HILARIA BALDWIN: PRENATAL YOGA

Just finished doing yoga with Hilaria Baldwin, using her new DVD  @ Home with Hilaria Baldwin: Fit Mommy-to-be Prenatal Yoga [Read article here: [...]***Pre-natal Yoga is something that I recommend to every single pregnant patient I encounter.*** I always have my patients check with their Obstetrician first, though, especially if there is a high risk pregnancy. Otherwise, I believe very strongly that prenatal yoga is the most important thing you can do for your body while pregnant, next to eating a healthy diet and taking fish oil and enough calcium.Prenatal yoga is so important on so many different levels. I have pregnant women come to me all the time complaining of pains deep in the hips and lower back. Prenatal yoga, especially if started early in the pregnancy, is the key to feeling wonderful throughout and after your pregnancy.Let's review the many many benefits of doing Yoga while you are pregnant.Remember, always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have a high risk pregnancy.As you review the many benefits I have listed below, keep in mind that  @ Home with Hilaria Baldwin: Fit Mommy-to-be Prenatal Yoga is wonderfully consistent with all of these benefits.1. Less Pain! Yoga can help relieve neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain, hip pain, and pelvic pain. This is why I tell my pregnant patients that Yoga is mandatory!2. By opening up the hips, sacrum, and pelvis, the ligaments are more easily stretched to accommodate the baby's head in a vaginal childbirth. This means an easier labor for mommy!3. With all of the stretching involved, the muscles of the lower back, hips, and pelvis, become more relaxed and resilient, decreasing inflammation caused by the stress of holding the excess weight of the baby. With less inflammation, there will be less pain during labor.4. With increased "range of motion" of the lower back (lumbar spine), hips, sacrum and pelvis, you will feel less stiffness throughout the day. The more you move, the more you will be able to move!5. During yoga, there is a lot of spinal work which opens up the hormonal centers in the body. This counteracts hormonal imbalance which leads to constipation, moodiness, restless legs, insomnia, hot flashes, and excess weight gain. The lower back section of this video targets the hormones of the lower body, balancing estrogen and progesterone (mood, weight gain, constipation) and cortisol (stress hormones).6. Yoga increases your sense of well being by releasing endorphins, increasing flexibility, filling you with energy and vitality, helping relaxation and sleep, and toning and strengthening your body.7. Yoga is my favorite way to improve posture. In pregnancy especially, it is easy to allow the weight of the belly to cause excessive lordosis of the lumbar spine and kyphosis of the thoracic spine. It happens as you lean back slightly and the baby pulls your lower back forward, pressuring your lower and upper spine into a contorted, stressful and painful position. Yoga is the natural way to strengthen and lengthen the spine, without feeling like you are forcing yourself into an uncomfortable position.The bottom line is that when you do Yoga, you feel good!Remember, it's never too late to start your Yoga program, even if you are nearing the end of your pregnancy. At the same time, the earlier you start, the easier it will be!Today I went ahead and did yoga with Hilaria in my living room, watching the DVD. Here are my observations:1. It is a beautiful production. I love the setting, with the relaxing environment. Very professional.2. Hilaria encourages nose breathing, which is vital to yoga practice. Excellent.3. There are 2 other ladies in the video that practice at different levels. With three different levels for each yoga pose, it is much less intimidating to find the one that fits your level of practice.4. Her use of yoga bricks and cushion was great.5. Great stretching of hamstrings, calves, adductors, thighs, and lower spine.6. Great strengthening of hips, legs, and buttocks.7. Excellent stretching and strengthening of the abdominals and core.There are 3 main sections to the video:1. In the first section, she does an excellent job with posture, strengthening, and toning. Excellent lower back stretches and strengthening.2. In the second section, the hip opening stretches are excellent. They will definitely help to relieve the pressure and pain from your hips and pelvis, and prepare for labor. Again, it's really good that she has the different ladies at different levels because a few of the stretches are somewhat challenging. But she makes for great accommodation with modified poses, pillows and blocks.3. The last section, "Express De-Stress," is my favorite. It is only 13 minutes, and hits a little bit of low back and hips, just enough to loosen up and relax the body. It's a great "anytime" yoga to throw on, get a short but sweet stretch, and relax.**The bonus partner stretches with her husband, Alec Baldwin, are very good. I love the downward dog help, especially. And Mr. Baldwin's facial expressions are priceless!In the video, Hilaria is herself quite pregnant, and she does the poses with ease and grace. She is very careful to protect her baby, and reminds us often to do the same. There is no forced movements! Gracefully done.I have been doing yoga for many years, and the great thing about this video was that I was able to do the beginner level of some of the poses I hadn't practiced in the past, while practicing a deeper stretch on the more familiar poses. By having the 3 ladies at 3 different levels, one can start easier if you are a beginner, and then slowly and gently make progress with time. In this manner, the DVD is plenty enough to last multiple pregnancies.When doing yoga while pregnant, don't force anything. Go super slow, be super gentle with your body and your baby. It is meant to be an enjoyable experience, so early injuries will kill the motivation for continuing. Take care with your body, especially if you are starting later in your pregnancy. Those lower back, hip, sacrum and pelvis muscles and joints are going to be very tight and painful, so the stretching and moving process must be done very slowly and gently.Again, always consult with your obstetrician before beginning any exercise program while pregnant, especially if you have a high risk pregnancy.Thank you so much for reading!Blessings and Peace to you in your pregnancy and family life![...]

This is the only prenatal yoga DVD I can abide while pregnant. It is a little fast paced, and Hilaria makes silly faces every once and a while (very smiley, that woman...) I am not considered a beginner when it comes to yoga, and this is definitely considered a mainstream yoga video. There are no mention of asanas, and doesn't put a whole lot of weight on the final calming grounding exercises most yoga instructors do. However, She does put a lot of weight on not trying to push yourself too far, which is really important when you're pregnant. There are two main sequences- one for hips and one for your back, as well as a bonus partner sequence. I like being able to chose certain stretches my body needs at any given time, and hips and backs are a huge source of pain during pregnancy if you aren't kind to them. I tried 5 different prenatal yoga DVDs, and this one alone is the only one I haven't returned.

I was looking for a prenatal yoga/stretch DVD that focuses on yoga and stretching as opposed to focusing on being quiet and bonding with baby. (I don't need instruction for that!) This DVD has made a world of difference for me. I've used it throughout my second and third trimester. I use the hip opener routine almost daily. I also like the other two routines. I have some minor exposure to yoga, so I know the basic poses, and I enjoy stretching. I found the pace to be just right. The length is also perfect for me. My only criticism is that the instructor's verbal prompts are opposite from the visual prompts. In other words, she tells you to put your left foot forward while she is putting her right foot forward. Perhaps other people are used to that, but I'm not. If you miss the verbal cue then you need to do the stretch on the opposite side of what she is demonstrating. Recommended equipment: Yoga mat, block (or two), pillows.

This is a nice and relaxing workout for moms to be. I feel stretched out and destressed after doing it. There are three different workouts and each one is well put together by the instructor. There are modifications for first, second and third trimester so you can use it throughout pregnancy. Only reason I didn't give it five stars is the instructor does her breathing cues pretty fast and at times I have to stop and recover my breath. She doesn't give you enough time to inhale and exhale like you should be in a yoga practice. Maybe if I wasn't pregnant I wouldn't be aware of how fast she goes with the breathing, but it's not what I'm used to in yoga. But I do recommend it as a great strengthening and stretching workout.

I was too sick to work out much during my pregnancy, but I did enjoy this DVD. It was simple and gentle, but was a good flow to stretch and open the hips and other areas that tighten up during pregnancy. Hilaria's guidance was easy to understand and just quiet/soothing enough without crossing into the cheesy yoga video that some at home practices seem to end up having. This was gentle enough to do at 7 months, though with a huge belly might not be as comfortable. (She does suggest modifications for this if you're further along.) It felt good to stretch and move, and I think it was a good prenatal practice. I do wish I had known it involved the user of blocks and pillows/cushions though- had to improvise a bit.

This was fun a good way to exercise whilst pregnant.

I'm so glad I chose to go with the Hilaria Baldwin Prenatal Yoga DVD over all the rest I was looking at. I usually do prenatal Yoga classes with instructors but due to lack of time this time around, I opted for the DVD. The benefits of a real instructor out weigh a DVD but, it covers all the areas of prenatal Yoga that I need to help alleviate the stresses of pregnancy on my body. I would definitely recommend this to beginners and more experienced in yoga.It does not say on the DVD what equipment you may need so I felt unprepared the first time I followed it. (Just so you know, you will need a yoga mat, a yoga block, and two fluffy pillows, and lots of floor space)All in all, she is pretty clear with instructions and gives you options based on ability and trimester.

Great DVD and I like how the workouts are broken up so you can choose do one, two or all (which is about an hour in total). I found Hilaria easy to follow and the yoga stretches were attainable and I didn't feel like I had to be a yoga master to do these exercises. The only negative is that the DVD is really quiet so you have to turn it up pretty high to hear the dialogue.

I really like the pacing of this yoga dvd as compared to other prenatal yoga dvds that seem to drag on. These yoga sequences are still gentle, without putting you to sleep while doing them. Hilaria is beautiful and a great instructor!

Wonderful DVD, I am a novice at yoga. Hilaria explains the postures very well. I enjoy it & recommend!