Congratulations You’re expecting! This is such an exciting and, at times daunting, stage of your life. Yoga is a great way to support you through it. Not to worry, there are plenty of yoga modifications that can be made throughout pregnancy to keep the practice safe and enjoyable.
As always check with your OBG before starting any new physical activity. It is not often, but there are times when exercise may need to be limited.
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Now lets dive in!
1. Modify your environment
Before you even start practicing you need to modify your environment for your pregnancy. Temperature control is important. Think good airflow and water bottle handy.
Bye-bye hot yoga. At least for now.
Getting your core temp at or above 102 degrees F for more than 10 minutes can lead to neural tube defects, heart problems and miscarriage in the first trimester. Later in pregnancy high temperatures and dehydration can increase Braxton Hicks contractions.
The American Heart Association also warns that pregnant women are at a greater risk of heatstroke with body temperature of 102 degrees F. Typically a temperature of 104 degrees F can cause heatstroke.
Guidelines aren’t crystal clear on what length of activity in what temperature and humidity combo is most problematic. One study demonstrates safe exercise at 80-90% of max heart rate for 35 minutes in 77 degrees F with mean core temperatures at 100.94 degrees F.
Generally pregnant women say they run hot. I know I did. This is because of increased blood volume and compensatory dilation to accommodate it and not related to increased core temperate. I can’t help but wonder if it is also, in part, a protective mechanism.
Keep it safe and avoid heated yoga rooms which usually vary between 80-100 degrees and Bikram yoga which sets the room to a whopping 105 degrees F. And drink plenty of water.
2. Focus on stability over flexibility
You don’t need to, and shouldn’t avoid stretching altogether, but you need to work gradually. This is not the time to push into or try to gain flexibility.
Hormones in pregnancy can lead to increased hyper-mobility and thus increase risk of strains and sprains. Increased levels of progesterone and relaxin can both contribute to looser joints. Focus on muscle engagement and strength to support and protect your joints during this time.
3. Position your self near a wall
During pregnancy your center of gravity shifts and your body changes so rapidly leading to poor balance. Practice balance poses near a wall so that you can reach out for support when you need it.
If hand stands were in your practice prior to pregnancy and you wish to continue you should perform them at the wall. With increased ligament laxity and poor balance you want to practice in the best way possible, so remove your ego and grab some wall space.
4. Limit complex inversions
Inversions are any pose in which your head is below your heart. Complex inversions are when you are fully upside down, think handstands, forearm stands and headstands. If you had a solid inversion practice prior to pregnancy you can continue as long as you feel comfortable just revisit the 3rd yoga modification for pregnancy.
While handstands and forearm stands are fine to continue this is not the time to add them in to your practice.
I would strongly recommend avoiding headstands as your pregnancy progresses. If they pop up in your class you can get similar benefits with a wide leg forward fold with head supported on blocks so most of your weight remains in your legs or skip it all together.
If you are practicing inversions make sure you come out of them slowly. Pregnant women are more prone to orthostatic hypotension due to increased blood volume and dilation of vessels. This can make you dizzy with quick position changes.
5. Widen your base
Since your balance is off and you will be more wobbly during your practice it is best to widen your base of support. You will want to practice with feet hips width apart. This not only helps with balance but as your pelvis widens you will find it more comfortable as well.
Mountain pose, chair pose, forward folds can all be practiced with your feet hips width apart or wider. That is usually two fists widths between feet. As your belly grows you will just have to feel it as visualizing your feet will soon be impossible.
Split leg postures can also be performed with a wider base. Warrior poses, lunges, triangle can all take up more space. Avoid feeling like you need to stand on a tight rope or balance beam.
If you are wobbling widen your stance even further.
6. Decrease the depth of your back bends
Heart openers will feel great during your pregnancy as growing breasts and belly tend to slump you forward. Gentle heart openers are wonderful to include in your prenatal practice. Be mindful of full deep back bends.
Over stretching the abdominal wall could encourage diastasis recti (DR). DR is the separation of your rectus abdominis (the six pack muscle) and is common in pregnancy. Deep back bends such as full wheel can also lead to increased strain on your lumbar spine due to the natural changes in the spine and posture during pregnancy.
7. When modifying your yoga practice for pregnancy think about opening up your twists
You can still work trunk rotation during your pregnancy but you want to keep your twists open rather than closed off. Closed twists or deep twists are ones which you compress your trunk and cross the body.
To keep your twist open you want to think about turning towards the back leg in standing poses such as triangle, warrior or lunge. During supine twists do not aim to get knees to the floor use props to elevate your knees. In seated postures twist away from the leg that is bent and close to your body with knee towards chest.
At a certain point in your pregnancy you wont even have to think about it as your belly will prevent you from performing closed twists.
8. Modify your core work during pregnancy
A strong core is important now more than ever. You want to be able to support that growing belly and decrease the strain on your back. A strong core in pregnancy can decrease back pain.
While a strong core is important, the way your strengthen is going to change. You will want to avoid too much work with crunches, sit ups, boat pose. Instead focus on your pelvic floor, lower abdominals and obliques.
Focus on breathing first. As you exhale you should invision lifting your pelvic floor, “engaging your bundhas” and as you inhale think of relazing and lengthening your pelvic floor. You need to focus on activation and engagement first before performing your activity.
You can perform core work with a supported boat pose and moving one limb at a time instead of lifting both legs together. You want to think quality of movement over quantity and fancy movements.
Belly down core work is a great -think hands and knees, plank, modified plank, wall planks. Again focus on breathing and activation first before you perform the movement and coordinate breath and movement.
Modified side planks with knee down is another good position to work in.
9. Avoid supine for too long
Supine, or lying flat on your back, might want to be avoid as you get later into your pregnancy.
Periods of time supine can cause feelings of dizziness and or nausea. This happens when the vena cava is compressed from the weight of the baby. It is usually resolved quickly when you change your position.
Not every pregnant women experiences this and the length of time to cause the symptoms can be very variable.
Sleeping in supine position may be harmful to your baby in your third trimester. One British study demonstrated that women who slept supine had a 3.7% increased risk of stillbirth than women who slept on their left side. They also showed that women who used the bathroom, at least once per night, decreased their risk of stillbirth.
No need to panic yet. This was just one small study of less than 1000 women and they were looking at over night duration.
A few minutes in savasana is likely fine as long as you are not experiencing the above symptoms. However to err on the side of safety you can create a gradual incline with props or perform savasana in left sidelying.
10. You will need to stay off your belly
Prone lying will be a thing of the past once you start showing and sometimes sightly earlier. This is for no other reason then it will be uncomfortable. Modify your practice by keeping belly up, use hands and knees instead.
11. Yoga modifications for pregnancy need props
If you did not use props before you want to get aquatinted with them now. Go ahead and grab all the thing for class.
Blocks
You will want two supportive blocks, I prefer cork blocks as I find them more stable then foam. Blocks are a great way to bring the floor closer to you.
Use them during your forward folds if reaching the ground pre-pregnancy was a struggle. Blocks ensure proper alignment and decrease your likelihood of over stretching.
Bolsters
Bolsters and blankets are a great way to provide added support and comfort during your practice. Use them in combination with blocks for supported gentle back bends or to provide a supported incline during core work.
Straps
Use straps when modifying your yoga practice to avoid over stretching and keep twists open. As your body changes and grows you may find you need them to clasp hands behind your back or in attempts of binds.
Speaking of binding as long as you are keeping your twist open and using straps you should be good. You want to avoid any bind that might be compressing your abdomen.
Yoga Wheel
A yoga wheel is not a necessity but it is another option to use to help perform gentle supported heart openers. Personally they feel great!
12. Open knees in child’s pose
Allow space for your growing belly. Widen your knees in child’s pose. You can also make child’s pose more restful by placing your head on a block or bolster.
13. Your prenatal practice should include plenty of gentle hip openers
Lets get to know your new best friends. These gentle hip openers will feel great and help prepare you for delivery, well I mean if anything can actually prepare you.
While strengthening your pelvic floor is important, it is equally important that those muscles are not too tight. Remember you push your baby out with your uterus, your muscles around your pelvis need to lengthen and relax during the process.
Ananda Balasana (Happy baby), baddha konasana (bound angle) and malasana (garland pose) are all easy hip openers that can be easily modified with props if needed.
14. When in doubt stick it out (your butt that is)
Yoga modifications for pregnancy should encourage a neutral spine. You want to avoid strong post pelvic tilts(tucking your butt under) which can tighten the pelvic floor muscles and change your alignment. On the contrary you also don’t want to sink into an anterior pelvic tilt, the position you are naturally pulled into during pregnancy.
Keep your gluts active during all standing poses and think about gently drawing your baby up and in towards your spine to maintain a neutral spine.
15. Above all else listen to your body
Your body is QUEEN here so honor that and listen to her. In yoga one should always be checking in with their body but this is doubly important during pregnancy.
Know that as your body changes, so will your practice. Let your body guide you by tuning in and meeting your body where she is at in the moment.
Keep these yoga modifications in mind regardless of if you are brand new to the practice or a seasoned veteran. There are plenty of prenatal classes offered and you should check them out, especially if you are new to the practice.
If you can’t make a prenatal class keep these modifications in your back pocket. Take a peak at the handful of poses that should be avoided as well.
Remember pregnancy is not a disorder and should not be treated as such. Exercise is generally safe and encouraged for a healthy pregnancy. You are not fragile, you are strong mama, honor that and honor the changes taking place.