Yoga video is designed for strength

The workout pays particular attention to breathing.
By MARY LITTLE
KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE
Yoga instructor Rainbeau Mars offers plenty of poses for pregnant women in this 52-minute video, all designed to "create space for your baby" and "strengthen your baby's home."
To show how the exercises can be done during each stage of pregnancy, Mars (shown in her second trimester) enlists the help of two other women, one in the first trimester and one in the third. All three women are onscreen nearly all of the time, an effective way of showing how the moves should be done and how they can be modified (usually with the help of a chair or pillow).
Throughout the workout, Mars pays special attention to the breathing patterns used during the exercises, advising viewers that "your breath will help during pregnancy and labor." She's an effective teacher, with an easy, likable manner. And she has this caveat for those new to yoga: "It's really important during pregnancy that we don't go beyond our edge, forcing our bodies, so just go where your body needs" to go.
Gentle stretches
The workout begins with some gentle stretching and flexing moves done while sitting, with extra attention paid to the foot; as Mars explains, it "carries an extra load during pregnancy."
In the next segment you get down on all fours, with moves designed to take some of the weight of the baby off of your body, and relieve any sciatic pain.
After that, there's a segue into a series of familiar yoga poses, including "downward facing dog" and the aptly named "child's pose," which provides a little break when you need a rest. The squat pose that Mars demonstrates is the position many women worldwide use during delivery. There are also a few Kegel exercises to work some of the muscles involved during delivery.
At the end, there's a peaceful cool-down session, where Mars encourages you to let go of all muscle tension, and "trust in the process that so many women have been through since the time women existed."