Mary Risman
1981 Emerald court
Innisfil, Ontario
L9s 2A2
705-294-1228
yogaplus@rogers.com
November 28, 2010
YOGA FOR PREGNANCY
Yoga is a wonderful modality that can be utilized for almost all ailments. I had decided to do an essay on Yoga for pregnancy as it helps people understand that it is not dangerous and that it can help make an easier birth, but on that note one still has to be careful as there can be complications with their pregnancy so it is always advisable to speak with your doctor. In the first Trimester which is one to 14 weeks it is recommended that you stop doing vigorous exercises as it takes up to 3 months for hormonal changes to come into effect as well as the pregnancy to be properly established. If one can still lie on their back that would be great in the first trimester, but it all depends on each individual as everyone is different. In the first Trimester because of all the changes to one’s body a lot of time women will not feel well, so usually women will start prenatal yoga after 14 weeks.
The benefits of practising Prenatal Yoga is enormous as it will help to keep all muscles strong through each term and also makes it a lot easier for their body to get back to normal. During pregnancy if you keep the core strong then it will counteract the pull of the baby on your body. Prenatal Yoga also helps by reducing swelling which happens a lot in the legs so a great pose to do would be the legs against the wall. This will help to bring the flow of blood towards your chest. Only to be done if you do not have high blood pressure and also after the first trimester if you are doing this pose it is a good idea to lie on pillows. Prenatal yoga will help to keep one limber, your muscles will stay toned which helps with an easier birth. Two poses which comes into mind which will help with an easier birth would be squats against the wall which can be done up to 30 weeks or even beyond but you have to be careful not to hold the pose for too long after thirty weeks. This pose will help to open up the pelvis and loosen the hips. It will help to strengthen the muscles that you would use for labour. It will help to tone abdominal muscles and also will help to firm and tone the pectoral muscles. Another pose that can help with and easier birth would be the star pose which can be done in all three trimesters. The benefits of this pose would be that it will help to tone, stretch and relax the pelvic muscles. It will also help to keep the spine flexible, therefore reducing back pain and fatigue. It also helps to improve flexibility in the hip area and knee joints.
Breathing is very important in pregnancy because it will help you to relax because it engages the diaphragm and gets you prepared for the birth because there can be a lot of pain associated when you are in labour, so this will ease the physical demands of labour.
Meditation is very important in a Prenatal Yoga class as it helps one to relax and enhance concentration.
In a Prenatal yoga class the poses should always be unforced and you should focus on allowing the body to extend. To prepare for a Prenatal Yoga session you must make sure that you are wearing comfortable clothing and nothing on your feet. You also want to make sure that if you had a drink or a light snack you must wait ½ hour and if you had a full meal to wait an hour as the baby can take up more room in the digestive area and can create discomfort.
As the baby grows inside of you I recommend in Trimester two not to lie on your back at all but to lie on the left side because this will bring the flow of blood not only to the heart but also to the baby. In Trimester two one can do a lot of poses for pregnancy as you want to prepare your body for childbirth. One will start getting larger and if you are experiencing some discomfort in your back a great pose to do in all trimesters would be the back bend because it will help to strengthen the back, it will help to open the chest area, it will help to increase flexibility of the spine and also help to balance any forward bending during the day. Here are some poses that you can do in Trimester two1) Half Moon pose this will aid in stretching the waist muscles and also the muscles on the side of the body, It will help to align the spine and strengthen the arms. 2) Standing pelvic tilt will help to keep the pelvic muscles strong it will also help to relieve back fatigue and will help to strengthen the thigh muscles. 3) Head of cow pose will help to relieve tension in the upper back and shoulders will help to strengthen the shoulders and arms so that you will have no problem holding your baby, it also stretches the spine, neck and arms. 4) Cat and dog pose will help to improve circulation, it will help to stretch the muscles along the back, neck and arms, it will help to strengthen and relax the lower back. 5) Child’s pose is always a great one to do and can be done in trimester three, this will help to improve circulation, help to relieve backaches, gas and constipation and will help to massage the inner organs. 6) Bound angle as this will help to strengthen and tone muscles that are used for labour, will help to improve posture, will stretch the groin muscles and increase suppleness in the tendons, knees and thigh muscles. There are so many poses that one can do in trimester 2 but you still have to be very careful as everything has changed in our bodies. It is like your body is not your own anymore. That is why I recommend doing a few poses by the wall like the tree pose, the squatting pose which if you were to lose your balance it can be detrimental for your baby. In all three trimesters one should always apply relaxation techniques because yoga works on the whole person. If you were to start a prenatal yoga practice very late in your pregnancy that is okay as it still will help you to prepare.
If I were to instruct a prenatal yoga class I would start out with a meditation that would be geared for pregnancy like the Om meditation as it helps to release tension and also fills the entire being with energy, it will help to dissolve negativity. I would then have my students do breathing exercises as it will help to relax them and it prepares them for the warm up and yoga asanas. Warm-ups are extremely important as it helps to loosen the joints and warm up the muscles so that one does not injure themselves. Then the appropriate yoga asanas for pregnancy and finally the relaxation session as this will help to relax the body and mind and get rid of the tension so that you will feel refreshed after the yoga class.
Now for the third trimester which is the last trimester you must modify some of the poses and omit poses like the squatting pose as we have already stretched those muscles and if we were to do that pose and hold that pose for a long length of time you do not want the baby popping out. In the 30 weeks of pregnancy and beyond one can still d o a lot of the poses it is just near to the very end that you should really focus on breathing techniques because that will help you in the delivery room and you should also relax a lot because having a baby places a lot of stress on one’s body and we want to make sure that as I mentioned numerous of times to try to achieve an easy birth.
Yoga does not have to stop after you have your baby you can still do a lot of the breathing exercises and relaxation exercises. After a few months if your physician mentions that it is okay to practice yoga again, you still have to be careful not to start off with vigorous exercise go gentle and if you are still lactating not to do any poses on your front as a women’s breast can be very swollen and sore. You would be able to do a lot of asanas and keep in mind just because you have a baby does not mean that you should delete yoga from your life, just because you are busy with the baby. You should think of doing it all the time throughout your life because it will help you with the challenges of life.
Resources
Yoga for pregnancy by Francoise Barbira Freedman and Doriel hall
Web site: www.squiddoo.com/yogaduringpregnancy
The Prenatal Yoga Deck by Olivia H. Miller
