Prenatal Yoga - All You Need to Know
To be a mom is one of the happiest things in the world. If you haven’t heard about “prenatal yoga”, you’ll miss the big benefit you could gain with your growing baby. The most searched words online these days has changed from “the benefit for pregnancy yoga” to “ pregnancy yoga near me”. Here we collected some info about the prenatal yoga to help you to learn about how it could help with your pregnancy and what to keep your eyes open when you try it.
The Benefit of Prenatal Yoga
Besides the basic yoga benefit for normal practitioners, prenatal yoga does have some extra benefit for moms. It could help you reduce stress and anxiety, tone your muscle in preparation for the birthing process and decrease lower back pain, especially for these moms who have the problem before their pregnancy. Click the links below to know more benefit of prenatal yoga.
Before You Start
Before you begin your prenatal yoga, make sure your health is OK. Talk to your health care provider and check it. If you are at risk of preterm labor or have other problems such as heart disease or back problems, you’d better avoid pregnancy yoga practice.
If you are new to Yoga, you should turn to a professional teacher to help you. Look for a prenatal yoga class near you and talk to a teacher who is trained in the contraindication of pregnancy. If you’ve practiced yoga for a while and plan to start it at your home, it’s also important to make a plan. But remember, your body now changes a lot due to the high level of the hormones. Although the chance wouldn’t influence much at the very beginning, be careful not overdo.
Tips for Different Trimester
Here are a lot of different yoga types and asanas. Of course, not all types are fit for a pregnant mom. Since your body changes month to month with the baby growing, there are different yoga you could do at different phases.
First Trimester Yoga
Avoid hot classes. Pregnancy increases your metabolic rate and blood flow in general. So you may feel warmer than normal or get overheated easily. Then you should cool off. Prepare a small portable fan to your side. Some studio even offers this, so be sure to ask. Avoid breath work that can create internal heat quickly, such as Bhastrika or Kumbhaka. Always keep water with you to remain hydrated.
If you feel tired, just rest in child’s pose or other comfortable seated position. Attention again, don’t overdo it!
Avoid closed-twist poses that crunch or squish your uterine area, including seated twists like Marichyasana II and III or Ardha Matsyendrasana. Substitute an open-twist variation of the pose instead by twisting away from your bent leg rather than toward it. Focus more on twisting the shoulders and upper back, rather than the lower torso. Avoid revolved poses like Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, revolved lunge pose or Parivritta Utkatasana which would compress the uterine area as well.
About the vertical inversions: If you feel fine with the headstand or handstand, have a wall or a friend near for support.
In early pregnancy, the hormone relaxin is produced to relax and loosen muscles, joints and connective tissue around the pelvis in preparation for childbirth. Be sure to stick with the range of motion to which you’ve been accustomed to prevent injury or long-term joint instability. Also, you need to take shorter stances in standing poses like warrior I and II to protect your pelvic and hip joints.
So what poses you can enjoy? The experts from Yoga International Journal recommend downward dog, goddess or some other asanas you can easily transition in and out of.
Second Trimester Yoga
Uttanasana, chair pose or child’s pose and other poses that your body rests or be close to the thighs are good. More space between your legs can spear more room for your belly and provide better standing stability, just remember to bring your legs wider apart in these poses.
For balancing poses. Do it near a wall. You may do the balance poses well before but during your pregnancy, your center of gravity will change. So near a wall could provide stability and security.
You may start to feel uncomfortable with Prone or face-down poses. Practice bhujangasana, sphinx, salabhasana and dhanurasana by remaining in tabletop and taking a few rounds of cat and cow or alternating arm/leg extensions.
Stay away from deep back bending. Pushing too far into it can cause many problems including unwanted pressure on the abdomen and uterus, the strain on the midline of your abdominal muscles which can lead to diastasis recti. Appropriate back bending you could try: ustrasana, bitilasana. Remember focus on your mid spine and above. It will help to open your chest and shoulders and keep you from going too deep into the backbend.
Enjoy savasana and try to make yourself feel comfortable by using various props.
Third Trimester Yoga
Comply with all the tips above.
Now it’s time to avoid the inversions since it could affect the baby’s positioning.
Slow your practice and decrease the intensity. Try malasana or practice goddess pose or a wide-legged utkatasana against a wall. Focus more on your breath and prepare for labor and delivery.
Enjoy the yoga and finally greet your lovely baby.
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