Congratulations! You have entered a very special time in your life. Cherish it. Yoga has been an excellent way for millions of mothers like yourself to ease your discomfort, keep your body healthy and prepare yourself for the big event: the delivery of your child.
We recommend:
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Step One: Everyone buy and read these books:
Preparing for Birth with Yoga, Updated Edition: Empowering and Effective Exercise for Pregnancy and Childbirth by Janet Balaskas (Paperback - Nov 25, 2003)
Active Birth : The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally, Revised Edition by Janet Balaskas (Paperback - Mar 25, 1992)
Easy Exercises for Pregnancy by Janet Balaskas and Anthea Sieveking (Paperback - Dec 1999)
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Step Two: How new are you to yoga?
Are there complications with your pregnancy?
If you are a regular yoga student at Eyes of the World and have been practicing for six months, and if there are no special circumstances with your pregnancy, then
buy the books, read the books, talk to the teachers (especially Shannah, Lisa or Tom) and continue your regular pracitce in a modified way. There are a few definite contraindications and they change from trimester to trimester, but in general, if you are in good health, and are a regular yogini, you probably do not have to drastically change your practice. Every woman is different and you need to do some soul searching to figure out what will be best for you.
In general: Go to cooler classes. Go to Mellow Vinyasa. Go slower. Listen more inside. Your body will start releasing the hormone relaxin which will enable your body to stretch like never before. What you don't want to do is push your body to its new limits. Enjoy the amazing flexibility your body now has, but with discrimination.. Hold back a little bit and breathe more. Focus on your baby growing inside of you. Chant or hum to your baby everyday.
This is an outline of some of the yogic contraindications,
In the books you are going to buy and read, you will find fuller descriptions and explanations that what is presented here, all of them common sense:
Avoid Kapalabhati and Kumbhaka (use Nadi Shodhana and/ or deep diaphramatic breathing instead)
In the first, ssecond and third trimester, generally:
avoid bow posture, (teacher will show alternate postures to do instead)
avoid upward boat (teacher will show alternate postures to do instead)
avoid intense abdominals (use deep diaphramatic breathing instead)
What you need to do is "legs on the wall pose" for your inversion. Practice the "Pregnant moms pose" and "Pigeon Pose" everyday for hip release and low back ache.
In third trimester:
Many yoga teachers recommend in the thrid trimester to avoid shoulderstand and headstand because of the possibility of the baby resting on the umbilical cord. If you are in doubt, practice legs on the wall.
But I know of many yogi mothers who feel that shoulderstand and headstand were excellent poses for their pregnancy. If shoulderstand is done on a regualr basis, then there is probably no problem if you listen to your body. And all of these moms were practicng headstand and shoulderstand everyday before they got pregnant. These yoginis have reported that all the over- protective hype about shoulderstand is unwarranted, at least for their bodies. Their bodies and their babies benefited and needed these poses. Again discrimination is the key word.
To give you and idea of what many pregnant yoginis practice can be like, some of our students have been practicing Sun Salutations and vigorous vinyasa well into the eight month and some all the way to their due date!!! So you see it is different for every woman.
All of these yogis moms swore that yoga was the one thing that really saved them through the labor and delivery porcess. They had developed a deep connection to their bodies. They had practiced breathing techniques for months or years. Yoga had given them the mental framework to equanimously observe intense, unpleasant sensation, without fear and anxiety. They learned how to stay centered no matter what the circumstances. Yoga practice had prepared them for the most amazing experience of their lives: giving birth.
If you are new to yoga and you have complications with your pregnancy, you are a smoker, in poor health, very overweight or other extenuating medical circumstances, then go down to the yellow box below.
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If you are new to yoga and you have complications with your pregnancy, you are a smoker, in poor health, very overweight or other extenuating medical circumstances, then go down to the yellow box below.
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If you are brand new to yoga, or
if you have complications, poor health, are a smoker
very overweight, extremely weak or have extenuating medical circumstances,
then beginning your yoga practice now at Eyes of the World is
Not recommended for you at this time.
Our classes are generally suited for healthy, active moms.
Seek out a
"Prenatal Yoga class" Generally these classes are super gentle, super soft, slower than slow to accomodate all the students in the room who have special medical needs, who are heavy smokers, suffer with obesity, poor health or extreme weakness. These medically based classes are hard to find, because the teacher always loses her students every few months.
Another choice:
Seek out private yoga classes with a yoga teacher who specialises in prenatal yoga. You can contact Shannah Green at Eyes of the World for a private class.
