Weight gain, of course, is inevitable during pregnancy. However, many women find eating healthy food and staying physically active to be even more of a challenge while pregnant than it is at ordinary times, and therefore may gain unhealthy fat weight that can potentially be harmful to both the mother and the baby. For that reason, it is if anything even more important for pregnant women to exercise than it is for non-pregnant individuals. Yoga can be a perfect means of accomplishing this -- particularly since yoga, and especially yoga tailored for pregnant women, is a fairly low-impact form of exercise. This can help protect strained or sensitive joints that might not be up to jogging or other higher-impact types of exercise.

Yoga can help develop significantly improved flexibility in the mother's body. This helps ease the strain of the delivery, reducing the potential for injury to the baby and potentially reducing the delivery time as well. Pregnant women who are yoga enthusiasts also tend to experience less pain during the delivery than other women due to this improved flexibility.

Additionally, yoga helps women develop the ability to focus, relax and calm the mind, and breathe deeply and evenly. In many cases this can help reduce the mind's perception of pain, in addition to the physical reduction of pain from yoga's increased flexibility. This is particularly beneficial for women who prefer to avoid taking drugs to reduce their pain during pregnancy.

The Harvard Mental Health Letter reported in 2009 that participating in yoga can help reduce the physical symptoms of stress and tension. It can actually help slow the pulse and breathing rates and reduce blood pressure. This, of course, is very beneficial during both the pregnancy and the delivery, but its benefits continue into the process of motherhood and the stresses that that inevitably brings.

Yoga can also help reduce any pain and discomfort from the pregnancy overall, not solely that from the delivery itself. Back pain, in particular, is a very common problem for pregnant women; the increased flexibility and strength developed by yoga can help reduce this back pain, as well as other general soreness and aches from the pregnancy.

Losing the pregnancy weight and regaining lost abdominal strength is important shortly after delivery for a mother's health, but finding the motivation to begin can be difficult. Yoga can be perfect for beginning this process; it is even possible to find yoga instructors and programs that specialize in this type of post-birth yoga.

Finally, pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood are processes that can be challenging in any situation -- but particularly so for a woman that feels she has no support network of friends and acquaintances who understand what she is going through. Taking a yoga class that is targeted to pregnant women can be a great way to network with other local women who are also expecting a baby.