It’s springtime and I’m seeing lots of new life ready to sprout!
I often get questions from students regarding practicing yoga while pregnant. Is it safe? What modifications should be made? Should pregnant women stop practicing inversions? Are backbends ok? I’ve seen a lot of pregnant goddesses who are confident in coming to class and making their own modifications. On the other hand, I’ve seen pregnant women who are afraid to do any exercise, let alone a yoga class. I’d like to address some important questions and concerns on this matter, because truly, pregnant women can benefit immensely from yoga. Here’s why:
Pregnant women need to be physically and mentally strong for the labor of delivery and for the challenging time afterwards of caring for a newborn while recovering from birth.
Yoga can help ease aches and pains that arise in the body due to the weight of carrying a baby and the internal physical changes caused by pregnancy.
Flexibility, especially of the hips and back, can aid a mother during childbirth.
Developing calm and focus can help ease the anxiety of approaching birth, and prepare her for the challenging time of delivery and post-natal care.
Meditation to connect mother to baby is very enriching for both and paves the way for a good connection after birth.
While it is very beneficial to practice yoga while with child, there ARE some important considerations a pregnant woman should keep in mind for comfort and safety:
First of all, a pregnant mama should ALWAYS listen to her body above all. This means approaching everything with care, observing what feels good, and noticing any signs saying to back off.
It’s best to take her stance a little wider than hips distance to accommodate her growing belly in all standing poses
After the first trimester, she should avoid lying on her stomach. Alternatives include hands and knees, child's pose, and anahatasana (heart chakra or puppy pose).
Pregnant women should avoid deep core work like crunches and navasana (boat pose). Instead, stick to gentle core work such as cat/cow and downward dog. The idea is to open the belly and make more space for baby.
Deep twists are a no-no. Instead, keep the body open. Examples: in a deep bound twist such as ardha matsendrasana, twist the opposite way as the rest of class, or twist in a regular cross legged position with hand on same knee. Instead of parvritta trikonasana (twisted triangle), or parvritta parsvakonasana (twisted side angle), skip the twist and practice trikonasana or parsvakonasana. Side bends are great alternative to twists!
Balance gets trickier as pregnancy progresses: remember one can always use a wall for support, and focus on grounding into the feet.
Arm balances are not generally recommended. A great alternative is malasana which is perfect for opening the hips and pelvis and letting the belly soften.
Backbends and inversions depend on the woman. If she has been practicing during and before her pregnancy, she might feel safe and comfortable practicing them up to a point. Many women's bodies will tell them to avoid big backbends and inversions, especially as the pregnancy progresses. Listen. Just because you CAN do something, should you? When in doubt, don’t.
In the later stages of pregnancy, a woman will probably want to avoid lying on her back because of the discomfort of the weight on her organs and the potential for the inferior vena cava to be compressed. Alternatives include sitting in meditation, lying on a bolster with blocks under it during shavasana, or leaning on a bolster against the wall.
In conclusion, yoga + pregnancy = YES!! There are plenty of wonderful resources out there for prenatal-specific yoga including classes, books, and online videos. If you are pregnant and interested in joining my upcoming classes or in scheduling private sessions, please reach out!
P.S. The photo above was from when I was pregnant with my son Leo, in 2016. So no, I am not expecting again, just to clear up any confusion. (: