Yoga during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an incredible transformation journey in a woman’s life when she FALLS IN LOVE WITH AN UNSEEN INFANT, and also accompanies a fair share of emotional and physical challenges. Sometimes, these challenges become too hard to face without some safe exercises, like yoga. 

However, studies show that some specific types of yoga for pregnancy amazingly decrease the labor duration and increase the possibility of normal vaginal delivery. Not only that, but it also helps relieve emotional issues like anxiety, depression, and some others. But what are the best yoga poses for pregnancy? 

Owning all this, certain prenatal yoga types will help a pregnant woman, but I’ll always recommend practicing any yoga style under the supervision of an authentic pregnancy yoga instructor. For each trimester, there are certain safest prenatal yoga poses. Let’s dig all these!

Yoga For Pregnancy – Best Prenatal Yoga Poses 

According to some expert yoga researchers and enthusiasts, more than 26 yoga poses can help improve the well-being of both the baby and the mother. Among all these poses, Sukhasana is the easiest one and helps bring a positive change to the health of a pregnant woman. 

How Does Yoga Help During Pregnancy?

My better half continuously complained of severe back pain and spinal tension when she was expecting her first little one. After consulting her doctor, she started cow pose yoga which not only helped her relieve the aching back and spine but also provided lots of other benefits, including; 

• Relieves Stress and Anxiety: Yoga is the best practice to handle the pregnancy’s emotional ups and downs by promoting relaxation and reducing stress with flexibility and mobility. 

• Improved Sleep: You may know many pregnant women struggle with not getting enough sleep. And luckily, yoga promotes relaxation and reduces physical discomfort resulting in better sleep for extended periods.

• Increased Bodily Flexibility and Strength: The utmost fruit of yoga is enhanced flexibility and strength during pregnancy. It also proves very helpful during childbirth and the mother’s recovery period. 

• Helps with Breathing and Relaxation Techniques for Childbirth: Do you know yoga is all about learning effective breathing and relaxation? Yes, it’s far better than other techniques, which can prove productive during childbirth to manage pain and stress.

• Reduces the Risk of Pregnancy-related Complications: Practicing yoga regularly during pregnancy never leaves the pregnant woman under the weather at delivery time. With its healing power, it largely reduces the risk of complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and some others.

Safest Prenatal Yoga Poses

There are plenty of yoga poses for pregnancy, but it’s best to consult the doctor before adopting anyone. Do you know why? That’s because each yoga type has its benefits and complexities and suits a different category of pregnant women. So, proper consultation with a physician and trusted yoga trainer will minimize any risk. 

Moreover, each pregnancy trimester has specific physical and emotional challenges and needs a different solution. So, here are the best yoga exercises to focus on during each term; 

First Trimester:

The first trimester of pregnancy is critical and demands special care and attention to prevent any misfortune, like a miscarriage. Scientifically, a baby’s all body parts are formed till the end of the third month, and here are the best yoga styles to adopt during this phase; 

1. Cat-Cow Pose: As mentioned earlier, this pose helped my life partner release tension and improve flexibility. It is easy as pie; start on your knees and hands touching the ground with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.

Pros: Safe, comfortable, and promotes back relaxation 

Cons: Not good if you have morning sickness or nausea

2. Bound Angle Pose: This pose improves blood circulation and stretches the inner thighs and hip muscles. To exercise this yoga style, sit on the floor with extended legs, join both feet soles, hold the ankles with your hand, lengthen your spine, and press the knees. 

Pros: Relaxed hip and thigh muscles, improved circulation 

Cons: A challenging pose for those having tight hips or groin muscles.

3. Standing Forward Bend: This calming yoga style is for pregnant women suffering from hamstring stiffness and lower back pain. It includes standing with your feet apart and hands on the sides, taking the arms overhead while inhaling, and exhaling by taking the chest near the thighs and hands down to the floor. 

Pros: Calmness, improved digestion, effective for headaches. 

Cons: Difficult to carry out if one has low blood pressure or dizziness.

Second Trimester:

None of the pregnancy phases is easy, as each comes with certain complications and challenges; the same is with the second trimester. It’s when the baby grows enough to respond to the impulses and notices the jerks. Here are the top three yoga practices for this tenure; 

1. Warrior II Pose: This yoga style helps to build strength and body balance and improves the hips’ posture. To practice this pose, start by standing on your feet, keeping the 4 feet distance, turning the left foot in at 45 degrees and the right out at 90 degrees, extending your hands, and inhale-exhale by focusing on the right hand. 

Pros: Helps build a good body posture, improves the strength of the legs and upper body, and prepares for childbirth. 

Cons: Difficult to practice with hip or knee pain.

2. Triangle Pose: Though a more challenging pose, it improves the hip stretches, strengthens the hamstrings and spine, and builds balance. Simply begin with the warrior-II pose but forward your right leg, straighten the right leg, take the right hand to the right foot, place the other hand on the shin, and extend the left arm towards the ceiling while looking at the left hand. My mate tried this one and chair pose to improve her aching back, which proved very helpful. 

Pros: Great for relaxation, builds digestive system strength and relieves lower back pain. 

Cons: It can be challenging for those with balance issues or low blood pressure.

3. Chair Pose: This yoga pose mainly focuses on strengthening the legs and core and improving balance. To practice this relatively easy pose, bring your feet together, inhale by raising your arms and exhale by lowering the hips to the floor in a chair shape, and try holding your breaths. 

Pros: Good to prepare for labor and delivery, builds a good posture, and strengthens the buttocks and thigh muscles. 

Cons: Not suitable to practice with knee pain

Third Trimester:

Finally, you’re near to hearing good news, but still, you need some patience and care for your new guest whose body organs are now mature and have gained about 16% of the body fat. However, it’s the most challenging time for the mother as well, but the following three yoga poses for the last three months will relieve most of the pains and aches; 

1. Child’s Pose: This yoga style mainly focuses on relieving stress and tension and opening the hips for smooth delivery. To practice this pose, rest your wrists directly under the shoulders and knees under the hips, lower your hip to the heels by stretching the arms, and rest your forehead on the ground. My wife used to take advantage of this pose to relieve her back pain in her last trimester. 

Pros: Versatile pose, soothes lower back pain, and relaxes the whole body. 

Cons: Sometimes not good, like when you have difficulty breathing.

2. Butterfly Pose: This prenatal yoga pose helps to stretch the hips and inner thighs while improving circulation. Practicing with this easy style includes sitting by joining the soles of the feet together, holding the ankles with hands, and pressing the knees towards the ground while lengthening the spine with a deep breath. 

Pros: Effective to be prepared for childbirth, improves the aching lower back and builds flexibility. 

Cons: A challenging pose for those having groin muscles and tight hips.

3. Pelvic Tilts: Last but not least, yoga poses strengthen the pelvic floor and relieve lower back pain with a focus on these body parts. To benefit from this parental yoga style, lie on the floor with bent knees and feet flat to the ground, inhaling by tilting the pelvis towards the head and lower back to the ground, and exhale by tilting the pelvis towards the feet and back up from the ground. 

Pros: Easy to carry out anywhere, helps strengthen the lower back and abdominal muscles and builds strength for labor and delivery. 

Cons: A challenging pose for those suffering from back pain.

Modifications For Pregnancy Yoga 

Being a natural therapy, yoga demands listening to your body, and one can adopt some modifications to reduce the risks of injury or any such discomfort. If you’re not accessible with any of the above styles, consider adopting the following modifications to relieve your body; 

• After the first trimester, avoid poses that include  lying on your back, as it lowers the blood flow to the uterus
• Using props like blankets bolsters, or blocks will make your exercise more comfortable 
• Avoid trying deep twists during pregnancy, as these compress the abdomen and are risky
• One can modify the standing poses as per her pregnancy progress to keep balance 
• Try replacing the inversion poses, as those including the headstands and shoulder stands
• Yoga is the best practice to improve breath, so focus on incorporating the breathing techniques as much as possible

Yoga for Common Pregnancy-Related Issues 

The pain of childbirth is not remembered; it’s the child that’s remembered. So, facing the challenges of pregnancy will help you give birth to a healthy and happy child. Here are some of the yoga poses that can help you battle common pregnancy issues bravely; 

1. For Morning Sickness: Cat/Cow and child pose prenatal yoga are the best remedies for handling morning sickness, like nausea and vomiting. 

2. For Sciatic Pain: My better half used to take advantage of the pigeon style, modified triangle, and downward facing dog poses to manage her sciatic pain during her nine months journey with a little one. 

3. For Swollen Ankles and Feet: It’s a common issue during pregnancy, and practicing the hero pose and tree yoga can help avoid swollen feet and ankles. 

Yoga Ball Exercises For Pregnancy

Are you not OK with the above yoga poses for pregnancy? Then yoga ball exercises can be a great option to improve your body posture and build muscular strength to be prepared for welcoming your baby. 

However, these balls are available in various sizes, and choosing the right one will only help you. Actually, it depends on the height of the mother, and these guidelines will guide you to land the best ball for you; 

Once the yoga ball size is finalized, the next step is to choose the best exercise according to your body size and conditions. Commonly, these yoga ball exercises for pregnancy are performed worldwide; 

1. Pelvic Tilts:

Pelvic tilts are great for mothers with lower back or abdominal pain. To try this exercise, sit on the yoga ball with your feet flat and hip-width apart, place your hands on your knees or hips, and rock your pelvis forward and backward.

2. Hip Circles:

These prompt exercises are great for relieving hip tension. It includes sitting on the yoga ball with your feet flat on the ground and hip-width apart, placing your hands on your hips, and gently circling your hips in one direction, then the other.

3. Kneeling Side Stretch:

This yoga ball practice improves posture by stretching the sides of the body. To practice with it, kneel on the ground with the yoga ball on your right side, lean your left side over the ball, and then reach your left arm overhead by switching the sides. 

4. Seated Arm Circles:

The seated arm circles improve blood circulation and relieve neck and shoulder stress. Practicing this exercise is relatively easy and includes sitting on the yoga ball with feet flat on the ground and hip-width apart, lifting the arms to shoulder height, and making small circles with hands.

5. Child’s Pose:

My wife loved this gentle exercise to relieve the stress on her lower back and hip. Simply place the yoga ball in front of you, kneel behind it, lean forward, and rest your arms on the ball, keeping the head down.

Precautions to Practice Yoga Safely During Pregnancy 

Pregnancy is a sensitive and challenging phase of a mother’s life, and a little mistake can be risky for both baby and mom. So, I suggest consulting with your doctor before adding the new exercises to your life. Moreover, these safety guidelines will help in practicing yoga during pregnancy safely; 

• Always consider the essential modifications and adjustments for yoga poses during pregnancy
• Avoid certain poses like twists, severe backbends, and forward bends that could be risky for the mother and baby
• Drink water as much as you can while practicing yoga, as staying hydrated is essential. 

Tips to Practice Yoga During Pregnancy

No matter what yoga style you adopt during pregnancy, safety should be a top priority during this sensitive time. These tips will help you practice with parental yogas safely; 

• Never practice any yoga style without consulting with your doctor 
• Remember, yoga under the supervision of a trainer is the safest investment 
• Always listen to your body and consider taking breaks whenever needed 
• Try avoiding the twisting poses, as these impart extra pressure on the abdomen
• Use props for support whenever needed 
• Create a safe and comfortable environment to practice parental yoga 

Conclusion

Yoga for pregnancy is a natural therapy that helps improve posture and manage body pains and adds to the chances of normal vaginal birth. However, there are some essential things to consider, like consulting a doctor and practicing under the supervision of a professional yoga trainer. 

Yoga also has certain complications and injury risks, and a trainer knows how to avoid these unforeseen misfortunes for safe practice. So, always choose the yoga style that suits your body posture and pregnancy symptoms. Moreover, adopting the yoga ball exercises can also prove effective, but again, under critical supervision to avoid possible risks. 

FAQs

Which yoga is best for pregnancy?

Cat/cow pose, pelvic tilts, butterfly, and child’s pose are some of the best and safest yoga poses for pregnancy. All of these build strength and flexibility for labor and childbirth, besides relieving stress and tension. 

In which month of pregnancy should we start yoga?

Though one can start practicing yoga in any pregnancy month, it’s good practice to wait till the end of the first trimester. It is because the first three months of pregnancy are critical, and adding any new exercise to the routine may exert excessive pressure on the mother. 

What yoga poses to avoid during pregnancy?

The yoga poses that involve sudden movements, deep twists, backbends, forward bends, and those involving lying on the back should be avoided. It’s great to consult with your healthcare to choose the best yoga pose per your body posture and other concerns.