Pregnancy Yoga Tips: Dos and don’ts during the Phase

Expecting? Or planning to extend the family? Try prenatal yoga. It will truly relax your muscles and make you at ease mentally. Pregnant ladies should practice prenatal yoga as one great benefit is, a few asanas make the posture of the unborn baby in a proper way. There are a number of techniques to learn prenatal yoga asanas that could be helpful during delivery. Hiring yoga instructors, or joining prenatal yoga sessions is one good thing you can start during your pregnancy. You must have heard instructors or yoga gurus asking to avoid certain asanas during pregnancy. We’ll tell you why! We will tell you about pregnancy yoga tips.

Before reading further, you should make sure to consult your prenatal yoga instructor before trying anything new in terms of fitness, yoga, etc.

Tips on Safest and Secured Yoga Postures during Pregnancy

Postures that help in Gaining Flexibility

For a comfortable delivery, it is important that your body should be flexible. If you think your body is stiff, then start practicing asanas that will help you gain flexibility. You may try ardh chandrasana, bound angle pose, trikonasana, virabhadrasana, pigeon, etc.

It’s Important to Stretch your Sides

You should remember not to put pressure on your belly, but you can remove those extra kilos from your side and abdomen by practicing side postures. Try different side planks or gate posture.

Do the Back Workout

Pregnant ladies should make sure to strengthen their backs. It helps in maximizing flexibility in the body. You may tray cat posture and also cow pose. This promotes healthy baby delivery and a smooth delivery process.

Practice to Balance

As you grow huge during your pregnancy, you might lose your balancing capacity. Try balancing postures on a regular basis.

Tips: Strictly Avoid these Yoga Asanas During Pregnancy

Avoid too much of Stretching

During those 9 months, the body produces a hormone known as relaxin. The work of relaxin is it softens the most inflexible areas including bones and ligaments, it makes a space for the baby and prepares for the delivery. Over-stretching may lead to knee injures, so take extra care of your knees.

Twisting is a Big NO

If you feel energized doing twisting after a heavy workout, then sorry, you have to stop doing twisting strictly during your pregnancy. Twisting is not advised during pregnancy as it can critically harm your internal organs. You may instead twist from shoulders, that too softly.

Don’t Jump

Jumping should be strictly avoided during the first trimester. Later as the belly grows, jumping wouldn’t be possible, and one should not do either.

Avoid Kapalbhati/ Breathing Fast

Fast breathing should be avoided. For example kapalbhati. Slowly inhale and exhale is recommended, but not at all kapalbhati. You must focus on your breathing as concentration and focus are very important for pregnancy.

Careful: Upside Down is not Recommended

It’s not that it would affect your baby or there is any risk, but still, if you are pregnant you should avoid as practicing it might make you fall down, which is not good. Your belly gains weight as the baby inside grows, so it is not in the position to balance, so it’s better to avoid inversions.

Do not Bend the Back

Why take the unnecessary risk! Avoid back bending. If you are a regular yoga practitioner, you may continue it, but if you have started yoga during your pregnancy, then do avoid asanas like full wheel posture.

Do not Pressurize Abdomen

Postures that put pressure on the abdomen should be avoided strictly. It may harm the uterus and may lead to internal pressure/injuries.

Avoid Lying on the Stomach

Don’t do it! Not at all! Don’t practice asanas that need you to lie down towards your stomach. It can harm you severely. Yow may however follow poses like cobra during the first three months of your pregnancy but stop as soon as you reach your second trimester.

Avoid Lying on the Back

Even your doctor won’t advise you to lie on your back for many hours. You must try to sleep on your sides or you may even try Shavasana on your sides. Use a pillow between your legs for a comfortable posture.

A Big NO to Bikram Yoga

In Bikram yoga body’s temperature is raised. But once you entered the pregnancy phase, you should completely avoid this kind of yoga. Raising temperature is not recommended during this crucial time.

Sarvyoga Takeaway

Pregnancy is such a lovely phase. Make the most of it instead of counting the problems you are facing. Remember, problems will fade away today or tomorrow, but this time is never going to repeat, So, make memories, try to be happy, plan for the future, engage yourself in different things, focus on your profession, and with a joyful heart plan to welcome the little one. When it comes to fitness yoga is the best way of course. There are many yoga asanas recommended for different trimesters like first trimester, second trimester, or the third one. But make sure to consult your doctor before picking anything.