Is it safe to practice yoga during pregnancy?

A pregnancy is a poignant time for women that want to have babies – but is also a period of great physical and emotional demand. It is certainly not easy to carry a baby inside you for full 40 weeks or so, and retain your sanity. Add to it the task of making your body ready for the upcoming labor, and the following months of sleepless toil, you can understand it’s a daunting task.

Yoga is frequently prescribed for expecting women to prepare them for the upcoming months, and to help them cope with the physical and mental stresses. A logical question to ask would be – is it at all safe to practice yoga during pregnancy? Can yoga help an expecting mother without any side effects?

Rest easy – it is a well settled fact that not only is yoga safe to practice during pregnancy, it is indeed highly recommended to certain women to help them prepare their bodies for pregnancy, labor and birth. And of course, to stay fit during all this.

The best thing about practicing yoga during pregnancy is that it helps the expecting women on two fronts. One, it trains and prepares the body to undertake and adjust to the physical rigors of the experience. Two, and most importantly, it also provides a calming experience that helps the mind to better go through the emotional stress of pregnancy and its effects.

Recommended Yoga Poses for Pregnant Women:

There are a slew of yoga poses that can help women to keep in good form during the pregnancy. Experts recommend that the use of particular asanas be adapted to the stage of pregnancy. The logic is that each stage of pregnancy – identified as a three-month period or a trimester – has its own peculiar demands.

For example, the first trimester is marked by nausea, breathlessness, acne, fatigue. The second trimester lets up in nausea and breathlessness, but the emotional stress starts kicking in. The third stage, or trimester 3 is marked by increasing pre-contractions, back-pain, swelling in legs and feet, frequent urination and intense dreaming.

Yoga gurus recommend the following poses as per each particular stage of pregnancy:

First Trimester

• Ardh Titali Asana or half butterfly
• Poorna Titli Asana or Butterfly
• Supta Udarakarshanasana or sleeping abdominal stretch
• Chakki Chalan asana or churning the mill
• Uthhanasana or squat and rise

Second Trimester

• Matsya Kridasan or Flapping fish
• Vajrasana or Thunderbolt
• Bhadrasan or Gracious
• Hastha Uttahasanasana or hand rising

Third Trimester

• Ankle Crank
• Shoulder rotation

An important thing to bear in mind is that all yogic poses should not be practiced during pregnancy. Conversely, there are a number of yoga postures that are not recommended for expecting women, and these include handstands or headstands, backbends, one-legged poses that require balancing, and upward bows.

It would also be important to bear in mind that exercise is just one part of a healthy pregnancy. You also need to get a proper diet, lots of sleep, relaxation and proper medical care. Always consult a doctor before undertaking any exercise regimen.

Andrew James is associated with Local masters Community. He has written many articles regarding yoga, natural beauty and hair treatments, acupuncture treatment, message therapy, dance therapy and many more.