Pregnancy Yoga

Your judgment on practicing yoga during the first trimester in a pregnancy is solely dependent upon your level of comfort and your doctor’s recommendation. Certain forms of yoga such as Ashtanga Yoga must not be practiced during the first semester. Women with high-risk pregnancy must seek their gynecologist whether to practice yoga during pregnancy. In most cases it is not known whether a pregnancy is high-risk until the second trimester or later, hence it is prudent to be cautious on the practice of yoga during the pregnancy. However, on the whole, prenatal yoga can be extremely advantageous for pregnant women as the movements help the woman to relax and breathe easily and more importantly help her to cope with the physical and emotional demands of pregnancy.

A few points to take into consideration include:

• Inform your doctor that you wish to practice yoga during pregnancy and brief your yoga instructor that you are pregnant especially the trimester that you are in.
• Do not attempt specific yoga postures such as the asanas that are to b performed while lying on the back.
• Do not attempt asanas that involve stretching of the muscles. Be careful not to perform any asanas that exercise the abdominal muscles. Since the pregnancy hormone known as relaxin that causes the uterus to elongate also softens the connective tissues, and hence you are more susceptible to aches, strains and pulls.
• Standing poses must be performed under the careful guidance during the second trimester. Use the support of a chair to prevent losing your balance or causing injury to yourself or the baby.
• Bikram Yoga or Hot yoga must not be attempted during pregnancy as the heated environment is likely to cause complications during pregnancy.
• Twisting poses are not advisable during pregnancy.
• It is important to pay attention to your body while practicing even simple basic yoga asanas. If you experience any kind of discomfort, you must stop immediately. An ideal yoga good instructor will help in customizing your yoga practice to accommodate the stage of pregnancy you are in.
• Do not practice on an empty stomach
• Consume small sips of tepid water during yoga practice in order to avoid dehydration and uterine contractions.

The following poses or yoga asanas must be completely avoided during any stage in pregnancy:

• All kinds of backbends poses
• Postures that require you to balance on one leg
• The camel pose and the upward bow posture
• Handstands and headstands