Yoga and Pregnancy

Dear Sofi,

I am in my first trimester of pregnancy, and so far have been continuing my usual yoga practice without any difficulty.  Do you have any advice for poses that should be avoided or practiced more regularly?  Thank you!

Be well,
Laura

Dear Laura,

I think it is always a good idea to attend some prenatal Yoga classes during the beginning of pregnancy to have specific questions addressed. Here is some general information regarding Yoga and pregnancy.

During the first trimester the Yoga asana practice usually does not need to be modified. It is important not to practice pranayama techniques (breathing exercises that involve controlling and holding the breath) but rather just focus on smooth, deep, even, inhalations and exhalations through the nose. As your pregnancy progresses you may find you need to ease of of deep forward bending and twisting. Here are some poses that may help ease the discomforts of pregnancy and prepare the body for childbirth:  standing  straddle forward bend, seated straddle forward bend, triangle pose, squats, cat/cow vinyasa, bridge/half wheel pose, shoulder stand variation (with block or legs up the wall).

A couple of great Yoga pregnancy books are:

Yoga For Pregnancy, by Judith Lasater and Bountiful Beautiful Blissful... by Gurmukh

I hope this is helpful to you.

Love,

Sofi

 

Comments

[MBT Online]

I just realized I'll still be typing next week if I keep talking about the great stuff we've gotten, so I'm going to list it!