Yoga classes are done in the last month of pregnancy. We strike a pose. Yoga and pregnancy. Yoga for pregnant women: indications and contraindications

Expectant mothers turn to pregnancy yoga when they encounter unpleasant symptoms that are common in all trimesters of pregnancy. Does yoga really “work”?

What is yoga for pregnant women?

Yoga for pregnant women is special complex exercises designed to prepare you physically and emotionally for future childbirth and motherhood.

This is an excellent prevention of fetal hypoxia and early toxicosis of pregnancy.

Yoga takes into account the special position of the expectant mother, and you can practice it from the first to the last weeks of pregnancy. Thanks to yoga for pregnant women, you can not only improve the stretching of the muscles of the pelvis, legs and back (which will be useful during childbirth), but also relieve the load on the spine, leg joints and relieve swelling. Many yoga poses help improve blood circulation, especially in the pelvic and uterine areas, and breathing practices help oxygenate the blood.

Yoga during pregnancy also has a positive effect on the psyche of the expectant mother: it calms her down, helps relieve stress and relax.

Exist special exercises in yoga for pregnant women, which can help the baby roll over into a cephalic presentation if the fetus is in the pelvic or transverse position. The effectiveness of these exercises is very high and reaches 70-90%. But the classes should be led by a certified yoga specialist who can assess the correctness of the exercises and provide assistance.

Yoga for pregnant women: indications and contraindications

Doctors recommend consulting with your doctor before starting yoga classes for pregnant women. After all, the deadline start of classes is individual and depends on your health condition, the presence or absence of contraindications. If there are no problems with health and well-being, then yoga is recommended for all girls, from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last month. 2-4 weeks before giving birth, depending on the condition of the expectant mother, you can complete classes and begin preparing for childbirth.

Yoga contraindicated with increased uterine tone and the threat of miscarriage, hypertension, impaired liver and kidney function, chronic diseases in the acute stage. But if you did yoga before giving birth, you can choose special exercises and practices that will allow you to practice yoga even during a complicated pregnancy.

Safety in a yoga class for pregnant women!

Even if you are healthy and feel great, you should still not forget about the minimum safety precautions when exercising:

• Do not do exercises through pain: each asana should not bring painful or uncomfortable sensations!
• There should be no delays or difficulty breathing during the exercises. Pay more attention to how you breathe, and if you have difficulties, contact your instructor.
• If you feel unwell, there is no need to wait until the end of the class - immediately attract the attention of your neighbors in the room or the yoga instructor.
• Do not put pressure on the urinary tract during exercise, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy. This can lead to pregnancy cystitis.
• Be attentive to yourself: your well-being and the health of your baby are most important!

Pregnancy is a magical time. And yoga is a loving tool that helps you understand your body and soul, becoming stronger and happier. As for me, this is just a perfect duet)). Therefore, when I learned about my second pregnancy, I did not stop practicing, but quite the opposite. I began to study all the subtleties even more, so as not to harm myself, and practice even more often, in order to better prepare my body for ease for all 9 months and directly for childbirth.

During yoga, the practitioner learns to relax his body, understand it, and control it. During breathing and meditative exercises, we learn to clear our mind of negativity and tired thoughts, directing it in a positive direction, into silence and silence with all the answers. Isn’t this exactly what a woman needs, especially during pregnancy and childbirth? Yoga will help you cope with stress more easily and get rid of fears, making your body and mind more flexible. All this will be a wonderful gift for both the pregnant woman and the baby in her tummy.

And since the period of pregnancy is very tender, the approach of yoga to it should be very attentive - with its own subtleties and nuances, moreover, for each trimester separately.

I specially made a video to show everything described below clearly. The practice proposed in the video lasts 35 minutes, suitable for beginners and for every trimester. It’s good if you have the opportunity to attend full-fledged classes for pregnant women at least once a week at yoga centers lasting 1-2 hours with a certified instructor (I went to Om Shanti in Dnepropetrovsk with a very good instructor Svetlana Taranenko). And for everyday practice at home, this video practice is ideal for you, which I followed throughout my pregnancy.

• be sure to consult your doctor to see if you have any contraindications for doing yoga
• During practice, breathe deeply and calmly through your nose
• exercise on an empty stomach - 2 hours after a meal or 1 hour after a light snack
• monitor your well-being - get out of the asana if you are tired, shorten the time you spend in the asana if you feel like you are overexerting yourself.

Recommendations for trimesters from the consultation of Vadim Poletaev and the book by Maria Schiffers

First trimester (1-13 weeks)

The first trimester is the period of consolidation of the fertilized egg, formation of the placenta, and the formation of all the main organs and systems of the baby. So you need to feel your body and states very subtly. And take into account all the features.

• Lying poses are suitable for relaxation and adaptation of the body to new conditions.
• Sitting poses will help cope with nausea, digest food, and improve blood circulation in the uterus and ovarian area.

Contraindicated!!!

Active twisting (in sitting and standing poses), active backbends without support and lying on the stomach, poses with a load on the stomach, balances on the arms and bends forward without support under the head, mula bandha (perineal contraction lock), towards the end of the trimester also stands stop performing twisting variations of asanas - parivritta - which actively compress the stomach.

• mastering full yogic breathing- this is when we inhale, first inflate the stomach, then expand chest, and then we raise the collarbones, and as we exhale, on the contrary, we lower the collarbones, return the chest and stomach to their place. This will help us fill the entire lung volume with oxygen, strengthen the immune system, increase hemoglobin levels, relax and relieve fatigue. It is good to learn this breathing practice while standing - while inhaling, we raise our arms up, allowing the chest to open better and the collarbone to rise, while leaving the shoulders in place so as not to pinch the neck, and also rise on the toes, actively including the ankle. As you exhale, lower your arms and feet. You can start with 10 repetitions, gradually increasing the number of inhalations and exhalations. But the main guideline is well-being. I like to do this practice like this: I spread my legs a little wider, while inhaling I also raise my arms and toes, and as I exhale I go into a small squat, remaining on my toes. This way it’s better to work out your legs as well. This is clearly shown in the video below.

• bhramari pranayama(vibromassage for your baby) - the proposed version of its implementation will help you monitor your posture. We sit in a comfortable position with crossed legs, straight back, remove the arch in the lower back, pointing the tailbone down, put our hands behind our head without squeezing our neck and opening our chest, eyes closed. We take a deep, calm breath, and as we exhale we make a soft buzzing sound. At the same time, we concentrate on a straight spine as we inhale and on the vibrations inside as we exhale. It is this option of performing pranayama with hands behind the head that helps to form the correct tone of the back in order to avoid sagging in the lower back, which is observed in pregnant women with an enlarged abdomen.

In general, with the growth of a belly and weight, a number of changes appear in the body that are best avoided - the already mentioned deflection in the lower back, tightness in the chest, stress on the legs and feet. How can preventing this help? joint gymnastics:

• To open the chest - in a comfortable position, sitting or standing, we rotate the shoulders, first in one direction and then in the other direction.
• For the lower back, in dynamics, we make movements in the opposite direction - we stand and press the tailbone and sacrum forward (turn it inward) as we inhale, and release as we exhale. And so 10 times.
• To form the correct arch of the feet, which can spread out due to weight gain, joint work will help - standing rotation with the shin resting on one leg clockwise and back. Repeat on both legs. Can be performed sitting or lying down.

It is good to perform visualization during asanas, giving a positive attitude throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

Second trimester(14-27 weeks)

The most favorite period is when the energy is in full swing, the tummy is not quite big yet and the most wonderful thing is that you can already feel the baby moving.

Here we can increase the time spent in poses and be a little more active. We continue to follow the advice from the first trimester, with the difference that now mula bandha, on the contrary, is very useful. You can do it during asanas; it’s good to start when doing cat pose. It is in this position that you can learn how to perform this lock without straining your abdominal muscles.

Bandha is an energy lock, and mula bandha is a compression of the muladhara chakra, in simple terms - a volitional contraction of the muscles of the perineal area, in our country this lock is known as the Kegel exercise. To understand how to do this, imagine that you are trying to stop urinating. What is the importance of this practice? The pelvic floor muscles support the pregnant woman's uterus and fetus, which are actively growing. And by contracting and relaxing these muscles, we strengthen them, also improve blood circulation, preventing hemorrhoids, and learn to control them, which is very useful during childbirth.

You can combine business with pleasure - mula bandha and meditative pranayama SoHm. We sit down straight with our legs crossed and our back straight, removing the arch in the lower back and opening the chest. As we inhale, we mentally say Hm (ham) and contract our muscles pelvic floor, while exhaling, we relax them and mentally pronounce So (so). We start with 10 approaches and adjust according to how we feel, bringing up to 50-100 approaches per day..

As your belly and weight grow, some “joys” may appear that are best avoided. And yoga will help with this). For example,

• for heaviness in the legs and varicose veins it is good to perform inverted asanas, especially Viparity karani mudra(photo below, but you need to perform this asana near the wall, propping up your pelvis and legs against the wall, and placing pillows under your lower back (visually shown in the video), which is also good for edema and hemorrhoids. If varicose veins progress, you do not need to perform standing asanas. And to prevent it, you just need to consider the following: We need standing asanas because they strengthen the leg muscles and the body as a whole, help control weight, develop self-confidence, reduce the likelihood of cramps and swelling, improve blood supply to the fetus, keep the spine healthy and strong And to avoid varicose veins, you can simply reduce the time in these poses and make compensation after them in the form of dynamics (rolling on the feet while standing, joint exercises for the legs while standing or sitting) to turn on the muscle pump and active breathing.
• if you suffer from heartburn, you need to do more asanas while sitting with your chest open and raised high. And also do not forget about fractional and alkaline nutrition (for example, fresh fruits and vegetables).

For the right mood for childbirth and good health during pregnancy, communication practices will help: chanting mantras, pranayama (for example, bhramari), chanting vowel sounds.

Since the tummy is getting larger, we need to remember that when bending forward while standing or sitting, we spread our legs a little so that there is room to put the belly.

The pose will be very beneficial for the lower back. half bridge. Lying on our back, we bend our knees and place our heels to the buttocks, hip-width apart, with our arms along the body. Then, while inhaling, we begin to lift our buttocks off the floor, vertebra by vertebra, like tape, trying to wrap our tailbone and sacrum as high as is comfortable. And as you exhale, again slowly, vertebra by vertebra, starting from the upper back, lower your buttocks to the floor.

Savasana (complete relaxation pose) starting from the 20th week is best done on the left side so as not to compress the inferior vena cava, which runs with right side, and not cause malnutrition and possible fetal hypoxia.

Third trimester(28 - 42 weeks)

Now it will be possible to do less and less. We leave light dynamics, pranayama, vocalization, perform static exercises near the wall, and walk more on the street. We perform standing asanas if our health allows, and preferably near a wall to feel good support.

It is undesirable to gain excess weight (more than 14 kg during the entire pregnancy). To avoid this, we walk more fresh air, we eat fractionally according to the feeling of hunger, do not forget about adequate physical exercise and mindful eating.

What is mindful eating? This is when we eat in silence, chewing our food thoroughly, feeling when our body is full. We avoid eating emotions and negative moments.

The best asanas for a vigorous pregnancy and easy childbirth

Butterfly pose (baddha konasana)

We sit on a bolster (folded blanket) with a straight back, bend our knees, bringing our feet closer to our torso. We concentrate on a straight back and how the relaxed hips drop. The arms are lowered and the palms are on the knees. We take several calm deep breaths and exhalations. We can do several variations of this asana. By spreading our feet wider apart, we open the pelvis even better, which serves as excellent preparation for childbirth. And another option is to move the feet together forward and lower the straight back, while we stretch the top of the head forward and up, trying to form a book in the lower back, and not reach the chest to the feet.

Looking at my photo, I really want to straighten my back and open my chest.

The asana develops the hip joints, stretches the muscles of the inner thighs and groin, which very well prepares the body for childbirth.

Cat pose

We get down on all fours. Our knees are under our pelvis, our palms are at shoulder level and exactly under them. The head and neck hang forward relaxed. We feel good balance and support. As you exhale, starting from the tailbone, round your back upward, vertebra by vertebra, pressing your chin to your chest. As you inhale, again starting from the tailbone, slowly, feeling each vertebra, we bend back. Usually in this asana we form an arch in the lower back and stretch our chin forward and upward, opening the chest. Since a deflection in the lower back in pregnant women appears physiologically, it would be more correct to leave it straight here. We do several approaches, sometimes bending, sometimes arching, slowly and completely relaxed. Feeling your soft and flexible back, feeling all the unpleasant muscle tension and tightness go away. This asana can be done during and in between contractions.

Pigeon pose

We get down on all fours. We place the right knee between the hands, and the heel near the left thigh. Wherein left leg stretch behind you, the knee of the left leg and the top of the foot should look towards the floor. There are several variations you can make here. First, resting our hands on the floor, we stretch our back up, opening our chest well (as in the photo below). Then, continuing to lean on your hands, lower your pelvis and hips. If the sensation in the back allows, we lower ourselves onto the forearms of our hands. The head and neck hang forward, increasing the stretch. We go into an inclination as deep as our body feels comfortable. The sensations should be pleasant, we do not overstep our boundaries. It is better to remain with a straight back without bending than to harm your body. We enjoy how the muscles in the groin and buttocks soften and stretch. All this will be useful during childbirth. Repeat the variations on the other side.

Crow Pose (Malasana)

In a standing position, place your feet slightly wider than your hips. We squat without lifting our heels off the floor and spread our knees as wide as possible. We place our elbows between our knees, thereby spreading them a little further. The palms in Namaste are at heart level. The pelvis is relaxed, the back is straight, breathing is even and calm. We enjoy the way the hip joints open and the groin muscles stretch, reducing the likelihood of tearing the perineal tissue during childbirth.

It is natural to give birth in this position, as it is easier for the baby to come out using gravity.

If your heels lift off the floor, place a folded blanket under your heels. At a later stage, it is better to do the asana near a wall.

Seated Wide Angle Pose (Upavishta Konasana)

Gita Ayengar (author of Yoga for Women) writes: “To have an easy birth, upavishtha konasana should be performed until the late stage of pregnancy.” She also recommends this asana for leg cramps, stomach pain and heartburn.

We sit on the floor, with our hands we move our buttocks back a little. We spread our legs as wide as we feel comfortable. At the same time, we push our heels away from ourselves. The back should be straight; if necessary, you can place your fingers in support next to the pelvis. Raise the chest and open it to the sides from the center. The stomach, neck, head are relaxed.

We breathe relaxed and enjoy how the legs stretch, the groin area and hip joints open.

To stretch lateral muscles We can alternately bend our backs towards each leg, while opening our chest, as in the photo below.

If your stomach gets tense and Bottom part If your back falls, you should place a folded blanket under your buttocks and place your fingers on a support behind your back.

Baby Pose (Balasana)

The pose is good for relaxation between asanas. We get down on all fours, with our knees apart so that there is enough space for the tummy. We move the soles, causing the toes to touch each other. Lower your buttocks, pressing them towards your heels. WITH with outstretched arms We lie forward between our knees, placing our forehead on the floor. If necessary, place a cushion in front of you and lie down on it. Relax your neck, back, buttocks. We feel how the lower spine stretches, how all the tension in the muscles of the back and hips goes away, how the abdominal muscles relax. This asana helps increase the flexibility of the joints of the pelvis, expanding the space within it.

Triangle pose (trikonasana)

Let's spread our legs wide apart, about 1 meter apart. We turn the right foot outward 90 degrees, the left foot 45 degrees inward. In this case, the heel of the right foot looks towards the middle of the left foot. As you exhale, stretch right hand to the side and stretch our torso following our right hand. Left hand You can put it behind your back so as not to fall forward. We lower our right hand onto the brick or leg as low as the stretch allows. We extend our left arm up, perpendicular to the floor, so that both arms are on the same line. Turn your head and neck up, look at the ceiling or at thumb left hand. We stretch our arms well at the elbows, and our legs at the knees. In this case, we do not tilt the pelvis back, but the torso forward. If our neck gets tired, we can lower our head and look at the floor. We remain in the asana for 10-20 seconds, depending on how we feel. As you exhale, bend your right leg, push it off the floor and stand up gently. Let's repeat everything on the other side.

The asana works well on all muscles, joints and organs, relieves pain in the back and sides, stretches and strengthens the entire body.

The above is clearly presented in this video. Enjoy your practice! It is you who can make your body stronger and prepare it for childbirth.

I really want this post to be useful to you and help you feel lightness and strength in your body for 9 months, and give birth to a baby as much pleasure as possible.

I would also like to write a little about my results of practice for pregnant women to confirm its effectiveness;). In addition, I have something to compare with, since pregnancy and childbirth were the second. I can confidently say that I am very grateful for the lifestyle with yoga and without meat (which was not the case during my first pregnancy). All 9 months passed with maximum pleasure and vigor for me. I practiced literally until the last day, and during childbirth I was able to really meet the baby with my husband without screams of pain (as during the first birth), but with music and tenderness. And I didn’t notice the postpartum period. Less than a week later, I caught myself thinking that I had no feeling at all that I had just given birth. And instead of discomfort, I felt only pleasure from the appearance of my second son and an irresistible desire to resume practice as quickly as possible.

For myself, I have highlighted a few very important points practices that are simply necessary during childbirth:

• During “correct” yoga classes, we learn to concentrate on sensations in the body. At the same time, feeling the work in some muscles, we know how to relax others.
• even with intense work in the body, we control our breathing, keeping it smooth and calm. And even if there is tension in the body, breathing remains so.

These two skills, if learned early, can make labor much easier. And even during intense contractions, keep your smile and body relaxed.

So practice and enjoy! Your body, your strength, your capabilities!

During such a wonderful period in a woman’s life, it is extremely important to maintain the health of body and spirit. Doctors often recommend the practice of yoga to pregnant women. Before you start, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules that will help protect you from trouble. Elena Lukashova, a yoga instructor and mother of two children, gave her recommendations.

IT IS FORBIDDEN: Any manipulation of the abdominal muscles.

In some yoga schools, for some unknown reason, pregnant women are allowed to perform exercises such as vacuum (or uddiyana bandha), abdominal wave (or nauli) in the early and sometimes later stages. Honestly! I myself read how one yogini boasted that she performed nauli before giving birth (how?!).

The truth is that these practices in the early stages can provoke at least uterine tone, at most a miscarriage, and in the later stages - premature birth. And if someone is lucky enough to avoid such consequences, this does not mean at all that this is possible.

CAN: Kegel exercise.

In yoga it is called the root lock, or mula bandha (compression and tightening of the perineal muscles). Firstly, this is a good preparation of the muscles for childbirth, secondly, it will help you recover faster after childbirth, thirdly, the exercise is safe, except in cases of uterine tone. Then you should wait for quiet periods to complete it.

If you combine mula bandha with breathing, you can also achieve meditation. For example, during inhalation or exhalation, perform a static root lock (squeeze the muscles and do not release), at the end of each inhalation or exhalation we hold the breath and dynamic mula bandha (squeeze the muscles, release, squeeze, release).

IT IS FORBIDDEN: exercise to the limit.

This applies not only to pregnant women, but especially to them. You shouldn’t immerse yourself in classes five times a week in order to have time to prepare your body before giving birth. Especially if you haven’t done anything before.

CAN: listen to your body.

When taking one position or another, listen to the sensations. If it’s difficult, get out of the asana before the instructor says. Do not knowingly perform difficult exercises or accept only their lighter version, which the teacher must inform you about. Your body is so busy serious matter, that it is very important to help him and not hinder him.

IT IS FORBIDDEN: strain your abs and stomach.

Surely there will be objectors to this issue with personal successful experience. But here the story is the same as with manipulation of the abdominal muscles. You can greatly regret that you listened to others, experienced ones. Fortunately, I haven’t seen anything crazy like asanas lying on your stomach in practice, but I can’t help but warn you that this should not be done under any circumstances.

CAN: protect your belly as if a baby is hanging on you, with his arms and legs wrapped around you (because, in fact, that’s what it is).

This means avoiding any pressure on the abdominal walls in bent positions, and always keeping your legs or knees wide apart in resting positions. By the way, one of the best positions for pregnant women to relax is pavanamuktasana - a pose lying on your back with legs bent on the sides of the stomach; It helps to greatly relax your back, which is under particularly heavy strain during this period. Speaking of back...

IT IS FORBIDDEN: perform twisting asanas, positions with deep deflections in the lower back.

All these positions lead to vertebral subluxations, which in turn will cause back pain or chronic diseases of various organs. Plus, this is a completely unnecessary and dangerous load on the lower back.

CAN: simple asanas with a straight back, in which the pelvis and shoulders are in the same plane.

Simple positions are enough for them to perform the function we need - pumping blood and lymph, removing stagnation in the body. And this is exactly what is needed healthy body, who is working on creating a new perfect body.

IT IS FORBIDDEN: inverted asanas.

It is believed that such positions will help get rid of a breech baby. I don’t know how true it is; I haven’t encountered it in practice. But I know for sure that a heavy female pelvis, coupled with a baby in the stomach, raised above the shoulders, will definitely lead to serious problems in thoracic region spine.

CAN: half bridge

This is the only version of the inverted asana that I can recommend to pregnant women if there is no discomfort. Starting position: lying on your back with your legs bent and your feet placed close to your buttocks. Having twisted the tailbone under ourselves (removing the lumbar deflection as much as possible), we raise the pelvis, the hands remain on the floor. There should be no tension or pain in the lower back. To make it more difficult, you can raise your feet on your toes.

IT IS FORBIDDEN: be diligent with stretching.

The body of a pregnant woman secretes special hormone, which promotes the development of elasticity of the ligaments, which is necessary for a successful birth. Therefore, there is a danger of damaging the ligaments by being happy that you are close to the splits.

CAN: moderation.

Work on opening up hip joints definitely makes sense. But smoothness, softness and moderation are important here. Don't let anyone put pressure on your open knees in the butterfly pose or on your back in the wide-legged tilt position. These are all levers that can damage ligaments. Use only your own muscles.

That's probably all general recommendations on yoga for pregnant women. Knowing the basic important rules, you can work out at home with a video blogger or in the fitness room with a trainer. Just don’t forget to tell him about your feelings, doubts and knowledge. Good practice and easy birth!

Much has been said about the benefits and positive effects of yoga during pregnancy. Therefore, we will rather concentrate on the features of yoga in the last months of pregnancy.

Yoga for pregnant women or price yoga is a practice aimed at conscious self-change of a woman preparing to become a mother.

By practicing yoga while expecting a baby, a woman can influence her physical body, and on the psyche. It can prepare for childbirth and future motherhood, and also have a positive effect on the child’s well-being.

As a rule, the third trimester is physically difficult for a woman. The body is rapidly changing, the center of gravity changes, the body begins to gain weight faster, and physical activity becomes more and more difficult. And in the arsenal of yoga there are a lot of tools that help make this period as harmonious as possible, always stay in shape and quickly return to it if something doesn’t go according to plan.

Usually, yoginis do not “lie on the stove” during pregnancy, rather the opposite - they are very active right up to the birth and quickly recover after it. This is due to the fact that yoga teaches a woman to follow her true desires, hear her body and helps her find what is important in life, which keeps the focus away from unnecessary details.

If your introduction to yoga happened during the fragile period of pregnancy, Empire of Moms advises looking for an experienced instructor. This must be an experienced yoga instructor and, of course, a woman-mother who herself practiced yoga long before and during her pregnancy.

Warning

When doing backbend exercises, you need to make sure you have enough room for your belly.

Yoga and childbirth

The fact is that by performing asanas (exercises from yoga complexes), we thereby harmonize our own body, making it strong, flexible and more mobile. We strengthen or relax muscles exactly where it is most needed.

One of the important aspects of childbirth is a woman's ability to push and the ability to do it correctly. To do this, you need to strengthen your abdominal muscles and learn how to control them. An equally necessary skill for a yoga practitioner is the ability to relax “in the face of pain,” the ability to maintain clarity of thinking and control own body. It's no secret that pain is an integral part of childbirth.

By training to relax individual muscle groups in unusual poses and practicing complete relaxation (shavasana), a woman gains a unique ability - to relax effectively in a very short period of time. And this, you see, will be needed not only during labor, but also in the first months of motherhood.

In addition to relaxation and body control, price yoga classes teach expectant mother breathe correctly during childbirth. Pranayama (yoga breathing exercises) enrich the blood with oxygen and train the muscles responsible for breathing. This is especially useful during contractions and pushing, when it is necessary to stimulate labor.

What you should pay attention to

In the last months of pregnancy, many favorite asanas can no longer be performed. It is still comfortable to be in some asanas, but it becomes more difficult to enter them. But we women have an exceptional ability to adapt and fit into the world around us.

Already from the second and throughout the third trimester, auxiliary materials are actively used in Price Yoga classes - cubes, ropes, pillows, chairs, walls... There are many options, the instructor can introduce them to them during the classes.

Yoga for pregnant women has almost no contraindications. The only exception is when a woman is prohibited from any physical activity and bed rest and permanent medical supervision are prescribed as the only option for a safe pregnancy. In this case, you can return to yoga after consulting a doctor, under the supervision of a very experienced instructor.

Pregnancy, especially the first, raises many questions for expectant mothers, and one of them is physical activity during this period. Women wonder whether it is possible to play sports in their condition, and whether exotic physical activity like this will harm the mother and her baby?

Most experts claim that yoga will not only do no harm, but will also help prepare for childbirth, and will also allow the woman to quickly restore her prenatal form in the future.

How is yoga beneficial for pregnant women?

Initially, it should be noted that yoga during pregnancy is significantly different from traditional exercises, which are executed in the “normal state”. Exercises performed by expectant mothers - Iyengar yoga for pregnant women - involve the use of additional devices to facilitate asanas and are more aimed at:

• maintain good physical fitness women,
• be able to relax,
• be able to control your breathing and emotions.

All this, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the psychological state of the expectant mother.

Even if a woman has not previously practiced yoga, performing the exercises will not present any particular difficulties, so you can start classes at any time (from the first weeks), but perform them taking into account the current trimester.

What can serve as a contraindication to yoga during pregnancy?

Before starting yoga classes, be sure to consult with your doctor who is managing your pregnancy, do you have any contraindications in this regard?

If there are any restrictions and possible contraindications Tell your trainer about this - he will select exercises that will not harm you or your unborn baby, and will create an individual program for you.

What can serve as contraindications for yoga?

There are a number of unconditional contraindications, and the main ones are:

1. A doctor’s prohibition based on the general unstable condition of the pregnant woman, or.
2. Miscarriages in previous attempts to become pregnant.
3. Severe early toxicosis with weight loss.
4. Difficult pregnancy.
5. Bleeding of varying intensity.
6. Polyhydramnios.
7. Concomitant somatic diseases.
8. Tachycardia, dizziness.
9. Last week of pregnancy.

If there are such reasons, do not endanger your health and the health of your baby. Wait until you give birth and then you can start (or continue) yoga.

Features of yoga for pregnant women

To better understand how yoga for pregnant women differs from regular yoga, it must be said that yoga originates from Indian culture, where a complex of spiritual, physical and psycho-emotional practices is cultivated, which are aimed at achieving harmony and balance of the body as a whole and its unity with nature .

The state of pregnancy is the most appropriate moment for a woman to learn to accept her new position and at the same time be in harmony with herself.

Yoga for pregnant women is a lightweight version of yoga that eliminates potentially dangerous poses that could harm a woman or her baby, and even moreover, thanks to carefully selected asanas (postures), it will smoothly, step by step prepare the expectant mother’s body for childbirth.

In yoga, special attention is paid to breathing techniques, because correct, deep breathing is one of the most important conditions feeding the fetus with oxygen and its full development. Each trimester of pregnancy has its own set of exercises, and we will explain why this is so in separate sections of the article.

A professional and experienced yoga instructor will always ask the woman in detail about:

• How is her pregnancy going?
• are there any contraindications for starting classes,
• whether she had experience with yoga before pregnancy.

This is far from idle curiosity, but a development stage individual program classes, which is based on the level of preparation of the pregnant woman and her state of health.

If you have started classes, then you need to attend them regularly, and not occasionally, since rare classes will not only have no effect positive influence, but can also worsen a woman’s condition, because in this case, physical activity will be unnecessary stress for the body.

Yoga for pregnant women has 4 main stages of classes:

• yoga 1st trimester (up to 16 weeks),
• yoga 2nd trimester (from 16 to 30-34 weeks),
• yoga 3rd trimester (from 34-35 weeks),
• postnatal yoga, which helps a woman recover after childbirth and organize the work of all her vital organs in the same way.

For those who have previously practiced yoga, have some experience and are planning to continue (or resume) their classes (perhaps independently, at home), it is still worth noting that during pregnancy it is necessary to pay attention to some safety rules, or rather even precautions:

1. It is not advisable to train on a full stomach (meal no later than 1.5-1 hour before class), and it is important to empty your bladder before starting class.
2. For asanas, it is advisable to use auxiliary materials, for example, a bolster, pillow, blanket or bolster.
3. Breathing exercises are best performed while sitting on a chair.
4. Try to move smoothly (especially when lying down and getting up), carefully change positions, because any sudden movements(jumping, jumping) can negatively affect your condition.
5. Avoid asanas that cause discomfort or pressure in the abdominal area, as well as poses that require bending back from a lying position or deep bending forward.
6. If your child is too active and moves around during classes, this is a reason to stop classes. When repeating your baby’s activity during classes, observe which poses seem uncomfortable to him (when he begins to behave too actively), and then eliminate these exercises.
7. If you feel excessive tension or fatigue during exercise, stop training - you should not try too hard, because exercise should bring joy and pleasure, and not exhaust.
8. In the 3rd trimester, try to limit positions or time spent lying down. This is due to the fact that in this position the vena cava is bent and blood circulation worsens, and this can have a bad effect on the condition of the baby and the well-being of the mother herself.
9. Since the 3rd trimester is considered the most traumatic, the exercises must be performed with additional support, and exiting the asana slowly and smoothly.

Yoga in early pregnancy (1st trimester)

Yoga on early stages pregnancy:

• will reduce the manifestations of toxicosis (nausea, dizziness, headaches) and pain in lower abdomen,
• reduce drowsiness,
• will help cope with feelings of fatigue and weakness, apathy and fear.

In addition, it will allow you to stabilize not only your physical, but also your emotional state, since classes during this period focus on breathing exercises, and they are aimed at relaxation, relaxation, awareness of your new position.

By doing yoga during pregnancy, a woman will learn:

1. It is right to relax, while gaining peace of mind and a sense of harmony.
2. Will master breathing techniques for correct behavior during contractions during labor.
3. Will be able to control your weight from the beginning of pregnancy.
4. Will learn proper breathing, which will provide the body with oxygen saturation and prevent the development of fetal hypoxia.
5. It will prepare the body for childbirth by learning to unload the spine and muscles, which in turn will help get rid of fatigue and add elasticity and pliability to joints, tissues and organs.

Yoga Nidra asanas for pregnant women can ideally cope with these tasks.

However, under certain circumstances, in the early stages of pregnancy, yoga may be contraindicated, especially if you have never practiced yoga before. In this case, the instructor may suggest postponing the start of classes until the second trimester - until the pregnancy itself is “consolidated” and all the baby’s organs are already formed. Until the time you can start classes, just spend time in a calm, familiar environment - rest, relax, walk in the fresh air.

Yoga in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy

From 16 to 30-34 weeks, the active period of pregnancy begins, when all the unpleasant sensations and symptoms are behind you and, during the normal course of the process, you need to try to move more, learn to control your body, establish contact with the baby and accumulate strength and energy.

When doing yoga in the 2nd trimester, you need to take into account the convenience and comfort of the baby, and this should come first. All exercises should be enjoyable and beneficial, and therefore it would be useful to use special rollers or the help/support of a partner.

In addition, classes should be systematic (only then will they be beneficial), but at the same time they should not be too long.

Yoga in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy

The main task during this period is relaxation and mastery of labor breathing.

The entire 3rd trimester (after 34-35 weeks of pregnancy) is aimed at rest and preparation for the upcoming birth, and therefore, due to the increased volume of the tummy, many asanas are excluded, and to facilitate the implementation of the remaining exercises, various exercises are used as assistants (to support the body). pillows, blankets, bolsters.

During the 3rd trimester, when doing yoga, you should exclude:

• asanas performed lying on the stomach;
• asanas performed in twisting and deep bending;
• some inverted poses;
• postures in a supine position (due to deterioration of blood circulation, and at the same time this is fraught with fetal hypoxia and the mother’s fainting state).

When performing other yoga exercises (lying on your side or against a support), try to enter, change positions and exit asanas gradually - smoothly and softly. The most useful poses at this stage will be those performed in a standing position, which stabilize hormonal levels.

Regular exercises and correctly performed exercises:

• will help you increase muscle elasticity pelvic area,
• will teach you to control your psycho-emotional background,
• will practice the skill of rhythmic breathing, which during childbirth creates an analgesic effect,
• will remove the row unpleasant symptoms(such as slow blood circulation, tension in sacral region and lower back, constipation, anxiety and nervousness).

If you find it difficult to attend group classes, then you can use video instructions developed specifically for this period of pregnancy.

Just 10-15 years ago, when asked whether it is possible to do yoga during pregnancy, many conflicting opinions would have been expressed, most of which would have been negative. Nowadays, almost no one doubts the benefits of yoga, and therefore, for the convenience of expectant mothers, specialized yoga centers are opening, where, under the supervision of professional and experienced instructors, you can not only receive qualified advice and video material for home training, but also practice in groups , and according to an individual schedule.

But, be that as it may, yoga (like any other sport) should be practiced with pleasure and positive emotions. If yoga classes are like serving your duty, and you go there only because it is “fashionable” or “recommended by friends,” then it is better to choose another type of activity for yourself, for example, swimming (it is also extremely useful for pregnant women).

Health to you and your future baby!