Yoga through the stages of pregnancy
The news of finding out you’re pregnant can bring about a roller coaster of emotions; joy, panic, anxiety, shock, to name but a few. And in case, you weren’t aware, pregnancy causes A LOT of physical changes too (not to mention bizarre, VIVID dreams) and whilst the duration of a pregnancy is about 40 weeks, that’s still a relatively short space of time to experience growing an entire human being!
Which brings us to the point of this piece; Yoga and how this versatile practice can play a key role in supporting mum’s emotional and physically well-being.
As the body changes in pregnancy, our Yoga practice can be adapted to suit our energy and counteract the aches and strains. If you have the OK from your healthcare practitioner, here is a guide to practising yoga throughout pregnancy.
First Trimester
Fatigue, nausea, headache, breast tenderness and the onset of constipation are common symptoms during the first trimester. A restorative Yoga Practice can help alleviate these symptoms by focusing on breathing exercises and restful and supported postures including legs up the wall, cat and cow spinal waves and supported bridge pose. You may also be on that rollercoaster of feelings, so you can use your practice to ground yourself as you navigate, process and contemplate the journey you’re about to embark on.
Second Trimester
For many, fatigue and nausea *might* trail off and you find yourself with renewed energy and motivation to move! That said, to keep your yoga practice energising and supportive, it is not the time to push yourself deeply into postures as the hormone Relaxin is increasing, making your joints more supple as the ligaments soften. This is a normal and necessary adaptation so that the hips and ribs can expand and accommodate your growing passenger. That said, this increased flexibility makes you a little more prone to injury. To counter this, remain mindful of staying within your range and co-contract your muscles to effectively support your joints.
Your yoga practice in the second trimester may not very appear much different to pre-pregnancy except you will need to skip postures laying on your front and opt for open twists instead of closed as your bump grows.
I like to focus on mid back strength and thoracic mobility such as threading the needle. Hip strength and mobility such as bird dog, warriors and butterfly to prime the pelvis for the additional weight in the third trimester and for the birth process (vaginal and Caesarean section). Strong hips are fundamental in supporting our spine and has a role in rebalancing our hormones post pregnancy.
Third Trimester
This is where we can really feel the additional weight, water retention, swelling and back pain. Synchronised movement with breath helps optimise your body’s fluid dynamics, improving drainage, circulation which will can make a huge difference in ease muscles aches and cramps. At this stage we continue with spinal and hip strength and mobility but may use additional support of a chair or wall.
A favourite of mine, Downward facing dog, can off load the pelvic ligaments and hips joints. It can be modified with blocks under the hands to taking the
pose in a more upright position to take the weight out of the wrist and shoulders.
Whilst this article has highlighted the physical postures we can practice in prenatal yoga. Breath work throughput the trimesters is great preparation for delivery and connecting with your pelvic floor as we often focus too much on contracting these muscles and not enough on relaxing them. Not only that we can harness our breath to manage stress, feel calm and more confident in our pregnancy journey.