Today in my Prenatal Yoga class we worked a bit on standing poses. This family of poses is excellent for maintaining and building strength in the legs, torso, and arms. In Purna Yoga we use standing poses to create a stronger sense of "rootedness" - that feeling of being solidly present on the earth, and in your life. This is very useful for pregnant women, who can feel tossed about by ever-shifting emotions, hormones, opinions, advice, etc. In addition, standing poses offer a wonderful opportunity to stretch the hips, sides of the waist, and leg muscles.
There are some important considerations to apply during pregnancy:
- Keeping Your Balance - Many things affect balance, from hydration levels to hormone shifts, so it is important for pregnant women to feel that they are steady on their feet during standing poses. Depending upon how far along the pregnancy is and how you're feeling during the practice, you may choose to simply adjust your foot position (wider gives better balance) or to stand with your back against a wall.
- Avoid Pelvic and Belly Pressure
- Some poses, such as Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II), are not recommended until after you have felt your baby move. Then, it is great to do until or unless you feel too much pressure in your pelvic floor. In that case, it's time to move to a chair for support.
- Other poses, such as Parsvottanasana, would put pressure on your belly (and therefore your baby) if you were to do the full pose. Modify by placing your hands on the wall, with your torso angled to whatever degree allows you to feel the opening without putting pressure on your belly.
- Easy Does It on the Lower Belly Lift - It can be hard - and inappropriate - to properly support your spine with a lift of the lower belly when you're pregnant. When you're pregnant, rather than lifting the lower belly in and up, focus on a strong lift of the pelvic floor, accompanied by a mild lift of the lower belly (no inward movement, though). Remember, you're trying to avoid putting undue pressure on the belly.
- Don't Overdo It - Whether you practice a flowing style of yoga (such as Vinyasa), or an endurance-style (such as Iyengar), remember that pregnancy is not a time to challenge yourself. Practice each pose for three to six smooth breaths, giving yourself permission to come out of the pose early if your body tells you to do so! Develop your understanding of your body's signals so that you can differentiate between wanting to come out of the pose, and needing to come out as a way of caring for your body.
- Some indicators that it's time to rest include feeling hot, shaky, dizzy, lightheaded, or simply fatigued.
Remember to use your practice as an opportunity to care for yourself, body mind and spirit, while connecting to your baby. As you do your standing poses, you may notice your baby is lulled to sleep, or she may wake up, roll around, and do some yoga of her own! Notice those trends, just as you notice the changes in your body, and your prenatal yoga practice will become an even more memorable part of your pregnancy.
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