Pregnancy Yoga - How do I continue my practice?

After reading Tips on Getting Pregnant, I'm sure you've now wondering how to practice while carrying a baby. Okay, maybe it didn't work that fast, but stranger things have happened--unless your a man!

Here are some beneficial postures:
Cat/Table - Skip arching the spine down towards the floor.
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle or Goddess)
Squats - Omit during the last few weeks of pregnancy.
Pelvic floor lifts - Lifting on the inhales and relaxing on the exhales.
Alternate nostril breathing (no retentions)

These ones are fine to do as well:
Virabhadrasana I & II (Warrior I & II)
Trikonasana (Triangle)
Balasana (Child) with support for the upper body
Gomukhasana (Cow)
Savasana (Corpse) - Lie on your left side with a pillow between your legs.
Ujjayi breathing

Be very careful with the following:
Twists - Do 70% of what you normally can do; twisting from the upper back and shoulders rather than the belly.
Supine (lying on your back) asanas - Use blankets to create a wedge until a comfortable position is reached and your torso is close to a 45 degree angle.

Avoid these:
Full Inversions
Breath retention
Bellows breathing
Prone (laying on your belly) asanas, such as cobra or locust; This really depends on how large you get. Use common sense. Ask your teacher for modifications.
Intense twists
Strong abdominal work, such as navasana (full boat)

Check out http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/preg.html for further suggestions and breathing divided into trimesters.


And for those wondering: NO I'M NOT PREGNANT, NOR DO I WANT TO BE! Been there, done that, and working on releasing my children not having more. With that said, best of luck to all you mother and fathers to be.

Love Much,

Kris
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
www.TotalHealthYogaClasses.Blogspot.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Tips on Getting Pregnant

*No this is not me! Photo compliments of wikipedia, as digital cameras didn't exist when I was pregnant (maybe they did, but you get a feel for more age--I mean wisdom!).*

Question: I have been trying to get pregnant and was curious if there were any yoga poses that could help?

Response: Yoga is known to relax us and too much stress can make getting pregnant tough. Dr. Timothy McCall talks at this here: http://www.babycenter.com/400_can-yoga-help-me-get-pregnant_506701_1000.bc.

Another helpful site is http://www.gettingpregnant.co.uk/fertility_yoga.html which lists a few poses as helpful.

Most importantly, I think, is to relax into the poses and NOT stress yourself out over having a baby. Instead use this time (especially with legs on wall pose) to visualize having a baby or being pregnant. Use all five senses. If it's getting pregnant (and not just having a baby, which could include adoption) you might imagine the sounds, smells, tastes, feel, and sight of you carrying a child in your womb. Perhaps even caress your belly with gratitude that you have a baby growing inside of you.

The keys are:
1. Visualize
2. Extend gratitude as if you are pregnant now
3. Express love for this soon to be born child

Watch out for negative feelings and do NOT focus on the lack of not having a child yet. In my opinion, these steps while resting in one of the three yoga postures (legs on wall, goddess/cobbler, and/or bridge) would be worth a try for at least a month.

Finally, if you pray or attend a church (or something similar) that offers prayer requests, then use this too--but remember to focus on the having of a baby or being pregnant or giving birth to a healthy child. I've heard of a couple of folks conceiving through prayer.


Love Much,

Kris
http://www.totalhealthyoga.com/
http://www.totalhealthyogaclasses.blogspot.com/

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!