What is prenatal yoga?
Yoga is an ancient system of physical, mental, and spiritual practices, aiming to create a union of the body, mind, soul, and universal consciousness. The main focus of yoga for pregnant women is to practice poses that cater to the needs of pregnant women's bodies.
Yoga for pregnant women make your body flexible and prepare you for labor. Yoga for pregnancy is a type of low- impact exercise that can aid with mood and sleep improvement, physical strength and flexibility improvement, lower back pain reduction, and other common symptoms experienced during pregnancy.
Whether you practice yoga for pregnancy daily or just once a week, you will still enjoy its benefits. As your body undergoes significant transformation from the first to the third trimester, it requires various types of care at different times. The ideal yoga poses for pregnant women / Yoga for pregnant women for each trimester are listed below.
Yoga for pregnant women
Yoga Poses for Pregnant Women/ Pregnancy yoga poses
Prenatal yoga poses for pregn ant women concentrate on strengthening, stretching, and supporting body parts that start to cause uneasiness, particularly the lower back and abdomen. To assist pregnant women in preparing for labor and delivery, yoga poses for pregnant women focus on developing the strength of the pelvic muscles, legs, and core.
For someone practicing yoga poses during pregnancy for the first time, it’s advised to start their practice from the second trimester, i.e., after about 14 weeks, as you are not well accustomed to the postures and their alignments. But if you are a regular yoga practitioner, it’s completely okay for you to continue practicing it, but under the supervision of an experienced yoga teacher.
Before practicing yoga poses during pregnancy, make sure to talk to your doctor.
Standing Yoga Poses for Pregnant Women / Standing pregnancy yoga poses
Stand erect with hands at their respective sides. Keep one foot distance between your feet and parallel to each other.
Focus the eyes at one point, straight ahead. Inhaling for 3 seconds, raise both arms forward for a full upward stretch to reach a vertical position. Keep the arms close to the ear and relaxed.
With the completed upward stretch of the arms and the body, keep the gaze straight ahead and maintain the pose for 6 seconds (final position).
Turn the palm position outward and then exhaling for 3 seconds, keep the arms straight, and bring them down through a backward and downward circuit.
Benefits:
Talasana enhances awareness of the present moment.
It promotes mental clarity.
While building balance and strength, it reduces stress and anxiety.
Konasana II – The Angle Pose
Stand erect with hands on the sides. Keep two feet distance between your feet and parallel to each other.
Raise the left arm above your head, keeping it straight and close to the ear.
Inhale and bend the body from the waist to your right side.
While bending to the right side, keep your left arm close to your left ear and make sure not to push your hip out.
Inhaling for 3 seconds and bending to the right side, slowly slide your right hand down towards the knee. Keep the oblique upper section of the body in a vertical plane, avoiding inclining either forward or backward.
Maintain this position for 6 seconds.
Exhaling for 3 seconds, smoothly bring your body back to the upright position.
Bring the left arm down to the side of the body and raise the right arm up in 2 seconds with breath suspended.
Repeat the above sequence, now bending to the left to complete 1 round.
Benefits:
Stretching aids in building and toning the side muscles.
Improves digestion.
Aids good blood circulation.
Beneficial for the abdominal and pelvic organs.
Sitting Yoga Poses for Pregnant Women/ Sitting pregnancy yoga poses
Must Know: Yoga Care Pre to Post-Pregnancy
Marjariasana
Come onto your fours, forming a table-like position such that your entire back becomes the tabletop and your arms and legs form the legs of the table.
Maintain straight arms with hands exactly beneath shoulders and flat on the ground. Your knees should be hip-width apart. Inhaling, lift your chin up and tilt your head back, pushing your navel downwards, and arching the back to raise your tailbone. Compress your buttocks.
As you exhale, drop your chin to your chest and hunch your back up slightly; relax the buttocks. (Note: During pregnancy, do not hunch your back too much.)
After holding this pose for a couple of seconds, return to the starting position.
Benefits:
Gets rid of fatigue and provides relief from chronic back pain.
Effectively opens the back muscles.
Malasana
Keep a distance of 2 feet between your legs.
Squat down entirely.
Bring the palms together in namaskar mudra and use the elbows to push your knees apart.
This asana will slowly aid in hip opening.
Hold the pose as per comfort or till 50-60 seconds.
Inhaling, release the pose.
Benefits:
Good compression to the abdominal cavity.
Opens the pelvic and hip joints and stretches the thigh muscles.
Aids in elimination.
Lying down Yoga Poses for Pregnant Women / Lying Down pregnancy yoga poses
Supt Vakrasana – Reclining Spinal Twist
Lie on your back with your knees folded, keeping your feet and knees together and arms extended on the floor in a ‘T’ shape.
While you slowly exhale, shift your neck to the opposite side and rotate your lower body to the left, keeping your knees as close together as you can.
You can gently press down on your knees using your left hand.
Focus on breathing deeply in this position.
Keep steady and hold this pose for at least 5-10 seconds.
Repeat on the opposite side.
Benefits:
Relaxes and lengthens the spine.
Stretches the gluteal muscles.
Encourages mobility of the spine.
Start by lying down in the supine position, i.e., on your back.
Gently fold your knees and keep your feet on the floor hip-width apart.
Place your knees in line with your ankles. Your feet and your buttocks should be close to each other.
Make sure that your feet are parallel throughout the posture to avoid compression in the lower back.
Keeping your palms facing upwards, place arms on the side parallel to the body.
Taking a breath in, raise your body off the floor by pushing your pelvic region, lower back, and sternum up, pushing your feet down on the ground.
Roll your shoulders in and lift your chest up to touch the chin while supporting your body weight on your shoulders, arms, and feet.
In this position, feel your buttocks getting firmer. Both the thighs and feet should be parallel to each other.
Breathe slowly and maintain the pose for 10-15 seconds.
Bring your back and buttocks down to release the pose.
Lie down again in the supine position. Relax for a couple of seconds and you can repeat the yoga pose.
Benefits
Stimulation of organs.
Knee strengthening.
Prevents backache, neck ache, and headache.
Stimulation of the pelvic area and opening of the chest.
Improves digestion.
Pranayama for Pregnant Women
Pranayama aims to bring harmony and build a connection between the breath, mind, and body. This exercise reduces tension and anxiety, flushes out toxins, gives the body oxygen, enhances breathing, expands lung capacity, and builds mental power and coping mechanisms.
Yogendra Pranayama 1
Sit in a comfortable position like Sukhasana with your shoulders and body relaxed.
Inhale slowly but continuously for 3 seconds.
Exhale slowly but continuously for 3 seconds.
Breathe in the same manner for 10 rounds.
Benefits:
Promotes strength in the lungs and improves their efficiency and function.
Helps reduce stress levels.
Increases oxygen amount at cellular levels.
Yogendra Pranayama IV or Abdominal Breathing
Lie supine with knees bent and placed close to the buttocks. Place one hand on the abdomen.
Inhale, moving the abdomen upwards. Exhale, moving the abdomen downwards.
Try to maintain equal inhalation and exhalation; minimum of three seconds and a maximum of eight.
Benefits:
Breathing becomes long, deep, steady, and continuous. The diaphragm is activated and freed, and lung utilization becomes fuller.
All the abdominal organs are relaxed and revitalized. Emotional and mental levels are balanced.
It relaxes the body, giving a sedative effect to the nervous system.
The most important practice is long inhalation and slow, steady exhalation from the mouth, preparing the woman for labor as it is highly relaxing.
Meditation for Pregnant Women
Sit in a dimly lit room. The room should be airy.
Wear comfortable clothes.
Sit in a meditative posture - Sukhasana.
Keep your back straight, chin parallel to the ground, and facial muscles relaxed.
Focus entirely on your breath.
Observe the movement of the breath going in and out of the body.
Let the breath flow naturally without trying to interfere or regulate it. Just observe how long it takes for it to go in and come out.
Continue this for 5-10 minutes.
Slowly rub your palms, cup your eyes, and then slowly open your eyes.
Benefits:
Meditation is the best remedy for insomnia.
Promotes mental peace and tranquility.
It will calm you down and de-clutter your head.
Increases positivity.
Reduces anxiety.
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