Pregnancy does not require women to stop yoga, but modifications are needed to safely continue the practice. Yoga can help pregnant women cope with physical and mental changes by encouraging breathing and relaxation. The poses and routines need to change to accommodate the woman's changing body and needs of each trimester. With guidance from instructors and awareness of her own limits, a pregnant woman can enjoy the benefits of yoga throughout her pregnancy.

1. Pregnancy and Yoga Can Work Hand In Hand
For women who are regular yoga participants, pregnancy can create a unique
challenge to participating in their favorite activity.
But becoming pregnant doesn’t mean that you have to put your yoga
participation on hold until you give birth. In fact, participating in yoga may
help pregnant women cope with the physical and mental changes that go
along with it.
There’s no doubt that pregnancy will force a woman to change her regular
yoga routine (not to mention her entire life). But while a woman may not be
able to attend yoga sessions as regularly as she may have before becoming
pregnant, or engage in all of the exercises as she once did, she can still reap
the benefits of yoga by employing a few modifications to her routine.
According to yoga instructors and medical experts, yoga can aid pregnant
women by encouraging breathing and relaxation. As anyone who has heard
of or participated in a child birthing class, particularly a Lamaze class,
breathing exercises are an important part of the procedure. Although the
breathing in a child birthing class may be more of a forced, deliberate type of
breathing (short, quick breaths), the classes also include controlled deep
breathing that is intended to calm and relax the body during the delivery and it
is extremely similar to the type of breathing exercises performed in a yoga
class.
By utilizing the moderate breathing exercises taught in yoga, expectant
mothers can reap the benefits of relaxation at all stages of the pregnancy
experience, from the pre-natal phase through labor to birth and afterwards.
The breathing exercises associated with yoga help relax both the mind and
the body, helping to eliminate the stress, both physical and mental, which is
associated with pregnancy.
But as we said, pregnant women should take care when participating in yoga,
as there are specific precautions that need to be taken during each trimester.
The following are suggestions for how to incorporate yoga into each trimester
of your pregnancy.
To start, women who are in their first trimester and are regular yoga class
attendees should consult with their yoga instructor to let them know of their
condition so that they can work together to modify the yoga routine. And if
you are pregnant and experiencing “morning sickness”, don’t feel guilty about
pulling out of a class, skipping a few of the more strenuous poses or moving
to a less difficult class. Take morning sickness as a signal that it’s time for
you to change your yoga routine.
If you are a pregnant woman who has never participated in yoga before but
want to take advantage of the health benefits it offers, seek out a prenatal
yoga class in your area. There are many yoga studios that offer classes
specifically designed for expectant mothers, and the class will also offer you

2. the opportunity to meet with other mothers and share information. If you can’t
find a prenatal yoga class in your area, there are prenatal yoga videos and
DVDs on the market that you can use in the comfort of your own home.
Yoga experts say there are specific poses and movements that are well-
suited for women in their first trimester of pregnancy, movements that
promote flexibility, particularly in the hip area that can help make the actual
birth process easier. Yoga experts recommend expectant mothers practice
poses such as the Triangle, Knee to Ankle, Warrior II, the Pigeon, Ardha
Chandrasana and Baddha Konasana. In addition, yoga instructors
recommend positions like Cat-Cow, which require the student to get on all
fours, because it helps place the baby in the optimal birthing position inside
the body. On a related note, yoga instructors recommend that pregnant
women avoid poses that require her to stretch the muscles too far (especially
the abdominals) since being pregnant increases the production of relaxin, a
hormone that softens the connective tissue between the muscles which, in
turn, allows the uterus to expand.
By the second trimester, when morning sickness has usually passed, those
who have never tried prenatal yoga may want to begin now. But no matter
what level of experience, pregnant women who participate in yoga at this
stage should exercise caution and not exert themselves too much or engage
in poses that require sudden movements or extreme stretching.
Yoga experts suggest that pregnant women avoid jumping or rolling while
transitioning from one move to the next, but rather crawl or step. For
instance, with a move such as the sun salutation, yoga instructors
recommend that pregnant women keep their chest no more 85 degrees from
the floor in the forward position of the move and place their hands in front of
their feet as opposed to the sides. Also, they recommend avoiding extreme
twists which could cause placental abruption, poses that press the heel of the
foot into the uterus while sitting or seated in the lotus and half-lotus positions
unless you are able to keep the position loose and not twist the knees too
much.
In the third trimester, an expectant mother will increase in size and her level of
fatigue will change, which means she will have to alter her yoga participation.
All yoga poses that compress the stomach should be avoided and they should
recognize and respond to their feelings of general fatigue. In this trimester,
they can keep participating in yoga, but only if they feel up to the task. If not,
doing gentle stretching and calming breathing exercises will suffice.
In the 36th week of pregnancy, it is recommended that women limit the
number and type of inversion yoga poses they perform, including Legs Up
Against The Wall, Downward Dog and Bridge Pose. These moves, doctors
and yoga instructors state, can put the baby in a bad position in the body.
The only exception for performing these positions is if the baby is currently in
the breech position in the womb. In that situation, those poses may actually
help to turn the baby around.

3. In addition to these tips, there are a few general rules that apply to pregnant
women participating in yoga:
• Avoid Bikram or “hot” yoga. Studies show that overheating could
adversely affect your pregnancy.
• Beginning with the second trimester, when the changes in your body can
alter your center of gravity, perform standing poses with a chair for support or
with your heels against a wall to reduce the chance of losing balance and
becoming injured.
• When bending in a forward pose, bend from the hips with the breastbone
leading the way and the spine extended from the base of the skull to the
tailbone. Using this technique makes it easier for a pregnant woman to
breath. If you are bending forward while seated, put a yoga strap or towel
behind your ankles and hold the ends with both hands. Again, bend from the
hip and keep the chest elevated to avoid compressing the abdominal area.
Keep the legs open approximately hip width to give your stomach more room.
• When performing a twisting pose, twist primarily from the shoulders and
back rather than the waist and only twist as far as it feels comfortable. This
helps avoid putting pressure on the abdominal area.
• Avoid poses that involve backbends, balancing on one leg, handstands,
headstands and upward bows.
Lastly, do not ignore the signals your body sends you. This is an amazing
time in your life and yoga can help make pregnancy less stressful, less
discomforting and even more peaceful.
Linda Adams enjoys all things health related.
One of the most excellent yoga websites Linda has found is Kamloops Yoga
Fitness, which is a exceptional mix of yoga and exercise.
For more information, have a look at Modern Workplaces Now Adding Yoga
to List of Company Perks one of the finest Yoga blogs.
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