The New Method: Baby and Mom: Prenatal Yoga | Method

The New Method: Baby and Mom: Prenatal Yoga | Method | A very easy exercise

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The New Method: Ba...

	The New Method: Baby and Mom: Prenatal Yoga Method Peter Pan, 2001 average customer review:based on 179 reviews view larger image
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Relaxing, strengthening, and allowing oneself to feel rather than think have long been associated with ancient yoga practice. Instructor Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa expertly ties this essential combination of physical experiences together in a gentle exercise video for pregnant women of all fitness levels. Prior to the 45-minute routine, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa discusses the role of yoga in helping with pregnancy; the calm and security that develop through guided breathing and gentle movement are transferred from the mother's body to her growing baby. The nonimpact routine itself provides ample warm-up, toning, and conditioning portions, as well as a deep, head-to-toe relaxation and visualization segment. Ten pregnant students (all pleasantly unrehearsed) stretch, bend, and learn along with the viewer, to the peaceful sounds of a live band consisting of wood flute, bass, quiet drum, and shimmering bells. Every bit as enriching for the soul as it is for the body. --Liane Thomas

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Great for labor prep

Kinda silly looking as I guess it's "look" is quite outdated now. But this video is wonderful. It's very gentle and easy but felt great when I was 7 months and beyond during my pregnancy. I feel it's focus is much more towards preparing and opening a woman's body for birth rather than a typical yoga workout.

Retrospectively, it was this video and all the yogic philosophy that goes along with it that allowed me to birth naturally.

A very easy exercise

I was at my 16 weeks when I started to use this DVD. This is my first pregnancy. I enjoy exercising and before I got pregnant, I go to the gym at least once a week. I enjoy challenging lower-body toning exercises, bodycombat (high-cardio) classes, machine-weights to tone my upper body. I have done beginner to intermediate yoga classes and do not have a very flexible body. I now swim twice a week (20 minutes) and exercise to this DVD every other day.

The instructor is not pregnant in this video and looks very "zen-ish" with her head dress (a white turban looking thing). The video starts out with a 10-15 minute clip of her talking about how yoga is good for the mother and the baby.

During the next 5 minutes or so, she instructs the class to sit in an upright cross-legged position, with eyes closed and chant to a language I do not understand. Apparently, it means "I bow to the divine power in myself" or something to that effect. I find this section disturbing and do not like the sound of it at all, so I typically fast forward to the point where the lesson proper begins.

The class has a live band playing at the back of the room. Music is okay. The venue looks rather old-fashioned. However, lighting was okay. You will see some camera man moving behind the flowers and pillars once in a while. The women were dressed in big T-shirts and tights, others in full body suits. They have make-up on, and some look quite pretty and attractive. Nothing fanciful or appealing about the set, in general.

The next 30-minute section has very good exercises to help a pregnant woman stretch and relax her body. Gentle stretches and exercises that are only enough to get my heartbeat up by a little. However, even though the exercises are simple, I feel very good after at the end of it. I feel good to have stretched the thighs, arms, toes, calves, lower and upper back, neck, kegel muscle. All in all, if you are looking for a non-strenuous and gentle stretching exercise to help you to remain flexible and to relief stiff joints and aches, this would be the DVD. One thing to note, the instructor in this video emphasizes a lot on "feeling" the movements in the body and to release all inhibitions.

This is not the DVD if you are looking to tone those hips, butts and thighs and sweat it all out.

The video ends with another session of chanting (which I skip). Apparently, the words are supposed to heal and give you strength or something like that. And after that, we all lie down and close our eyes to relax, as with all yoga classes.

I am still waiting for two DVDs to arrive:
1) The Perfect Pregnancy Workout
2) Shiva Rea Prenatal Yoga

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