Top 4 Prenatal Yoga Postures

I hope that everyone knows by now that breathwork and movement are great during the prenatal season of a person’s life. It can get overwhelming to figure out what to do, so I wanted to keep things as simple as possible for all you parents-to-be out there with my four favorites. This post will be the start of a series I want to do for young families as you transition into parenthood so stay tuned for the next few weeks!

First things first, YOU are in charge of your body, and paying attention to how you feel is the essence of yoga as you breathe and move from moment to moment. Your practice can change from day to day, trimester to trimester. Maybe these postures need modifications as a pregnant person progresses, so remember to pay attention to what it is you’re actually feeling.

Without further ado, here are my faves (in no particular order than by trimesters)!

EXTENDED PUPPY POSE

Keeping your hips stacked over your knees, walk your hands out long in front of you. Inhale and find length in your sides and arms, exhale and let your chest sink towards the floor and relax your shoulders. You can always place some extra padding (blankets) under your knees or forehead for more comfort. Stay for a few minutes or as long as you feel comfortable. Not only does this posture allow for the baby to hammock in a comfy position, it opens up your thoracic spine and can decompress your back.

RECLINING BOUND ANGLE POSE

Depending on which trimester you’re at, you may need more than one bolster or thick pillow. As your belly grows, the compression on your vena cava will make it hard for you to breathe and feel comfortable while laying on your back so start supported and add/take away height for your chest as needed. Lie back on the support with your whole torso and bend your knees to bring the soles of your feet together. Let your arms fall out to the sides to open up your heart. Breathe deeply and smoothly while relaxing your hips and pelvic floor.

LOW LUNGE POSE

Keeping your front ankle underneath your knee, sink down into your hips to allow for a hip flexor stretch on your back leg with the knee down. Work on bringing your torso low by leading with your heart. If your belly is on the larger side, try a wider stance so your hands are on the inside of your front foot. This posture is great for indigestion relief as well as making room in your adductors (inner thighs) for your baby. Add movement with some hip circles to make this stretch a little juicer and dynamic.

GARLAND POSE (YOGI SQUAT)

Sitting on blocks or bolsters, dive your hips low with your toes pointed out. Knees should track over your 2nd toe while your hips feel evenly grounded. Keep your hands at your heart or find a hand position that feels grounding. Focus on getting heavier in your hips and relaxing your pelvic floor in prep for labor and birth on every exhale. Stay for up to a minute if you can in this pose and try visualizing space being made for your baby through the vaginal canal.

IF NONE OF THESE MAKE SENSE…

One of my missions is to help empower people through this sometimes trying and difficult time. Pregnancy doesn’t have to be hard, and neither does labor or birth. I believe in the best case scenario, we were designed to go through labor with ease feeling supported with whatever choice you make. And I think that paying attention to your body, especially to the pelvic floor during and after this time, is especially important to help you feeling whole with functionality and the quality of life you want.

Part of this is having that one-on-one time with a practitioner that can teach you all the things and help you find all the resources. And that’s where I come in: to educate you on what you need to know about PT, yoga, pelvic floor health, and other aspects of pregnancy and parenthood that leave some people feeling helpless. Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you or someone else can benefit from this kind of information. It’s up to us to spread the word!