Pregnancy Yoga Safety Tips
Here are some ways that you can practice yoga safely:
Always tell your yoga teacher that youre pregnant, so they can modify postures, and check that theyre trained to teach pregnant women. Or better still, go to a prenatal yoga class.Dont exhaust yourself if you cant hold a conversation while moving, youre working too hard.Always listen to your body Mentally check in with how youre feeling throughout the session to ensure you dont over-stretch.Avoid yoga positions that involve lying flat on your back from 19 weeks onwards, O’Brien recommended. This is to reduce the risk of your uterus pressing against the main blood vessels in the abdomen. Poses that place a lot of pressure on your abdomen, such as boat pose, should be avoided.
Yoga During Your First Trimester
Whether you have never practiced yoga a day in your life, or you are a dedicated daily yogi, this post is for you! You both have something wonderful in common. Youre newly pregnant and creating a beautiful life inside of your miraculous being. Yoga is a great exercise during pregnancy as it relieves stress, aches and pains, connects you to your baby inside, and allows you to discover a new strength and power from within. Check out our post about the benefits of prenatal yoga here.
Before practicing any type of exercise, it is always important to consult with your doctor to ensure that it is safe for both you and your growing baby. There are many things to consider before starting or continuing your yoga practice during the first trimester. How do you feel? What is your goal with the practice? Is this your first pregnancy? How is your pregnancy going in the eyes of your doctor? You and your doctor know your body and your situation best so it is important to take a little bit of time to evaluate what kind of yoga and how much is best for you during this vulnerably delicate time. If it is deemed safe, yoga is a great exercise to pick up if you have never practiced a day in your life during your pregnancy. It is also something that experienced and dedicated yogis should continue to practice throughout their pregnancy, especially if yoga alleviates stress and anxiety in your day to day life.
Here are some general guidelines to practicing safe yoga during your first trimester.
Yoga Classes For Pregnant Women
The ideal yoga class for a pregnant woman is that which takes into consideration the physiological effects of pregnancy on the womans body and discomfort that may arise with each trimester. The three pregnancy hormones–relaxin, estrogen and progesteroneundergo significant fluctuation that is often associated with emotional and physical instability. Along the way there is a dismantling of connective tissue, ligaments and tendons to create space for the growing baby, placenta, and uterus. Given this loosening effect on the pregnant body, it is important to approach ones practice mindfully without expectations of what the practice should look like.
Some expectant mamas who have a strong practice prior to pregnancy continue their practice with little to no modifications as they journey through each trimester. Nonetheless, even if you had a well-established practice pre-pregnancy, you may find that you want to modify certain poses to protect your growing baby and to address any pregnancy-related discomforts such as nausea, swelling, fatigue and back pain.
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Supported Supta Baddha Konasana
This hip opener stretches your abdominals, pelvis, and inner thighs. It has a calming effect that helps alleviate tension and stress.
Tips:
- For support, place blocks or cushions under your thighs or knees.
- Use an eye mask to relax more deeply.
- To reduce the intensity, move your feet farther away from your hips.
How-to:
Lying Flat On Your Back
Many yoga teachers may say do not lie on your back even though for some, it may feel lovely! But lying flat on the back for an extended period of time can compress the inferior vena cava.
This is an important vein that returns deoxygenated blood from the lower body back to the heart. It can also aggravate lower back pain, heartburn, and elevate blood pressure.
It is okay to lie on your back for some time, but you should follow how you feel. Change positions if you start to feel nauseous, dizzy, or uncomfortable.
Poses To Avoid/Modify: Corpse Posture
Each person has her own challenges that arise during pregnancy. Depending on what these are, you can either include or avoid certain asanas during your pregnancy. It is always important to consult with a certified yoga teacher or an ayurvedic practitioner during this time.
- TAGS
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Yoga In The Second Trimester
The second trimester is the ideal time to start prenatal yoga. You’re probably past the worst of your morning sickness if you had any. Your belly is starting to make an appearance, so you’re in greater need of pregnancy-specific poses and advice.
As your uterus expands, it’s time to stop doing any poses where you are lying on your belly. Also avoid deep twists, which are not very comfortable at this point.
Yoga Poses And Practices To Avoid During Pregnancy
From delicious sashimi, to a cold beer on a sunny day, to a decadent chocolate mousse, or a complex Shiraz, the list of things we cant eat, cant drink and cant do during pregnancy seems to grow on the daily! This can be frustrating, or feel limiting.
Luckily, the yoga “rules” have paradoxically remained constant. While there are things to avoid, there is still so much you can do.
So rather than focusing on the limits, lets look at the opportunity .
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Relaxation Is Key To A Healthy Pregnancy
Yoga is practised to balance your mind, body, and breath. Its all about relaxation, which makes it one of the most popular choices for antenatal exercise.
At 12 weeks pregnant youre hopefully, more or less, over the initial exhaustion and nausea of the early stages of pregnancy and, hopefully, youll be feeling up to getting some exercise. But if those very words chill you to the bone, why not think about antenatal yoga?
What Are The Benefits Of Doing Yoga During Pregnancy
- First, doing yoga during pregnancy promotes muscle tone, which helps to better manage the extra weight you gain.
- Also, activities that strengthen the pelvis and legs give the mother more strength when giving birth.
- Doing yoga also helps fight fatigue, insomnia, and headaches.
- It improves posture and prevents neck and back pain.
- Also, it increases the flow of oxygen to the fetus.
- Finally, its a good way to learn to breathe correctly, relax, and concentrate.
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Yoga Poses For Pregnant Women
Staying active and healthy during pregnancy can do wonders for you and your baby. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, indulging in different forms of exercise such as jogging, walking, and basic strength moves can prove beneficial for you.
Along with these exercises, doctors recommend yoga for pregnant women since it combines both stretching and strengthening, which can be beneficial. A study conducted in 2014 revealed that pregnant women who practised yoga felt stronger and had better overall health.
When Can I Resume My Practice
Getting back to your normal routine may take anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. Keller suggested listening to your body to know when it is safe to resume your regular practice. However she also advised postpartum people to continue to avoid deep backbends because this can lead to or exacerbate diastis recti.
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Forward Folds With You Feet Together
Normally, we hold our feet together in seated forward folds and at hip-distance in standing ones. However, during pregnancy, youll find that itll become impossible to do it without constricting your growing belly.
What You Can Do
Avoid keeping your feet too close together in standing forward bending yoga poses during pregnancy. Widen your stance, and try using blocks to prop your hands on if that feels more comfortable.
In Seated Forward Fold, widen your feet and lower down with a flat back. You can also sit up on a block or a blanket if that feels easier on your low back.
What If Yoga Isnt For You
Theres plenty you can do to keep yourself fit and healthy during pregnancy: swimming, indoor cycling, and brisk walking are all great ways to stay active. In fact, if exercise has been a major part of your lifestyle before becoming pregnant, theres no reason why you cant continue, albeit with a few alterations to accommodate your bump.
Just leave it until after the birth before attempting a marathon!
Important
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Yoga Precautions For Pregnant Women
- Poses that put pressure on the abdomen and other difficult poses should not be done during advanced stages of pregnancy.
- For the first trimester, standing Yoga poses are advised as this will help strengthen the legs, enhance circulation, generate energy, and may reduce leg cramps.
- During the second and third trimester, you may reduce your time spent for practicing the asanas to prevent fatigue and overwork. Instead, focus more on breathing and meditation.
- Also, it is not advised to practice from the tenth through the fourteenth week of pregnancy since these are crucial times.
- Do not overstretch the abdomen the emphasis of your twisting poses should be on the shoulders and the upper back and not on the abdomen. Avoid doing inversion poses.
- You do not have to do all these asanas and remember to listen to your body and just do as much as you easily can.
What Are The Best Yoga Positions For Women 12 Weeks Pregnant
Mountain Pose This position is effective for balancing and strengthening your body and is a good starting pose. Repeating this pose will help you adjust to your gradually shifting centre of gravity.
Cat-Cow Pose Positions on all fours are good for expectant mothers, and the most popular poses of this kind are the Cat/Cow poses. Alternating between these poses can help shift the weight of the baby away from the spine.
Extended Triangle Pose This standing pose stretches the side of your body and is good for the legs, hips, and shoulders.
Childs Pose The childs pose is a relaxing position that can serve as a rest between more taxing positions, giving you a chance to focus on breathing and relieve stress.
Butterfly pose This pose is also good for relieving stress and tiredness while also helping to improve flexibility of the hips and thighs.
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Garland Or Squat Pose
Hanging out in a squat like this really opens the hips and pelvis, which is ideal for prenatal practice. It is also known to stimulate digestion and is a great stretch through the legs and back. Modify for pregnancy by leaning against a wall or squatting on blankets. Only suitable until about 30 weeks.
‘shirshasana’ During Pregnancy Here Are The Benefits Of The Headstand Yoga Pose
Yes, you can perform Shirshasana during your pregnancy – but do not forget to consult with your doctor before doing so . Shirshasana or headstand increases blood supply to the head, therefore is beneficial for brain function and all sensory organs in the head . It improves memory and the ability to concentrate. This Asana also stimulates and regulates the body’s systems completely. Yoga experts also say that this yoga asana physical and mental contentment and aids spiritual progress
Well, pregnancy gives each and every to-be-mothers the same feelings and the same pain. So, to have a healthy and safe pregnancy, you must indulge in some light yoga asanas when you are pregnant. Imaging how to start? Let’s check it.
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Prenatal Yoga Poses To Stop Pregnancy Aches And Pains
Here are things you can do to reduce your discomfort.
Growing a human being inside your body is not always the most pleasant experience. A growing baby, wiggling around inside your abdomen combined with the hormonal effects on muscles, ligaments, and tendons, makes pregnancy uncomfortable for many women.
Prenatal yoga improves fitness, strengthens muscles, and increases flexibility to alleviate the discomforts of pregnancy. Prenatal yoga improves some of the pregnancy pains and also relaxes the mind.
Types Of Yoga Poses That Must Be Avoided During Pregnancy
Your body is working hard during pregnancy, and thus, it is not the time to push yourself to an extreme limit. The aim of yoga during pregnancy is to increase flexibility, relieve stress and work on your breathing. It is advised that you should practise yoga only as much as you can and if you feel like stopping or resting in between, listen to the signals of your body and take a break.
It is strictly recommended that you should consult your doctor before practising any kind of yoga poses during pregnancy. Go through our recommendations of yoga poses to avoid during pregnancy, so you can cover these as well when you next consult your medical practitioner.
The following yoga poses are a complete no-no during pregnancy:
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Second Trimester Yoga Tips
All of the first trimester yoga tips can be applied here as well.
In poses where the torso rests on or comes close to the thighs, such as uttanasana , chair pose, or childs pose, it helps to create space between the legs to allow physical room for your belly. Simply bring your legs wider apart in these poses . This extra space will also provide greater standing stability.
Take balancing poses near the wall. During pregnancy, your center of gravity gradually shifts as your uterus expands. Knowing how this will affect your personal balance can be unpredictable. You may or may not need the wall, but having it nearby can provide a greater sense of stability and security.
Prone, or face-down positions, may start to feel uncomfortable. Substitute for poses like bhujangasana , sphinx, salabhasana , and dhanurasana by remaining in tabletop and taking a few rounds of cat and cow or alternating arm/leg extensions.
Do savasana on your side, and feel free to use plenty of props for added comfort.
Can Yoga Relieve Growing Pains
Yoga is a safe exercise for pregnant women. The goal is to avoid positions that may lead to falling or hitting the belly. Experienced yoga practitioners will have an innate sense of safe yoga positions.
Beginners should start with simple, well-balanced poses that stretch the muscles and relax the mind.
2. Goddess pose. While standing, take wide steps with both feet pointing to opposite corners of the room. Keeping your arms and back straight, dip the pelvis deep. This pose opens the hips and strengthens the lower legs. Focus on slow, deep, relaxing breaths.
3. Cat-cow stretch. Start on all fours, in the tabletop position. To perform the cow stretch, drop your belly down and lift your head up with your chin forward. Inhale and round out your back. Bring your chin to your chest to execute the cat stretch. The cat-cow stretch is a great exercise to alleviate tension in the spine. These movements are done slowly and mindfully with focused attention on slow, deep breaths.
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What About Hot Yoga
Hot yoga feels amazing but as a rule, it should be avoided during pregnancy. Expectant persons should take care not to raise their core body temperature above 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
Overheating in the first trimester may impact fetal development and could possibly contribute to miscarriage. Later in pregnancy it is still best to put your Bikram classes on hold because the extreme heat can put you at risk for fainting due to low blood pressure and dehydration.
Yoga Poses For Pregnancy
Pregnancy can affect each woman uniquely during all its phases and even post-delivery. Hence, it is inevitable to understand and listen to the demands of your body and its limits while practicing yoga for pregnancy.
Follow this guide of different yoga poses for pregnancy classified as yoga practices for first, second, and third trimester.
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Yoga Poses To Avoid In First Trimester Of Pregnancy
There is a constant debate going on about the fact whether pregnant women should practice yoga during pregnancy. It is amazing, however, to notice that the doctors who praise the positive effects of yoga on the health of an individual completely disown the spiritual effects of yoga for pregnant women.
It should, however, be remembered that when a woman is pregnant, she needs to be taken care of and pampered. Yoga helps in achieving these two factors. Practicing yoga is extremely beneficial both for the woman as well as for the baby in her womb, provided she is aware of those postures which may harm her baby in the womb.
The first trimester of your pregnancy is very important for the baby and any wrong yoga posture may harm the baby and lead to miscarriage. To avoid such complications, it is better to be aware of the yoga poses that one should avoid during the first trimester of her pregnancy.
