Prenatal Yoga,
what you need to know.
We would like to give you an overview of why prenatal Yoga is so beneficial for you and your baby.
You live and breathe with your baby during pregnancy and your baby is aware of your thoughts, movements, and emotions. It is therefore even more important to live a healthy and conscious lifestyle during your time of pregnancy. Prenatal yoga is not only “customized yoga” with yoga poses suitable for pregnant women, it is also there to connect you deeper with your baby and your breath and to prepare you for giving birth. It is also a great way to meet other moms-to-be and embark on this journey together.
There are a lot of benefits from prenatal yoga. It improves your sleep & digestion, your blood circulation and it also helps you to relieve tension and back pain. It prepares you physically and psychologically for being a mom and it helps you to cope with doubts, fear, fatigue, and anxiety.
However, there are a few things you need to be aware of in your practice.
Safety guidelines for prenatal yoga
First Trimester / week 1 to 13
Precautions:
-
- No jumping
- No inversions if you aren’t experienced in practicing yoga
- No Kapalabhati (pranayama technique)
- No lying on the belly
- No Core work
Don’t overstretch your ligaments. During pregnancy, your body produces the hormone relaxin to soften your pelvis and prepare for birth, which makes you more flexible than normal and you, therefore, need to be careful to not overstretch your body.
Second Trimester / week 14 to 27
Precautions:
- Same as in first Trimester
- Avoid intense twisting, rather go in an open twist when you are for instance in half lord of the fishes pose
- No intense backbends like wheel pose for instance
- After week 20 avoid lying on your back. Vena Cava is a vein that supplies oxygen for your baby. It’s between your spine and your baby and as your baby grows it could compress the vein and lower the blood pressure. Try sleeping on your left side and also doing Savasana on your left side. You might want to get a small pillow between your legs to take care of your knees.
Third Trimester/week 28 to 40
At week 36 it is advised to decrease the number of inversions since the baby is moving into the birth position. The most recommended postures in this state of pregnancy are hip openers and pelvis openers, such as baddha konasana, upavistha konasana, malasana and ardha chandrasana. If your baby is breech there are even some asanas that might help turn the baby around. Always check this with your yoga instructor, doctor and midwife though.
If you have any questions, you can contact me anytime.
Namaste!
Your Self Love Journey
We would be honored to explore your way of yoga together with you either in person at our Trainings, Retreats, Classes, or online via Zoom. At Yoga MariSol we offer Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings, Selfcare Yoga Retreats, Group Yoga classes by the Sea as well as online via Zoom and Private Yoga classes at your home, holiday rental, Yacht, or at some beautiful scenic outdoor places as well as online via Zoom.
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