By Debbie Taylor

Many women come to Yoga when carrying their first child, looking for a way to stay as strong and healthy as possible during pregnancy.

The creation of a new life is one of the greatest miracles–setting in motion a series of events that can continue for seventy or eighty years and after.

Yoga can aid in having the best possible pregnancy and delivery–whatever your health or circumstances–and provide a positive environment for the growing child, from the very start. It can help to avoid problems such as too much weight gain, stretch marks and back aches.

Even if you have never done any yoga before, you’ll find that practicing the simplest poses will improve your fitness and well-being, while the relaxation, breathing and meditation can help you handle the stress and strain of the process with greater assurance and calm. All women experience some fear of labor and that’s just what it is–labor, hard work.

Meditation can be extremely important during pregnancy. Study the movement of the mind, turn the mind with and you’ll be free of all fears and discomforts.

With a first child especially, it’s important to establish a routine with your asana practice, pranayama and meditation. After the baby arrives, the routine will help carry you through the times of stress and fatigue. Yoga will be a wonderful source of strength, helping you to be a more loving, giving mother.

If you are already an experienced yoga student you should keep up a gentle maintenance practice during your pregnancy. Your body secretes a hormone called relaxin during this time so you may even notice an overall improvement in your asanas.

No matter how big you get, you can continue to work on your sitting poses, particularly the lotus. These sitting poses are important asanas in helping open up the pelvis for the birth. The standing positions help strengthen the legs, which in turn make it easier to carry the baby. In your practice, always listen to your body. You are the best judge of what you can and can not do while your are pregnant.

Pranayama is also very important. It brings prana to you and the baby, increases your intake of oxygen and steadies the mind. In labor, if you focus on your breath, it will help you stay calm, relaxed and in control.

As for Sun Salutation, you may have to modify some of the positions a little, especially in later months as your abdomen enlarges.

You should do only single leg raising during these months, alternating the legs. Avoid double leg raising as it puts strain on the abdomen.

Pregnancy sit-ups will keep the abdominal muscles strong, without strain. These muscles, when correctly exercised, help to hold the baby in position so yo are both comfortable.

The head stand and shoulder stand are invaluable during pregnancy because they rest the lower back, the veins and muscles of the legs and the muscles of the lower abdomen. It also helps to insure that the womb reverts to its proper position after the birth. However, after the early weeks, getting into and holding these poses may be a bit awkward and your sense of balance may also change.

The half headstand provides most of the benefits of the headstand pose. You shouldn’t attempt to go any further unless you are very proficient. However, if you feel ready, you can try the full pose–practicing against a wall for support. This should be attempted only early in the pregnancy.

In the forward bend, take care to accommodate the baby by spreading your thighs apart. As your abdomen grows you may find the head to knee pose more comfortable. Always keep the spine straight when practicing forward bends. When pregnant, the abdomen can serve as a reminder to straighten the back.

You can also practice the crescent moon, using the modified position with the hands on the knee for extra support. The sitting positions should make up a large part of your asanas during pregnancy. They help to open up the pelvic area for an easier labor and to strengthen the legs and lower spine. You may also find that your butterfly and lotus improve, since the pelvic girdle stretched during pregnancy to facilitate the birth.

The standing spinal twist puts no pressure on the abdomen. Standing positions are very useful as they strengthen the legs, enabling you to carry the child well and to push strongly during labor.

During your session, always be sure to stop if you feel any type of strain and rest frequently in one of the relaxation poses. At the end, relax in the corpse pose or a modified version for at least ten minutes–preferably longer. As your pregnancy progresses, regular asana practice will keep you in touch with the changes in your body and the growth of the child. You should try to attend a yoga class as often as possible.

As the baby grows, you may begin to feel a but cumbersome and find it harder to practice some of the most useful asanas in the normal way. You can replace the basic inverted poses, which strengthen the back, heart and legs. Instead of the usual backward bends, practice the cat and modified cobra.

That will help prevent a sagging abdomen and stretch marks as well as strengthen the legs, so that you can carry the child well.

During these months, you will also be preparing your body for the birth. The wall stretches and squatting pose will open up the pelvis and the perineal exercises will tone the pelvic and vaginal muscles.

The shoulder stand is refreshing and invigorating–especially so during pregnancy when the extra weight makes your legs and back tired.

Wall stretch positions are also restful and refreshing and gently open up your pelvis for the birth. Lying on the floor keeps your spine straight–often a problem in leg stretches from a sitting position. With the floor and wall taking your weight, you can put all your energy into the stretch.

The pelvic lift strengthens the uterus, the muscular cradle for the growing child and also encourages deep breathing and eases lower back strain.

Modified cobra is more suitable than the classic cobra during pregnancy and it avoids abdominal pressure and strengthens the legs, while giving a good backward bend. It consists of three stages, lowering the bend from the cervical, through thoracic to lumbar vertebrate.

The cat, performed comfortably on all fours, without any strain on the abdomen serves to replace the locust in your practice during pregnancy.

Perineal exercises keep the pelvic, anal and vaginal muscles strong and healthy. Like good elastic, they will stretch fully for the birth and quicky return to normal, avoiding postnatal problems like a prolapse or a leaky bladder. They will also help you to develop awareness and control of the muscles so that you can actively help in an easier birth.

Squatting women, whose cultural traditions involve sitting or squatting on the floor, tend to have easier births as squatting opens out the pelvic area and strengthens the legs.

During the last few months of pregnancy–when rest is most important–it can sometimes be difficult to find comfortable positions for relaxation and sleeping. You can also experiment with using pillows to make yourself more comfortable.

Try lying on your side with a pillow between your knees to ease strain on the pelvis and lower back.

In summary, yoga can be extremely beneficial to a woman starting on that wonderful road to motherhood–from months one through nine–and beyond.

Debbie Taylor is working toward her Yoga certification.  She is from the Suwanee, Georgia area.

Tags: months of pregnancy, women come to yoga, women yoga, yoga and maternity, yoga can be

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 19th, 2009 at 7:53 pm and is filed under Guest Authors, prenatal yoga. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.