Yoga for pregnancy with specific poses

Yoga can be very beneficial during pregnancy – It helps you breathe and relax.



This in turn helps you adjust to the physical demands of pregnancy, labor, birth, and motherhood. Yoga calms both the mind and body.



This provides the physical and emotional stress relief your body needs throughout the experience of pregnancy. Taking a prenatal Yoga class is an excellent way to meet other moms-to-be and embark on this journey collectively.

You do need to take a few precautions, however; don’t worry, just be careful.

• If you're attending a regular Yoga class (one that isn’t specifically for pregnant women), make sure to tell the instructor you're pregnant.
  
  
  
  Also which trimester you're in.

• After the first trimester, never do any asanas (poses) on your back – it can reduce blood flow to the uterus.

• Avoid poses that stretch your muscles too much, especially the abdominals. You're at greater risk for strains, pulls, and other injuries right now since the pregnancy hormone relaxin that allows the uterus to expand, also softens connective tissue.

• From the second trimester onwards – when your center of gravity really starts to shift – do all standing poses with your heel to the wall or use a chair for support. This is in order to avoid losing your balance and risking injury to yourself or your baby.

• Steer clear of "hot" yoga – working out in a overheated room, as overheating could endanger the health of a growing fetus.

• When you're bending forward while seated, place a towel or Yoga strap behind your feet and hold both ends. Bend from your hips and lift the chest, in order to avoid compressing your abdomen. If your belly is too big for this movement, place a rolled-up towel under your buttocks to elevate the body, and open the legs about hip-width. This will give your belly more room to come forward.

• Whenever you practise twisting poses, twist more from the shoulders and back than from the waist, to avoid putting any pressure on your abdomen. Go only so far in the twist as you feel comfortable – deep twists are not advisable during pregnancy.

• Listen to your body very carefully and at all times. If you experience even the slightest discomfort, stop immediately. You will probably have to modify each pose as your body changes. A good instructor will help you customize your Yoga to suit the stage of pregnancy you're in.

Yoga poses during pregnancy:

• Butterfly stretch
• Cat-Cow
• Cobra (in the first trimester, only if you feel comfortable doing this face-down pose)
• Seated forward bend (with the modifications as mentioned above)
• Side angle pose
• Standing forward bend (with a chair for modification)
• Triangle pose (with a chair for modification)   

Yoga poses to be avoided during pregnancy:

• Backbends
• Balancing poses on one leg (unless you are supported by chair or wall)
• Camel
• Handstands
• Headstands
• Upward bow