Prenatal yoga can help you stay relaxed and centered, improve your flexibility and physical fitness, and potentially help prepare you for labor.Some modifications are necessary to practice yoga safely during pregnancy, so be sure to attend a prenatal yoga class or let your instructor know that you’re expecting; you can also practice yoga from home.Below, we will take a look at some of the easiest prenatal yoga poses.
Child’s PoseNBS11
Child’s pose is one of the simplest yoga poses, and is used as a place of rest and repose during yoga practice.During pregnancy, you will want to keep your knees farther apart to make room for your belly.Focus on allowing your head, neck, and jaw to relax.
Cat-Cow Pose
During cat-cow pose, you come to your hands and knees, with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your wrists.You slowly arch and then curl your back, accomplishing a gentle yet effective spinal stretch and shoulder opening.
Sitting Side Stretch
For sitting side stretch, place one leg at about a 45 degree angle out to your side, keeping the other bent and near you.Reach to the side towards your toes, with your upper arm over your head.Sitting side stretch is an easy side opener, and also stretches your hamstrings.
Warrior 2
Warrior 2 requires more full-body engagement, but it is also relatively simple for a beginner to perform.Warrior 2 is a powerful, grounding pose, and is often used to reach other poses, such as side angle stretch and triangle pose.
Modifications During Pregnancy
Although prenatal yoga is both feasible and healthy even for women who have not practiced yoga before, there are some modifications that should be made to keep the practice safe during pregnancy:
Inversions, where the head is lower than the heart, should not be held for longer than 30 seconds or so; this includes poses such as downward facing dog.
During the second and third trimesters, you should not do poses that require you to lay flat on your back for long, and opt for modifications instead; for example, you should lie on your side for savasana.
Avoid poses with a high risk of falling, such as handstands.
Unless you already trained heavily, only do mild to moderate exercise.
