant women who practised yoga, which included “muscle stretching exercises”, “mindfulness”, “mind concentration”, “relaxation techniques” or “meditation” experienced significantly lower labour pain during the active phase of labour and the transitional phase, compared to those who did not practise yoga.
This review highlights yet another potential usage of therapeutic yoga. While the results are promising, the study’s authors advise cautious interpretation due to variability among the studies.
This is not in yoga research reviews, due to the difference in practices and study design.
Pregnancy and childbirth are periods of significant transition, and challenges for all mothers. Some of these are physical and psychological responses to pregnancy and childbirth, but the majority of mothers must also adjust to permanent changes in their identity, social role and lifestyle.
Yoga practised during pregnancy typically concentrates on physiological and psychological preparation for labour, centring on relaxation, strength and flexibility. However, this does not address the emotional and psychological transitions in the mother’s life, as well as her body.
If unprepared for, unacknowledged, or unattended these can cause distress and contribute to mental health problems during pregnancy, or in the months following childbirth.
As we move into 2025, we will be offering a new course, Yoga Therapy for Pregnancy. This will address yoga for all stages from prenatal to postnatal. Just as other courses focus on what is mentioned above, we will be covering this, and doing so from a yoga therapy not just yogic perspective. Be the first to know about this course by signing up to our weekly newsletter. Sign up here.
Read the full study here.
