How to practice yoga when you’re pregnant

Pregnancy is a bittersweet experience for women as they are filled with joy while waiting for the baby to arrive but are also in extreme discomfort. The aches and pains make them wonder if they will be able to endure such difficulties for 9 months. So, what’s a good way to get in touch with your body when you’re expecting? Yoga.

Intended to bring in peace and balance, yoga has always been known for its excellent physical and mental benefits for people of all ages and for those battling various health concerns. Similarly, it can be beneficial during prenatal pregnancy for both the mother and the child.

Benefits of yoga during pregnancy

Prenatal yoga is designed in a way that helps the pregnant woman breathe and feel relaxed while performing gentle stretching poses. Here are some benefits of yoga during pregnancy:

• Improves blood flow: Yoga is all about stretching. You can try light stretches during pregnancy that will help improve blood flow. When you have an improved blood flow to the heart, your baby gets more oxygen-enriched blood.

• Supports your body: A pregnant woman’s body is constantly changing. Prenatal yoga poses help in supporting these changes.

• Prepares you for delivery: Just the thought of being in labor can be daunting. Yoga will calm your mind and help you believe that your body will open up without any complications during delivery.

• Promotes a connection with your baby: You are taking time out to perform yoga poses. It’s just you and the baby. The breathing techniques and a calm environment is enough to make a connection with your unborn child.

• Provides relief from stiffness and aches: Pregnancy is directly related to tremendous pain in body parts and discomfort. With improved blood flow and much-needed oxygen to the body, yoga can provide relief from a lot of physical pain.

How to practice yoga during pregnancy

When you are pregnant, it’s best to hire a professional trainer who will be able to guide you through all the poses. However, if you can’t afford yoga classes, you can watch videos online and practice safe yoga at home. Listed below are some tips you need to keep in mind while performing yoga during pregnancy:

1. Avoid complicated poses. Don’t perform poses that require you to stretch upside-down or inverted postures like headstands or shoulder stands.

2. Listen to your body and do simple poses that focus more on breathing than stretching.

3. Always keep your pelvis in a neutral position. Tuck your tailbone down and engage the abdominal muscles as they are beneficial in preventing sciatic pain that’s common among pregnant women.

4. If you are someone who has regularly practiced yoga, you can try the twirling postures. However, you have to be careful and twist more from the shoulders and back instead of the waist.

5. Avoid putting unnecessary pressure on your bump.

6. Take a two-minute break after every pose. Don’t rush the poses and listen to your breathing and heart sensations while performing them.

7. Stay hydrated and repeat a mantra. Repeating mantras is known to provide a lot of calmness, self-awareness, and positivity.

8. Don’t overdo it even if you are a professional yoga practitioner. If your body can’t sit straight for a long time, then choose rest.

Poses for pregnant women

A comfortable yoga mat is essential when practicing yoga. If you don’t know anything about this meditation technique, it’s best to stick to extremely easy poses or not perform them at all. Here are some easy poses to try during each pregnancy phase:

First trimester yoga poses

Your belly is just starting to grow during the first trimester. That’s why you can maintain any physical activity unless advised otherwise by your doctor. Yoga poses that require you to bend forward can be practiced. Some of the first trimester yoga poses include:

• The mountain pose (Tadasana)

• Head-to-knee forward bend (Janu Sirsasana)

• Cat-cow pose (Marjaryasana to Bitilasana)

Second trimester yoga poses

The pregnant woman starts producing higher levels of relaxin hormone during the second trimester. You need to be careful to not overstretch during this phase because it may lead to injury. Some poses to try include:

• Warrior pose (Virabhadrasana)

• Bound angle pose (Baddha Konasana)

• Standing forward bend (Uttanasana)

Third trimester yoga poses

Your baby is growing day by day and so is your belly. You have a lot of difficulty stretching and moving. You have to move very gently and try poses that don’t require a lot of effort. These include:

• Easy pose (Sukhasana)

• Side corpse pose (Parsva Savasana)

• Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

Yoga is a great way to relax your mind, body, and soul. It is also a great way to strengthen the connection with your baby even before it’s born. However, if you are pregnant and doing yoga at home, then it’s best to ask someone to check on you every 15 minutes. Don’t push yourself too hard and avoid overdoing any pose for the sake of your health and the baby’s health. Stop if you feel fatigued, nauseated or dehydrated.