Pregnant mothers can benefit a lot from Yoga exercises. It relaxes both body and mind and help you adjust for all the stages and situations during pregnancy period.
Though there are many Yoga poses, only a few could be practiced during pregnancy. Butterfly-stretch, Cat-Cow, Side angle poses are some of the easy to do ones during this period. Poses such as Upward-bow, Back-bends, Balancing poses on one leg, Hand-stands, Head-stands should be avoided during this period due to the involvement of complex body positions.
If you plan to continue your normal Yoga classes that you started before getting pregnant, tell your instructor about your pregnancy as the first thing. So, he can help customise poses for you. Also, keep the following in mind when you are continuing Yoga during pregnancy.
- Avoid poses that involve lying on your back especially after the first trimester since such poses can hamper supply of blood to the uterus.
- Avoid deep twists that put pressure on your abdomen. Try to twist from shoulders than from waist.
- Avoid poses that involve too much stretching, especially the muscles in the abdominal area. This may lead to strains and other injuries due to softened connective tissues in the abdomen.
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