As a doula and a prenatal yoga teacher, I recommend a regular practice of three days per week.
We are holding the intention for a healthy, vibrant pregnancy.
We often chant in prenatal classes as an opportunity to become familiar with your inner Om.
Bring the soles of the feet together and allow the knees to fall to either side.
Interlace fingers around feet, cradling the toes.
Hold the pose for 5 breaths.
Move to your hands and knees in a tabletop position.
Keep the neck as a natural extension of the spine, and bring your gaze to the floor.
Let the scooping movement in the spine initiate from the tailbone.
Repeat for 10 cycles, letting your breath govern the movement.
From Cat/Cow, spread your palms and press your hands firmly into the mat.
Send your hips up and back until you in an inverted V-shape.
Lower your heels toward the floor as much as you could.
Square the hips and face toes toward the floor, and lift your navel in toward your spine.
When youre further along in your pregnancy, use blocks to modify, bringing the floor closer to you.
Hold for 3 breaths.
From Downward Dog, turn your heels together and let your toes turn out into a V-shape.
Squeeze your thighs together as your legs are straight and firm.
On the exhale, bend your knees and squat into a frog position.
Pause on the inhale, and on the next exhale straighten your legs.
Do this for 10 counts letting your breath lead.
Rest your forehead on the mat, with your arms alongside your body and your palms facing upward.
Breathe deeply into the back body for 5-to-10 breaths.
It also releases tension in the lumbar.
Stand in Mountain Pose with your feet hips-width apart on your mat and have two blocks handy.
This is called Awkward Chair Pose.
On an inhale, bend your knees to send your belly forward and reach your right arm up.
On the next inhale, send your belly forward with knees still bent and reach your left arm up.
Take the legs wide with knees slightly turned out.
Inhale the arms up overhead and exhale, bending the knees, bringing your thighs parallel with the floor.
initiate the arms out to either side with palms facing forward in Abhaya mudra no fear.
Inhale back up again and repeat up to 20 times.
It relieves low back pain and sciatica as well.
This pose is beneficial during pregnancy because it really gives a sense of warrior strength and confidence.
Start with your feet parallel, hip-distance apart.
Feel your chest open from your collarbone all the way up to your fingertips.
As you exhale, bend your front knee and firm up your thighs.
Bring the front knee directly over the ankle and be sure that thigh is parallel to the floor.
The back leg is active, stretching from the inner thigh to the pinky toe of your back foot.
Drop your tailbone and draw that thigh muscle up.
Repeat with the left leg forward this time.
To finish the pose, exhale and straighten your front leg.
Step your back foot up to meet with the front with your hands on your hips.
Start with legs together, feet turned out to a 45-degrees and heels touching.
Then slide the left leg back behind you, and bend the right knee deeply.
verify you turn those right toes forward, parallel with the length of your mat.
Inhale and stretch the arms out from the shoulders into a T-position, with palms facing down.
Press the hips forward, hinge at the hip crease and reach the front fingertips straight ahead.
Feel the chest open in expansion.
Repeat on the other side.
There is nothing more elegant than a mom-to-be in this posture.
From Downward Dog, step the right foot forward and place it just inside your left hand.
Extend your chest forward, while supporting yourself on your fingertips.
Try a few rounds of spinal flexion waves of the spine for 4 counts.
Hold this pose for a minimum of 5 breaths.
Repeat on the other side.
Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
The anatomical focus of this pose is the uterus.
Supported Bridge also stretches the chest, neck, and spine and allows a gentle backbend.
The abdominal organs, lungs and thyroid are stimulated, and digestion is improved.
Youll also notice a reduction in anxiety, fatigue, backache, headache and insomnia.
Lie on your back, bending the knees and pressing the soles of the feet into the floor.
Bring the feet parallel and hip-distance apart.
Lift your hips and slide the yoga block directly under your sacrum, resting the arms alongside you.
Stay here for a few minutes, breathing deeply.
To come down, lift the hips and slide the block out from underneath you.
Now you should be stretched and ready to embrace what’s to come.
Gallery Credit:Anders Krusbergfor mindbodygreen
