If you are offered prenatal yoga classes at a nearby center, even better. You will most likely meet and gain the support of many other expectant mothers. But home practitioners don’t have to miss out. It’s important to check with your doctor if it’s okay and follow the trimester guidelines that will best exemplify what to do and what to avoid during a pregnancy.

Read on for of how to further incorporate some yoga practices into your prenatal lifestyle…

First of, anytime is a good time to begin practicing yoga in the pregnancy. The earlier the better, but some women suffer from terrible morning sickness and even low impact exercises may seem too intense. As the nausea subsides,  start to incorporate prenatal adaptations of yoga asanas as you deem fit. Be wary that you may overstretch in your pregnancy, as the body produces a chemical called relaxin that softens the pubic bones and ligaments for childbirth. But cultivate the right muscles and you will be rewarded in the birthing process. The following positions are my favorite recommendations for prenatal practice.

Viparita Karani or Legs Up The Wall
Inversions should generally be steered clear of during pregnancy but Legs Up The Wall, a passive, restorative inversion can be highly beneficial. In this mostly self explanatory position, the practitioner lies down on a mat and lifts his legs up the wall, perpendicular to the ground. This pose is well supported and gentle and does well to reduce swelling in the ankles and improve pelvic circulation. You can even touch the soles of your feet together (as you would in the Cobbler’s pose further below).

Cat-Cow stretch
Being on all fours puts your baby in an optimal position, (head down, back to your belly) increases spinal flexibility and strengthens the abdominals. The cat-cow stretch is also extremely useful for those experiencing any lower back pain. Get on your hands and knees, with your hands under shoulders & knees under hips. From this neutral position, inhale, lifting head & tail bone. Exhale, tuck tail bone under, round your back upwards, with your head down as if con-caving (cow) and con-vexing (cat) your back.

Hip Openers
And of course, try hip openers like Pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), Cobbler’s or Bound Angle pose (Baddha Konasana) and the second Warrior pose (Virabhadrasana 2) which will relax the hips and groin making them more suited for childbirth.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

What to avoid:

• Avoid abdominal work. Allow your belly to relax and soften, which it will require for the stretch it endures during pregnancy.
• Avoid Pranayama, instead replacing it with deep inhalation and exhalation, a useful technique during childbirth.
• Avoid lying on the belly. For obvious reasons, avoid poses like Bhujaangasana or the cobra pose.
• Avoid lying on the back after the first trimester.
• Avoid deep twists that require twisting from the belly, instead incorporating low impact shoulder twists into your routine.

And most of all, remember to listen to your body and the inner voice of your yoga practise will be your best guide during this exciting time.
Slowly start to incorporate prenatal adaptations of yoga asanas as you deem fit.

*Image credits: massdistraction, pusspaw, myyogaonline, LollyKnit on flickr

We’ve seen in our previous posts “The Health Benefits of Yoga” and “Yoga for Kids” how Yoga can be beneficial for people of all ages and going through different aspects of life. Similarly, yoga is great for expectant mothers to ease any pregnancy discomforts like lower back ache, improves circulation and helps women to keep limber and work those muscles that are otherwise hard to exercise when pregnant. The breathing exercises in yoga also come in handy when faced with the physical demands of labor and help stay calm during the process.

It is however, important to discuss with your yoga teacher your pregnancy so they can better guide you about the type of yoga best practiced by you.  Usually in the first trimester  low impact forms of exercise and poses are taught to you, not causing any strain to the abdomen region. Women who experience morning sickness in this trimester may be advised to just take it easy and skip out any yoga till the sickness passes, which is usually by the second trimester. The second trimester is the best time to start prenatal yoga as your belly would have just begun to grow, but not big enough to hamper your ability to move freely. It will also make you more physically comfortable in the months to come when the belly grows. In the third trimester, you may not be as flexible as you’d like and movement becomes a lot more cumbersome, but a good time for some easy hip opening poses that will assist when the birthing time comes.

Here are some easy prenatal yoga poses for even beginners to practice in their second and thrid trimesters  (with the guidance of a yoga practitioner)-

Virabhadrasana (Warrior II Pose)

• Starting with your legs wides apart arms stretched out, turn your right foot to the right, keeping your hips and arm facing straight ahead.
• Start bending the right knee till your thigh is parallel to the floor.
• Keeping the shoulders directly inline with the hips, look over your right hand, reaching out with the fingertips of both hands.
• Repeat on the left side.

Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)

• From the Warrior II position, streghten out the bent knee.
• Stretch  your right hand and reach down onto your shin, ankle or use a block if it’s more comfortable, placing it outside the right foot.
• Keep the knees straight, thighs pulled up reach up towards the ceiling with your left hand making sure both shoulders are in line with each other.
• Open up your chest as you look towards your extended hand.
• Repeat on the other side.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

• From the trainagle pose (trikonasana), bend the right knee and bring the left leg closer.
• Then straightening your right knee again bring up your left leg straight by pushing it off the floor.
• The left leg should be parallel to the ground and the hips facing forward.
• Open up your chest and look up towards your left hand.
• Repeat on the other side.

Other good poses during pregnancy include Vrksasana (Tree pose). adho mukha svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), Cat – Cow Stretch and baddha konasana (Cobbler’s or Tailor’s pose).

*Photo Credits: photos by lululemon athletica, massdistraction, YoGeek Mami, tarnalberry on flickr