10 Pregnancy Yoga Do's and Don'ts

Well, first off CONGRATULATIONS! If you’re here it’s probably because you recently peed on a stick and your life changed. After this, I’m guessing, you had a moment (or twelve) of sheer panic, and then started to manically google what you can and can’t do now that you have a baby on the way. You were probably a little gutted to learn that your favourite Pinot is no longer an option and that your morning cuppa Joe will have to be replaced with something disturbingly healthy, like lemon water. Then you googled “exercise when pregnant” and got thoroughly confused by the myriad of do’s and don’ts on various internet sites.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s SO important that you take the time to google and listen and read and learn about everything that is happening in your body right now, and how you can move in harmony with this season of change. You’ve signed on the dotted line for the most exciting and challenging job of your life and you must do all you can to prepare for it. But, it’s also important not to let these lessons overwhelm you; you are on the path to Satguru - the wisdom within you.

Satguru

Satguru is the perfect teacher; the Guru who has obtained self-enlightenment. What’s that got to do with you? Everything! When you see those two blue lines you become a mother and, in that exact moment, the wisdom of millions of mothers before you kicks in right away. You are on the path to discovering Satguru - the inherent wisdom within you, and it’s vital that you sit with and learn to lean into this.

So, no matter what I tell you or what the internet says remember that mother always knows best. Let your motherly intuition guide you, from now on and always.

Yoga and Pregnancy

If you’ve been a yogi for years, or if you’ve never done it before yoga is going to benefit you physically, emotionally and spiritually throughout your journey into motherhood. A lot of women start yoga when they are pregnant, having never done it before and use the practice to support them through birth, early motherhood and postnatal recovery. So, no matter where you are or are not on your yoga journey, you’ve come to the right place to seek support.

10 Pregnancy Yoga Do’s and Don'ts

There’s a very long list of technical do’s and don’ts for practising yoga when you are pregnant, and whilst I will get into that I want to bring your attention back to Satguru and to remind yourself that you already know how to care for yourself and your baby. My words are just a reinforcement of what you already know.

1. DO trust your own intuition first and foremost - if you sense something is not right, even though your doctor or yoga teacher is instructing you to do it, don’t.

2. DO keep moving - movement and exercise is vital for you to have a healthy pregnancy; a strong and healthy body makes for a strong and healthy pregnancy and a strong and healthy baby.

3. DO incorporate meditation, pranayama and mindfulness into your practice - there is a tendency to focus only on the physical body, but your mind and heart are going through a huge change too and it’s important you don’t neglect them. Your breath will also be the key to keeping you grounded during labour and stressful periods in early motherhood. Take the time to learn to breath deeply and fully - you need 50% more oxygen now, so take it!

4. DO check in regularly with your yoga teacher and midwife - as your body changes you’ll need to be continually making adjustments to how you move, and if you experience any particular problems like Pubic Symphysis Disorder, SI Joint Dysfunction or low blood pressure this list of general do’s and don’ts changes and becomes a lot more specific to your individual needs.

5. DO incorporate the pelvic floor into your movements - you probably didn’t even know about your pelvic floor until you got pregnant and now it’s all anyone talks about! Most of us have a weak pelvic floor and pelvic floor toning is going to make a big difference to the quality of your experience in pregnancy, to your birth if you have a natural birth and to your postpartum recovery. You can incorporate the pelvic floor to start by simply exaggerating its’ natural movement - relax the pelvic floor as you breath in, and engage it as you exhale. Read more about the pelvic floor in pregnancy here.

Think SPACE SPACE SPACE: space in your body, space in your breath and space in your heart and mind.

1. DON’T overstrain the belly - this means no more back bending. As your belly expands outwards and your lower back moves into lordosis (a deep bend) you really don’t need to add anymore pressure to your spine than it is already experiencing. In fact, you need the exact opposite movement! This is a time to focus on stabilizing your deep core muscles (diaphragm, transverse abdominus and pelvic floor) to support your lumbar spine.

2. DON’T overstretch - during pregnancy our bodies start to pump out relaxin, which helps our ligaments expand so that we can change shape and make some space (specifically through the hips) for your baby. Stretching feels SO GOOD right now and I encourage a lot of it, but never overstretch - if you’ve never been able to do the splits, this is not the time to try.

3. DON’T move if you can’t breath - I can’t stress how important your breath is in your pregnancy (and in life!); I wrote a whole blog post on the power of breath in pregnancy which you can read here. So if you’re growing weary, and loosing your breath just stop and rest in child’s pose for a while. The breath is the boss - let it guide you.

4. DON’T try to balance without support - your centre of gravity changing every week, so every week you will need to relearn your body and how to balance and how to engage and how to move. When you practice balancing poses make sure you move slowly into them and have nearby support at all times incase you misjudge your weight distribution and fall over.

5. DON’T compress the belly - baby needs space to grow big and strong. So no more lying on your belly after 12 weeks, avoid deep twists, start taking your feet wide in down dog, bring your feet wide in a low lunge, support your upper body on a bolster in child pose. Remember, Space Space Space.

BUMP & FLOW: Prenatal Yoga Online

My Bump & Flow Prenatal Yoga Classes are 15hrs of intelligently and intentionally designed prenatal yoga classes designed to help you feel strong, mobile and grounded through your pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. You can start today with a 2-week free trial on Moviing.co, and use the code KAT25 for 25% off your membership.

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