Pregnancy is an ideal time to discover Yoga. The postures and breathing practices will support your body and mind through the changes of pregnancy, enable you to connect with your growing baby and help you prepare you for the physical and mental challenges of the childbirth experience. Here are a selection of poses and practices that are ideal for all stages of pregnancy and all levels of Yoga experience.
Heart to Womb Breathing
Close your eyes and bring your left hand to rest over your heart and your right hand on your belly, that is the space below your navel. Spend a few moments observing the natural breath. In Yoga, unless being guided otherwise, we are always working with the natural rhythm of the breath. As you breathe in, imagine you are drawing the breath up into your heart and as you breath out sending it down to your womb and baby; inhale heart, exhale baby. In this way you are establishing a river of breath and awareness flowing between your heart and your womb.
This practice will help ground you, connect with your baby and develop breath awareness – a key skill for the childbirth experience.
Lateral Bending
Stretches the waist, deepens the breath and creates much-needed space in the rib cage – especially in the late 2nd trimester when the baby starts to take up a lot of room.
Starting in a crossed-leg sitting position, inhale & raise the right arm up and exhale slide the fingers of the left hand away from the body bringing the heel of the hand to rest on the mat. Remain here, for a few cycles of breath, placing your awareness with the muscles between the ribs broadening and stretching as you inhale and relaxing and releasing as you exhale. After 2-3 breaths on the out breath move a little deeper into the pose. Inhale to come up. Pause and check in with the more open right side before repeating the process on the Left. Return to centre. Now that the two sides are active and open you can flow more dynamically between the two, windmilling the arms from one side to the next as you move and flow with the breath. Let the inhalation lift you and the exhalation bring you into the bend. Repeat five times to each side and return to centre to complete.
Downward-Facing Dog
is a golden pregnancy posture being one of the few accessible inversions for all stages of pregnancy. It stretches and strengthens the back, stretches the hamstrings, and stretches the broad ligament which wraps the uterus.
If you are new to Yoga, please practice this pose throughout with your knees bent. Even experienced pregnant practitioners will benefit from keeping a soft bend in the knees.
To come into the pose start on all fours with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees hip width distance apart.
Breathing in to prepare, then on the out-breath raise the knees off the floor, draw your shoulders back away from your wrists and draw your sitting bones towards the wall behind you. Then extend your sitting bones up towards the sky. Beginners pay particular attention to keeping the knees bent and the back straight. Open out and press into the hands as you lengthen the front and the backs of the torso. The heels are drawing towards the ground but are not on the ground. Keep the neck in line with the spine.
You can also start to shift the weight from one foot to another walking the dog. This is great for restless leg syndrome.
After 3-5 cycles of breath, inhale lower the knees to the floor, raise the head and return the sitting bones to the heels.
Adapted Child’s Pose
Is a resting pose and a natural follow-on pose to Downward Facing Dog.
From your kneeling pose (above) with your sitting bones on the heels, take the knees wide apart and simply walk the hands forward, make two fists and bring your forehead to rest on your hands.
You should feel comfortable in this pose. If you are not, place a cushion between your heels and sitting bones.
Allow the eyes to close and become aware of the breath moving through the back of the body. Allowing your breath to breathe itself but keep your attention intentionally on each breath as it passes through you. On the out breath let go of any tension you notice in the body.
This is also an ideal pose to practice some pelvic floor awareness as the pelvic floor is highlighted in this position.
With the in-breath gather the pelvic floor towards the centre of the pelvic outlet and release it back outwards on the exhalation. Repeat this ten times.
To come out of the pose, press your hands into the floor, breathing in to push up and draw the abdominal wall back towards your baby slowly uncurling through the spine to an upright kneeling position once again.
Dynamic High Squat
This is another golden yoga pregnancy pose – it has so many benefits for the pregnant body and can be performed right up until and during labour.
The squat strengthens the legs, glutes, hips, core, feet, back, pelvic floor and the stabilising muscles around knees. It stretches and tones the pelvic floor and opens and energises the pelvic muscles and organs. It will help the baby to settle deeper into the pelvis before and during labour.
There are many variations on the High Squat but for a simple practice, stand with your feet wider than your hips and your hips externally rotated. It is important to make sure that your hips, knees and ankles are aligned as you bend your knees. Place your hands on your hips, breathe in and as you breathe out, bend your knees (The hips should remain higher than the knees as you move into the high squat). To come up inhale and push into the feet to straighten the legs. Flow with the breath; exhale, bend the knees, opening the pelvis, inhale and push through the feet to stand. Repeat 10 times.
Wide Angle Standing Forward Bend
To complete your pregnancy series, folding forwards from the hips into this wide angled forward bend will continue to stretch the pelvic floor, glutes and hamstrings and the muscles of the back as well as lengthen the spine and rest the head and heart. Using a block or a chair beneath your hands makes this inversion less intense and therefore more appropriate for later pregnancy. 2nd trimester mums can bring their hands to the floor. The hips are in a neutral position the toes facing forwards and the knees soft.
The pose can be used as a resting pose or as a more active stretching pose by reaching back into the sitting bones and forwards along the arms to the finger tips. Keep your neck in alignment with the spine and remain here for five full breaths before walking your feet in to hip widths distance again and pressing into your feet to engage the legs and roll up slowly through the spine to standing.
Relaxation
This is the most important part of the practice. Time for the body to integrate all the wonderful work you have done, time to spend experiencing the body simply being instead of always striving and doing. The “ being mode” is so nourishing for the body/mind system and creates the optimum stress-free living and growing environment for your baby. From 30 weeks lie on your left side with support between the knees and head (if necessary). Once comfortable, close your eyes and simply watch the body breathing itself, or listen to a guided body scan meditation which will help you to develop your proprioception and a clearer connection to the communication of your body, your pregnancy and your baby.
Nadia Raafat has been practicing yoga for 15 years and teaching yoga for 12 years. Since then she has taught hundreds of pregnant women, guiding them through their pregnancies and preparing them for birth.
Nadia believes passionately that Yoga and Mindfulness provide the perfect preparation pathway for pregnancy and childbirth, one which she has used successfully throughout the births of her 4 children.
Nadia’s Double DVD Set: Becoming Mother Yoga & Mindfulness for Pregnancy & Birth is now available via www.yogamatters.com. Nadia currently teaches ‘Pregnancy Yoga’, ‘Mother and Baby Yoga’ ‘Postnatal Yoga’, ‘Meditation’ and ‘Hatha Yoga’ at BatterseaYoga Centre in London.