Performing yoga poses during pregnancy can help you prepare for childbirth. One of the best yoga poses during pregnancy is the neck release. During the neck release, you relax your shoulders and back. Do this before you start doing yoga, so that you can calmly breathe. Do this neck release for two minutes. Short meditation is also a good option, do this for five minutes. This allows you to relax a lot and it helps you be at ease before you go to sleep or before you start your day. There are a few yoga poses that you should avoid, like the Cobra, because this will cause you to put a lot of pressure on your growing belly and on your baby. This can be unhealthy for your pregnancy. There are a few yoga poses that you can perform during pregnancy, to make your pregnancy but also childbirth easier. Read more about it in this blog.
Is yoga allowed during pregnancy?
Doing yoga during pregnancy is a good way to stay flexible and in good shape. It helps you prepare for childbirth and it helps you be able to keep moving. Yoga aids your body and spirit, but it also strengthens the bond between you and the growing sprout in your belly. Do keep a few things in mind if you want to do yoga during your pregnancy, especially when you’ve been doing yoga before you got pregnant. If you’re experienced with yoga, you can do a lot more poses during pregnancy. Do you start with yoga when you’re pregnant? Then you shouldn’t push yourself. You can’t expect your body to immediately get used to it. Start at a calm pace and guide yourself and your baby through it. There are a few yoga poses that are better to avoid (read more about it in this article).
8 yoga poses during pregnancy
Below you will find 8 yoga poses that you can perform during pregnancy to keep your muscles flexible and to prepare your pelvis for childbirth. It’s also beneficial for your spirit.
- The neck release.
- The dragonfly.
- The savasana.
- Wide-knee child’s position.
- The butterfly.
- Short meditation.
- The pigeon.
- The warrior.
The neck release
Sit in a position that feels comfortable to you and where you can keep your back straight. You can sit against the wall for support. Drop your right ear towards your right shoulder, you will notice a pulling sensation on the left side of your neck. Move your chin slightly forward if you don’t fell this pull. If you do feel the pull, stay in this position for a minute and then switch up sides.
The dragonfly
Face the wall while you’re sitting on the yoga mat. Spread your legs and slouch a bit forward. You can do this yoga pose if you aren’t too far into your pregnancy yet. You can also lean a bit forward while keeping your back straight instead of rounding your back, in case your back hurts. It’s smart to use pillow to support yourself. Stay in this position for 3 minutes.
The savasana
With this position you can lay on your back if that’s still comfortable to you, you can otherwise use a pillow underneath your knees if your belly is already on the bigger side. Lay on your left side with a pillow between or under your knees if you’re in your third trimester (between the 6 to 9 months). You can loosen up your legs by shaking them, or you can also do the cat/cow pose if you want to. Stay in this position for about thirty minutes, and shake your legs every three minutes.
The wide-knee child’s position
With this position you’re seated on your feet and separated knees. Slightly slouch forward with your upper body. If you lack balance, lean with your hands against the wall. Stay in this position for three minutes.
The butterfly
Sit with your legs stretched out and place the bottom of your feet against each other. Sit on a pillow so that you don’t hurt your buttocks too much (unless you’re experiencing pelvic instability or pain in the tailbone, then a firm surface is better). Slowly lean forward with a rounded back and keep a hold of your feet. Stay in this position for two minutes, then lay down to rest for three minutes.
Short meditation
Sit or lay in a position that feels the most comfortable to you and listen intently to your surroundings. Close your eyes and try to focus on nature (the wind or animals) and take a moment to rest. Focus on your breathing, slowly breathe in and out. Do this for five minutes and then continue with your day! What’s also important is your abdominal pressure. You can find more information about your abdominal pressure on this page.
The pigeon
Sit on your yoga mat with a bent right knee and with your other leg stretched out. Switch this around for every two minutes to loosen up your hips. This also helps during childbirth.
The warrior
Stand up straight while you’re facing the wall, place one leg forward and the other leg backwards. The same counts for your arms. This way you look like a warrior, like in the movie Mulan. You can use the wall for support if necessary.
6 yoga poses to avoid during pregnancy
There are a few specific positions that you should avoid during pregnancy, because they can be painful for your fetus or your body. They can even be damaging to your belly if you do decide to perform them. I’ve summed them up below:
- All jumping movements.
- Twisting positions.
- Laying positions.
- Inversion positions.
- Laying on your belly.
- Powerful stretch positions.
All jumping movements
It’s important to avoid all jumping movements during your pregnancy, because you could become imbalanced and fall over. This isn’t nice for the baby, because the baby would be moving too sudden or too fast.
Twisting positions
Twisting positions, like the moon pose, boat pose and spinal twist are better to be avoided. Why? Because you’re tensing up your abdomen too much which could be damaging for the developing placenta. The twisting positions can decrease your blood flow which in turn can damage your nerves.
Laying positions
Even though the Savasana got mentioned before, it is still best to not do them too often. They can cause nausea and acid reflux. There’s also a possibility that your blood flow will be decreased and that your nerves will be damaged.
Inversion positions
Inversion positions, like downward shoulder or headstands, should be avoided during the pregnancy, especially when you couldn’t do this before pregnancy. Your belly is growing, and the weight is increasing. If you don’t maintain balance, you can fall and that could be harmful to the baby (normally starting from 2nd or 3rd trimester).
Laying on your belly
Positions where you have to lay on your belly, like the Swan, Cobra, Bow and Locus position, need to be avoided. The belly is rapidly growing and has the tendency to crush internal organs. Laying on your belly and performing exercises will add more pressure to your belly and your baby.
Powerful stretch positions
Powerful stretch positions, like the Camel, Fish and Wheel, also need to be avoided like the plague during pregnancy once you’ve entered the second trimester. Your muscles are becoming more flexible because of the released hormones, and performing those poses could affect the (pelvic) joints.
Yoga exercises during pregnancy
There is a variety of yoga exercises that you can perform during the pregnancy, they can help you prepare for childbirth but they can also help you relax your body. Below you will see the categories.
- Breathing exercises during pregnancy
- Relaxation exercises during pregnancy
- Pelvic exercises during pregnancy
You can find more information on how to perform the exercises on the blog yoga exercises during pregnancy.
