Practicing Yoga Safely During Pregnancy

Once you find out you're pregnant your life changes. Things you never once gave a second thought about you suddenly start to question. What food should I eat, how much sleep should I be getting and what changes do I need to make to my exercise routine? Every woman is different and you should always check with your doctor, but for most, yoga is a great form of exercise while you're pregnant.

While I was pregnant with my daughter I practiced and taught power yoga till the day before I gave birth. I modified as my pregnancy progressed and always made sure that I felt comfortable in my practice. I never once had swollen ankles and only gained 25 pounds. Yoga kept me active and helped with a lot of the aches and pains pregnancy brought on. It also helped my daughter. Yoga not only stretched out my tense muscles and helped keep me strong for the birth, but gave my daughter more room in the womb. After I practiced she felt as if she was rolling around in there. All that movement developed muscle and she was born just about holding her head up.

As great as yoga is for pregnancy, there are a few things you need to know to practice safely. As with any exercise, you can do harm. It's a good idea to let your teacher know that you're pregnant. If you aren't ready to share the news yet, don't let them adjust you. Below are some tips on how to practice yoga safely during your pregnancy.

Don't overstretch. Many hormones are flowing through your body when you're pregnant and one of them causes your body to loosen up so that it's ready to stretch out over the next nine months. Relaxin is released early in pregnancy and although it has great intentions, it can cause some problems. Since your body is flooded with this hormone, you'll be more flexible than usual. With the relaxin hormone your able to go deeper into your poses, but it's not muscle that is stretching. You're actually stretching out your tendons and ligaments which will never rebound, leaving you with loose connective tissue. Many women have chronic back pain after having a baby. It's from stretching too deep into their forward folds during pregnancy causing the connective tissue around their SI joint to get over stretched, leaving the joint unstable.

To practice safely make sure to know your limits. Be mindful of how far you can typically go in a pose. Always make sure that you feel the stretch in the belly of the muscle and not near any joints. When going into a pose make sure to engage your muscles, don't just flop into it. In forward folds leave a slight bend in your knees. As you get bigger, make sure to use props so that you can support your new weight comfortably and not compromise your joints.

Avoid twisting and inversions in the first trimester. Some believe that you should avoid twisting and inversions throughout your entire pregnancy and some believe that you should just avoid them for the first trimester. Do your research and decide what's best for you. The reason to avoid them in the first trimester is to allow time for the egg to attach. Deep twists and inversions may aggravate the eggs ability to attach.

As for practicing twists and inversions in your second and third trimester, use your judgment. Never do deep twists. Your baby is already compacted in there, you don't want to make it any tighter. As for inversions, it's more a matter of balance. Your balance in pregnancy tends to suffer and your risk of falling is higher when your pregnant.

Don't overheat. You know the pregnancy term "I've got a bun in the oven."? Well, you're practically an oven and if you're hot you can bet that your baby is. Yoga is a heat inducing practice so you have to be mindful to watch your temp. Simply take a break and go into down dog or child's pose. Or come into your favorite pose that you can relax in. Drink plenty of water, even if it means leaving class to pee often. Just put your mat by the door so you don't disturb the class when you step out.

Watch the pressure on your stomach. There's no magic time in your pregnancy when I can tell you not to lay on your stomach. You'll know. The pressure will feel uncomfortable. When this time comes just find a different pose to do while the rest of the class in on their bellies. I like cat/cow or you can work on strength by coming onto all fours and extending one leg back. If you're unsure of what poses you should do, ask your teacher before class.

Watch your forward folds. Your blood pressure is sensitive when you're pregnant. Coming out of a forward fold too quickly can cause a drop in your blood pressure making you dizzy. Always come up slow.

As your belly grows you'll need to make room. When doing any type of forward fold just space your feet wider to make room for your belly. Always leave a small bend in the knees and engage your legs as you fold forward, this will help protect your low back.

Breathe. Seems silly to say, but you hold your breath more than you think you do. The last thing you want to be in class is light headed. Plus the yoga breath is calming. Learning to calm yourself with your breath will come in real handy when it's time to give birth.

During pregnancy you'll find that it's harder to catch your breath. You may become winded just climbing up the stairs in your house. Your blood thickens with pregnancy so it takes more work for your body to circulate it. Basically your body is working harder just to do the things it normally does so little things take more effort. Be mindful not to let your breath get out of control. If it does take a breath and let it regulate.

Just because your pregnant doesn't mean you have to change your life completely. You can still do the things that you love, you just have to moderate. Always listen to your body. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. Lots of people will be giving you advice, you'll be reading many articles just like this one, but the ultimate guru is you. Trust yourself. It's the most important skill you'll need as a parent.