Because asana practice requires concentration of the mind on the body, yoga promotes turning off the rationalizing, judging mind and encourages listening instead to body wisdom; messages that the body sends, such as tension, fear, thirst, relaxation or euphoria. This aspect of practice is particularly useful during pregnancy, as we create the mindset that the body knows just what it needs to birth a baby.

"Your spirit as a woman has all of the knowledge and power you need to give birth and to nurture your baby," says Gurmukh Kuar Khalsa, a yoga and meditation instructor at Gold Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles, Calif. "It is in your genes. It has been there since you yourself were conceived. You can trust its wisdom."

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