Tips for a Prenatal Yoga Practice

Prenatal Yoga has many health benefits, but certain yoga poses should be avoided or modified during pregnancy to prevent strain and danger to the growing baby. This article gives a few quick tips for pregnant women who are attending yoga classes, or for yoga instructors who find themselves with a pregnant student. Additional sources for Prenatal Yoga are listed at the end.

If you are pregnant, do your best to find a yoga instructor who has been trained in Prenatal Yoga. If you are a yoga instructor, look into Prenatal Yoga trainings in your area. Some Prenatal Yoga certifications can be completed in a short period of time. Whether a student or teacher, always remember to take extra care, don't overwork, and remember to breathe!

1. Avoid Backbends

During the first trimester, pregnant women can continue to practice most yoga poses. As bellies grow, abdominal muscles become stretched and backs become strained. Avoid backbend yoga poses, including Upward Facing Dog, Bridge, Wheel, and Dancer. Practicing backbends during pregnancy may increase the risk of Diastasis Recti, a condition in which the rectus abdominis muscles actually split apart more than they should.

2. Don't Lie on Your Stomach

This seems like an obvious tip for Prenatal Yoga. After the first trimester, stay off your stomach and avoid any yoga poses that put pressure or strain on the stomach. Many prone yoga poses can be modified by staying on your hands and knees, or rolling onto your side instead.

3. Don't Lie Flat on Your Back

After the first trimester, you'll need to modify any poses on your back, including Savasana. This is because the vena cava artery can be compressed if you lie flat on your back. Compression of the vena cava artery can restrict blood flow to the baby. Modify supine yoga poses by propping up on a bolster or a large exercise ball. Supported poses such as Supta Baddhakonasana with bolsters and blankets are great for pregnancy. Rest in Savasana by lying on your left side with a pillow or bolster between your legs.

4. Discussion is Good

Many Prenatal Yoga classes start with a discussion. Although not necessarily a good model for an average yoga class, in a Prenatal Yoga class discussion can be a great comfort. Everyone in the class is in the same boat, so to speak, and it can be comforting and edifying to hear and share stories and discomforts. Even if you are not able to attend a yoga class that is exclusively Prenatal Yoga, don't hesitate to share your concerns or discomforts with your yoga instructor in private. He or she may be able to suggest specific poses, or connect you with alternative wellness practitioners such as Prenatal herbalists or chiropractors.

5. Know When to Squat

Squatting poses, such as Garland, Horse Stance and Chair Pose are great yoga poses to practice in Prenatal Yoga, since they can help open the hips and prepare for childbirth. However, be careful not to overstretch your hips. During pregnancy, the hormone Relaxin allows the hips to be looser than they may normally be, which makes it easier to overstretch in Prenatal Yoga. Also, once you reach 35 weeks, avoid squatting poses.

6. Stay Right Side Up

We spend a lot of time upside down in yoga classes, but pregnancy is not the time to work on your headstands. As a general rule in Prenatal Yoga, stay right side up. Standing inversions such as Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold) and Prasarita Pada Tonasana (Wide-Legged Forward Fold) can be practiced in Pre-Natal Yoga if they don't cause any discomfort. Later in pregnancy, avoid holding semi-inverted yoga poses such as Downward Facing Dog for any length of time.

There are three good reasons to avoid advanced inverted yoga poses during pregnancy:
1) Risk of trauma to the baby if you fall out of the inversion.
2) Changes in your center of gravity will affect your balance, making it easier to fall out of them.
3) Prolonged inversions can cause the baby to turn the wrong direction, making labor more difficult.

7. It's Okay to Rest

Although we've been encouraged by modern society to be multi-tasking, strong, go-getter women, it's important to slow down a bit during pregnancy. In a Prenatal Yoga class, remember to take a resting pose such as Child's Pose whenever it feels appropriate and don't push yourself to do strenuous poses. It is a good thing to build strength with an active yoga practice during pregnancy, but give yourself permission to sometimes choose a gentler restorative yoga practice. In fact, if you're feeling tired, it might be best to skip your yoga class and take a nap. Prenatal Yoga instructor Wendy Correa says that many women, especially in their first trimester, are incredibly grateful when she gives them "permission" to head home.

8. Add in Some Kegels

Kegels are pelvic floor exercises that help to strengthen the muscles you need for labor. They are easy and discreet and can be practiced in conjunction with yoga poses or daily activities. Seated hip opening poses such as Wide Angle and Bound Angle (Baddhakonasana) offer good chances to sneak in some Kegels. Learn how to Kegel here: http://www.childbirth.org/articles/kegel.html

9. Choose Your Pranayama Practice Wisely

There are a number of yogic breathing exercises that are excellent for pregnancy. Because body temperature tends to run higher during pregnancy, Sitali, the cooling breath, is an excellent pranayama for pregnancy. Because it tones the vocal chords and reduces inhibitions about vocalizations during labor, Brahmari, "Bee Humming" is another good pranayama for pregnancy. Ujjiyi and Three-Part Yogic Breathing can be continued through a Prenatal Yoga practice, but avoid strenuous and heating breathing practices such as Kapalabhati and Agni Sara.

10. Lower the Temperature

A friend of mine recently told me that a local Hot Yoga studio had advised a pregnant woman that she could still practice there through her pregnancy. I was horrified by the very idea. Aside from the vigorous practice of this particular style of yoga, the heat alone made this studio an unacceptable location for Prenatal Yoga. Exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy has been linked to birth defects, so avoid Bikram, Core Power and other heated yoga classes during pregnancy.

This all-too-brief list of tips for a Prenatal Yoga practice is not a substitute for medical advice or professional yoga instruction. This article is meant to be an introductory guide to a safe Prenatal Yoga practice. Below are resources that can help you learn more about Prenatal Yoga.

Books for Prenatal Yoga:
Yoga, A Gem for Women by Geeta S. Iyengar
Yoga for Pregnancy by Judith Hanson Lasater
Prenatal Yoga and Natural Childbirth by Jeannine Parvti Baker
The Complete Book of Yoga & Meditation for Pregnancy by Theresa Jamieson

Websites for Prenatal Yoga:
Recommended Poses for Prenatal Yoga
Mamaste Yoga (Prenatal Yoga classes, at-home Prenatal Yoga teacher training and resources)
Yoga Journal: Tools for Teaching Prenatal Yoga
Whole Birth Yoga National Teacher Directory
Expectant Mother's Guide: Prenatal Yoga, a Gift you Give Yourself