Yoga is gaining popularity among all age groups and all genders. Yoga for pregnant women or prenatal Yoga has always been the go-to option for expecting mothers to stay fit without overexertion or unnecessary risks. Are you expecting and looking for ways to stay fit during your pregnancy? If you are considering Yoga during pregnancy, this can be very useful for you.
First, we need to establish if Yoga is safe during pregnancy. You need to ensure any physical exercise you choose to do during your pregnancy is safe for you, your baby, and the pregnancy itself. Always check with your doctor and start doing the exercises only after receiving approval. If your body resists or reacts negatively to your exercises or routine, listen to it and take a break.
Yoga is safe during pregnancy, provided you do it under proper guidance and know your asanas well. Pregnancy is not the time to try something new without professional advice. Yoga may seem simple and easy, but doing it yourself without proper guidance is not advisable.
Now that we know Yoga is safe during pregnancy, unless your doctor has you on bed rest, what asanas can you do? Here are the top 5 Yoga poses women can do during pregnancy. They are safe and can be very beneficial for your pregnancy.
It is a simple pose that aims to open up your hips. If you are keen on a normal delivery, relaxing your thigh and groin muscles is important. The butterfly pose relaxes the inner thighs, groin muscles, and tightness in your lower back.
The cat-cow stretch is the perfect asana for pregnant women as it should be simple and not strain the body too much. This asana helps deepen your breath and stretch your back. It helps relax your back and relieve you of regular pregnancy backaches.
This asana helps you relax and calm all those pregnancy hormones. It also promotes digestion and aids in liver function. It aims to stretch your thigh muscles and loosen your legs, which means working harder to carry all that extra weight. Sciatica is a common problem in pregnancy, and this asana can help relieve such pains.
This pose helps open up the hips and hamstrings. The goddess pose is easy and safe for women who find squats challenging or are scared to squat. It can help you strengthen your thigh muscles and center of balance.
Malasana is a deep squat, or the Indian squat, where you squat to the floor. It is a great exercise to open your hips and flex the muscles. It relieves constipation, helps digestion and relaxes the tight hips, thus opening the pelvis and creating more space for the baby.
Many Yoga asanas can help relieve pregnancy stress and symptoms. Prenatal Yoga can also help keep both mother and baby healthy. Getting your doctor's approval before exercising or doing Yoga during pregnancy is always advisable. It is always advisable to take the advice of your Consultant before you start Yoga practices as the period of gestation. When one needs exercise and Yoga, it varies from person to person and according to other medical conditions one may have.
The butterfly pose is among the best poses in Yoga for pregnant women in the final trimester. It can help relax the muscles, open up the hips and trigger labour in the last days of pregnancy.
Any pose that does not involve inversions or balancing on your hands is safe during pregnancy. Avoid poses that require bending backwards or stretching beyond your comfort limit. Pregnant women should also avoid poses that test their balance or need to stretch their abdomen and legs too much, especially if they are new to Yoga.
Yes, Vajrasana is, in fact, a very safe and beneficial pose during pregnancy. It helps you focus your thoughts and relax your mind and hips. It also helps release tension in the thighs and lower back.
The goddess pose and malasana – deep squats help to open up the hips and relax the inner thigh muscles. These poses can help the body cope better during a normal delivery. You can also practice the butterfly pose in the last few weeks of pregnancy to open up your pelvis.