Pregnant yoga might just be the answer to your pregnancy body pains. It helps to prepare your body for labor, while helping you relax and be more at ease before the big day. This guide has you covered on the tips, precautions, and poses for your pregnancy yoga exercises.
Pregnant Yoga | A Quick Guide & Poses for the Mom-To-Be
In this article (click to scroll):
- Benefits of Pregnant Yoga
- Before You Begin
- Standing Mountain Pose
- Cat-Cow Sequence
- Supported Backbend
- Child’s Pose
- Standing Side Bend Pose
- Ankle-to-Knee Pose
- Easy Bridge Pose
Benefits of Pregnant Yoga
Pregnant yoga is slowly becoming more popular among moms-to-be. This form of pregnancy exercise has many benefits for both mother and baby.
Our bodies go through many changes during pregnancy. You’ll experience soreness, back pain, and will get tired pretty easily. Pregnancy yoga can help alleviate these discomforts. A few daily poses can help reduce body aches and prepare you for giving birth. The deep stretches allow you to use gravity and relax your hip muscles. This can make labor and delivery easier on your body and more focused in your mind.
Aside from physical benefits, pregnant yoga also provides you with more channels for meditation. It allows you to be more connected to your body and spirit. It lets you appreciate even the smallest movements. In doing so, yoga makes the mom-to-be emotionally healthier, despite all the hormonal imbalances that pregnancy may bring.
Before You Begin
All you need for yoga (whether you’re pregnant or not) is a yoga mat. This makes it one of the easiest exercises to start doing today. If you need a little help getting into yoga poses consider getting a yoga support block. Other than that, you’re ready to start yoga.
As mentioned earlier, pregnant yoga involves a lot of meditation because it focuses on breathing patterns, and peace of mind. These breathing techniques practiced in yoga will greatly benefit you during labor and delivery.
Not all yoga poses are equally beneficial. Pregnant women are only recommended a handful of poses throughout their trimesters. It’s best if pregnant women steer clear of squat poses, abdominal strengthening exercises, as well as headstands and handstands. Do more research on prenatal yoga poses to get the best and non-harmful exercises for your pregnancy.
Pregnant Yoga Poses
1. Standing Mountain Pose
The standing mountain is a great warm-up pose for your daily yoga exercise. It does a great job at opening up the chest and strengthening the back.
How to do this pose:
- Stand with the feet farther apart than your hips
- Ensure the toes are parallel with the mat
- Slightly bend the knees
- Join the palms in front of the chest
- On inhale, bring your arms out and overhead, slightly bending at the back
- On exhale, go back to the initial position and stand upright with your palms back in front of your chest
- Repeat for 10 full breaths
2. Cat-Cow Sequence
The cat-cow sequence is another great pregnant yoga pose that can reduce back pain. This sequence can be repeated 10 times.
How to do this pose:
- Go on all fours on your mat
- On an inhale, gently arch your back while looking up at the sky to allow your tailbone to tip and your abdominal muscles to be drawn in
- On exhale, round your back and tuck your chin toward your chest
- After one breath, sink back on your heels into child’s pose
Caveat: If you are on your 2nd or 3rd trimester, it’s wise to refrain from doing this pose. The abdominal strengthening exercise may feel uncomfortable as the baby grows bigger in the womb.
3. Supported Backbend
This pose is so easy it can be done while waiting for the commercials to be over. The best part is, this move allows you to open your upper back muscles and chest. In turn, it alleviates some of the backaches you may feel throughout pregnancy.
How to do this pose:
- Lie down with your stomach facing the ceiling
- Place two support blocks or firm pillows between your shoulder blades and below your head
- In this position, your knees should be bent with both feet flat on your mat
- Finally, allow the sides of your shoulders to gravitate toward the mat
4. Child’s Pose
Yogis use the child’s pose to relax in between difficult yoga poses. For pregnant women, this pose is a great way to focus on breathing and relaxation. It’s also a gentle stretch for the hips, thighs, and ankles.
How to do this pose:
- Sit on your heels
- On exhale, slowly lay your torso between your knees
- Extend your hands overhead and let your forehead touch the mat or lay your arms alongside your torso with the palms facing up if that is more comfortable
- Hold this restful pose for 1 to 3 minutes
5. Standing Side Bend Pose
This warm-up yoga pose stretches the hips, side waist, and pelvis. It may also be done sitting on the floor or on a chair.
How to do this pose:
- While standing, raise your right arm above the head
- Gently bend your hips towards the left
- Hold this position for about 6 full breaths before doing it on the other side
6. Ankle-to-Knee Pose
This seated pose relieves tension in the glutes. Additionally, it opens up the back and stretches the hips.
How to do this pose:
- Be in a comfortable seated position
- Slide your right foot under your left knee
- Place your left shin on top of the right so that your left foot is resting on the right knee
- Place your palms on your knees or bring them together to a prayer position
This pose can be held for 3 full breaths. For variations, you can gently push your knees down for another 3 full breaths. You may also hinge forward for a deeper stretch.
7. Easy Bridge Pose
The easy bridge pose is a great stretch for the chest, neck, and spine. It also strengthens the leg muscles and increases the flexibility of the shoulders and back.
How to do this pose:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
- To protect your neck, you may place a thick blanket under your shoulders
- With arms laying on your side, gradually lift your buttocks off the floor
- Hold this pose for 5 to 10 seconds before slowly lowering the tailbone
When doing this pose, remember that the weight must not be on the shoulders and neck. Make sure to also stretch and relax before repeating the pose.
Watch the video below for easy but effective yoga poses to help relieve pregnancy aches:
Pregnant yoga is, at times, a pregnant woman’s best friend. It’s what helps “heal” your body throughout all the changes childbirth brings. The best part is, it can be practiced anywhere and anytime you wish. It definitely gets snaps for added practicality.
Will you be trying pregnant yoga? Share your answers in the comments section below!
Up Next: Prenatal vitamins: Why they matter, how to choose
Editor’s Note – This post was originally published on April 27, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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