Experiences of Pregnant Women Participating in Antenatal Yoga: A Qualitative Study

Context . Pregnancy yoga is a modified version of yoga for pregnant women, and it aims to reduce pregnancy-related symptoms, such as insomnia, low back pain, tiredness, constipation, leg cramps, and shortness of breath. Objective . The study aimed to identify the experiences and expectations of pregnant women related to the practice of yoga. Method . The research team conducted a qualitative study. Setting . The study took place at the antenatal clinic of a public hospital in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Participants . The participants were 24 pregnant women at the clinic. Intervention . The study included an intervention group that performed yoga and received routine antenatal care; however, no control groups were used. Each yoga intervention was held for approximately 40-45 minutes, with yoga asana periods lasting 30 minutes. The pregnant women were expected to participate in yoga practice twice a week on a regular basis for 8 weeks. Outcome Measures . Data were collected through semistructured interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed Verbatim and thematic analysis was performed. Results . Four major themes emerged: (1) perceptions about pregnancy, (2) management of pregnancy symptoms, (3) prenatal attachment, and (4) birth perceptions. According to participants, the benefits of yoga practice were management of pregnancy symptoms, increased prenatal attachment, a positive perception of the birth, natural-birth beliefs, and management of fear and pain during birth. Conclusions . The participants reported barriers to performing yoga; however, they also said that they would try pregnancy yoga if they were encouraged by healthcare professionals. Also, the participants stated that pregnancy yoga practice should be made a part of antenatal education to facilitate participation.