Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Yoga classes are popular for pregnant woman and with good reason. It helps the expecting mother to stay relaxed and aware of her body. If you haven’t tried yoga before and you’re pregnant, there are poses for beginners that are advantageous for you and baby. They are simple but the benefits are incredible. You will learn some stretching poses that help you relax and stay calm. You will also learn excellent breathing techniques that help you during labour. You also prevent the feeling of anxiety in many other aspects of your life leading up to the birth of your baby.
It’s important to note that you shouldn’t start doing pregnancy yoga until after 14 weeks. Doing any kind of yoga poses during the first trimester is not a good idea. When you do the gentle stretching and learn the breathing exercises, you relax the mind and body. When you’re relaxed, you’re more in contact with your body. This means that you’re more mindful and in touch with your baby. The meditation aspect of yoga is equally as important as any of the poses you will perform.
These poses below are safe to do during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Along with the breathing techniques and meditation, you will feel close to your baby and at peace every step of the pregnancy.
Cat/Cow Pose
Cat and Cow Pose are two separate poses but they work well together. They are a safe exercise for the last two stages of pregnancy. They help to relax you and strengthens the deep core muscles. Your spine lengthened as well which releases tension in the back. Deep belly breathing that you should accompany with this pose helps to make you feel very relaxed. As you’re moving around your body, you may feel the baby kick around.
Warrior II
Warrior II is a very powerful pose. Hips, groin and the shoulders all suffer during pregnancy. Your center of gravity changes and this affects those areas. When you do Warrior II poses regularly during the second and third trimester, you relieve backaches that occur from pregnancy. You also improve your balance and stability. This is a pose that takes some time to get into and settle into. As you breathe deeply into the pose, you have the space and time to center yourself. Again, this is an important way to connect with your baby. The pose is a powerful feeling pose too. It will make you feel as though you’re protecting your unborn child.
Bridge Pose
This pose helps to strengthen the core and opens up the hips. The baby will probably react to this pose. Take some time to feel your unborn child within you. It might help you stay in the pose for longer. You want to make sure to start on your side and gently roll onto your back. This will help reduce any problems that may occur with the front portion of your abs.
Reclined Bound Angle Pose
This nice relaxing pose increases your blood circulation. You also get a nice stretch in the groin. Most importantly, as you’re opening up your hips, you’re releasing tension. This gives you the space to center yourself and focus on some breathing. Your baby will feel that you’re unwinding and you’ll feel the baby in your space too. With a bunch of supporting bolsters under your back and head, you will be able to hang out in this pose for a while and take in what’s going on inside of your body.
It’s important to note that while some yoga poses are great during pregnancy, there are some you need to avoid altogether. You should not lie on your back after 16 weeks so avoid any poses that include that like Savasana. You shouldn’t do strong stretches or difficult positions that cause strain anywhere in the body. You shouldn’t lie on your belly. You should avoid inversions like Downward Facing Dog, Handstands, etc. Avoid intense back bends and strong twists.
Yoga is a physical form of exercise that makes you stronger during pregnancy. This prepares you for giving birth and being a mom. The breathing also helps the delivery of your baby go easier. For now, while the baby is still inside of you, you can become more mindful and aware through yoga. This helps you to connect with your baby at a deeper level.
The awareness that you create through relaxing and coming to your center allows you to really feel the baby. You will begin to understand what time of day they move and around or kick. It’s a beautiful way to connect to the soul inside of you. You are also giving your baby a vessel that is healthy and relaxed. This is one of the most blessed gifts you can give your baby while he/she is still in the womb.
About The Author
Meera Watts is a yoga teacher, entrepreneur and mom. Her writing on yoga and holistic health has appeared in Elephant Journal, CureJoy, FunTimesGuide, OMtimes and others. She’s also the founder and owner of SiddhiYoga.com, a yoga teacher training school based in Singapore. Siddhi Yoga runs intensive, residential trainings in India (Rishikesh, and Dharamshala), Indonesia (Bali). You can take a look at her website here.
Website: https://www.siddhiyoga.com/
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Yoga helped during my pregnancy.
During pregnancy, your body gets more changes, which generate stress on you physically and mentally. So, the best way to maintain a healthy mind and body is pregnancy yoga.
Prenatal yoga mainly focuses on poses for pregnant women, in order to increase strength and flexibility. It also helps pregnant women to change proper relaxation and breathing techniques for easier and more comfortable labour. So, in my opinion, you should join pregnancy yoga classes, because the classes taught by a certified yoga instructor and they are familiar with the specific poses to avoid and which ones to focus on.