Yoga Poses for Pregnant Women

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Pregnancy is a beautiful time when your body goes through many changes to accommodate the wonder of the new life that you’re growing. Unfortunately, those changes come with a lot of side effects that can come together to make that period really rough. There are aches and pains often in completely new places that you hadn’t anticipated.

So what can you do to make things better? Well, counter-intuitive though it may seem, the answer is exercise. Yes, pregnancy can and does make you tired but certain safe forms of exercise can actually relieve your body of the pains it undergoes as it changes. One of the safest and best forms of exercise that can help you do this while also preparing your body for labor and delivery is yoga. Below are some of the poses that can prove quite effective for expectant mothers.

  1. Cow and Cat Pose – The idea here is to move between the two poses, especially if back pain is bothering you. To ensure you receive optimum benefits from this pose, breathe in and expand your abdomen in the cow pose and breathe out and contract your abdomen when moving into cat pose and arching your back. Your spine gets stretched and your belly hangs to provide some relief. Most importantly, it can move the baby into the best position for birth. The poses can also help if you have to undergo back labor.

  2. Table Balancing Pose – Develop your core strength, get relief from round ligament pain and balance well using this pose. Go down on all fours and then stretch out your left arm and your right leg. Hold for a count of three to five breaths and then change over to your right arm and left leg. 

  3. Downward Facing Dog – This pose is actually modified from the original exercise. Instead of going down all the way to the floor, you should have your hands braced against a wall and use that support. Doing this will help relieve upper shoulder and back tension and open up the lower back and sacrum.

  4. Goddess – This pose is guaranteed to ultimately make you feel like a goddess. In essence, it is a wide legged squat and you can do it regular style or against a wall if you’re uncertain of your balance. The pose strengthens your pelvic floor and legs and encourages hip opening, which are all vital components of the birthing process.

  5. Bound Angle – This particular pose is also known as the baddha konasana and places emphasis on correct posture and deep breathing. You can use this pose to give yourself a foot massage or a calf massage. Doing so helps ease the strain added weight puts on you and, of course, boosts circulation.

There are plenty of other poses. In fact, prenatal yoga poses can sometimes be divided into poses for each trimester. The function of each pose is not just to bring relief to your body, but to get it ready for labor while enhancing your connection with your child.


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