Practising yoga through your pregnancy is a wonderful way to nurture yourself and your baby and to prepare your body and mind for the many exciting and challenging life changes that being a mum can bring. As you practise yoga through your pregnancy you’ll probably find that what works and feels right for you in the initial stages can be quite different from what works and feels right as you move through the final trimester towards labour. The advantage for you is that your intuition is typically very strong during this time, so it’s easier to get in touch with what’s right for you.
As the body and mind go through some major changes, “Women often feel quite tired and unwell in their first trimester, so it’s generally a time to do a very gentle yoga practice, focusing on pelvic alignment for optimal placental implantation, and including heaps of restorative and relaxation practices,” says Korin Kritzinger, doula and yoga teacher. “The second trimester, says Kritzinger, “is the ideal time to focus on building strength, especially in the legs, so this is the time for a more vigorous practice, which can include sun salutations and deeper squats.”
During your third trimester (between 34 and 40 weeks) you’ll be experiencing more heaviness in your body as your baby grows and your body moves towards preparing for birth. For many women this is a time of dealing with the discomfort of the final leg of pregnancy. You may experience back pain, lose sacroiliac joints, the discomfort of a widening pubic symphysis and other joints resulting from the relaxing hormones (relaxin) streaming through your system.
Your blood pressure may increase and you may feel even more breathless than before as your baby’s growing body reduces your lung capacity. You may find it difficult to find a comfortable position to relax and sleep in and so already you’re being prepared for any sleepless nights ahead after baby’s birth.
During this time, yoga can help you to make yourself more comfortable and increase your ability to be with your discomfort without the inner resistance and struggle that could otherwise prevent your mind from being able to relax. More than ever, this really is a time of nurturing, of turning inwards and connecting with yourself, your inner strength and your innate wisdom, and yoga can help you do just that.
A regular yoga practice enables you become familiar with using not only your body but also your breath and your voice in ways that can greatly improve your labour experience. One of the most useful skills in labour is your ability to remain centred, focused and relaxed in spite of the strong sensations; and regular yoga practice cultivates this type of awareness.
“Through yoga a woman can become so comfortable in her body she can truly embrace the beautiful combination of experiences that childbirth provides her with — those of being at her most powerful and most vulnerable at the same time,” says Kritzinger.
What’s more, the benefits of practising yoga go beyond your pregnancy and birth. “Taking time out to nurture yourself and your baby through yoga and meditation can also help reduce the risk of postnatal depression (PND),” says Katie Brown, yoga teacher, doula and mum-of-three.
Guidelines for yoga practice
Do only what feels right. If you’ve never practised yoga before it’s fine for you to start in your last trimester. Even just a few weeks of yoga practice towards the end of your pregnancy can be fantastic preparation for the birth of your baby, provided it’s under the guidance of a trained teacher and that you listen to your body, doing only that which is comfortable. Because the experience of being pregnant can be so hugely different from one woman to another and from one pregnancy to another, every pregnant woman will have positions that feel right for her and others that don’t. If you’re having issues with your pubic symphysis, for example, you may want to avoid those poses that have the knees move apart.
Focus on letting go. More than ever, now is a time of letting go and surrendering and for softening physically as your prepare for your baby’s birth. Bring this attitude to your practice so it becomes a more and more familiar state for you.
Keep cool. During pregnancy, your body temperature is higher than normal, so you’ll feel hotter than usual. Avoid doing yoga in a heated environment. Practise in a comfortable environment with fresh air and cross ventilation.
Reduce potential distractions. For instance, the telephone.
Wear comfortable, lose clothing.
Avoid drinking during your practice.
Practise on an empty stomach.
Spend some time warming up. Warm up your body for at least five minutes. Walk around, move your limbs, loosen your joints a bit and warm up your muscles.
Yoga sequence for your 3rd trimester
In the third trimester, Kritzinger generally recommends a slower practice of more gentle postures, with an emphasis on opening, releasing and creating space, focusing on breathing techniques and positions that can be used in labour.
Breath of joy
This is a great way to increase your ever-decreasing lung capacity. Stand with your legs as wide as they need to be so you’re comfortable and bend them slightly. As you inhale, take your arms back, expand your chest and stretch all the way through your arms and fingertips. As you exhale, give yourself a big hug, dropping your chin to your chest. Do this as many times as you like, for at least five breaths.
Spiralling movements
Bellydancing originally started as a pregnancy dance, a dance of fertility. “Moving the pelvis in circular figure-eight motions, and moving the hips, mimics the movements of labour,” says Maha Al Musa, teacher of bellydancing for birth. “These movements help baby’s head to be massaged down onto the cervix,” says Musa.
As you get closer to your due date it’s a good idea to spend some time doing yoga poses and movements that rotate your hips. These will keep your pelvis relaxed and mobile, your muscles and ligaments loose and free of tension and create more space for your baby to descend into your pelvis in an optimum foetal position. You may also want to get yourself a fitness ball — they’re great to sit and move on in a seated spiralling motion.
Standing hip rotations
Stand with your feet as wide as you need them to be comfortable, keeping your knees slightly bent. With your hands on your hips, rotate your hips. See if you can keep your shoulders and upper body still and focus on keeping the movement just in the hips and belly. As you bring your hips forward, inhale, exhaling as you move them backwards. Do as many as you like, about 10 in each direction or more if it feels good.
Hammock positions
While lying back may seem relaxing to you, it’s best to avoid this position, especially during these later weeks, because it slows down the flow of blood to the placenta and could encourage your baby to move into a position that may make your birthing experience more difficult. Instead, spend more time in positions that bring your baby into a hammock-like position. This will help your baby be in the optimum position with his back facing away from your spine. Poses here include forward bends, child’s pose, cat stretch and any movements done on your hands and knees, including crawling around on all fours at home.
Forward bend
Bend forward and place your hands flat on a table, standing with your feet comfortably wide, knees slightly bent. Now relax your head, close your eyes and gently take your awareness to your breath, keeping it long and smooth. Stay here as long as you’d like to.
Kneeling hip rotations
Take position on your hands and knees, knees as wide as they need to be to be comfortable. Now rotate your hips in a bellydance-like circle, breathing in as you bring them forward and exhaling as you take them back.
Cat stretch variation
Take position on your elbow and knees, knees as wide as they need to be comfortable. As you inhale, look up, let your back sink down; as you exhale, take your chin to your chest and draw your belly inwards, giving baby a gentle squeeze. Do this as long as you like, for at least five breaths.
Child’s pose
Relax in child’s pose, moving your knees apart so there’s room for baby, resting your head on either your hands or fists or the floor. If you’d like, place a bolster or rolled-up blanket between your buttocks and heels. If your pubic symphysis is open and sore, avoid this position. Relax here as long as you’d like to, eyes closed, awareness inwards.
Sound
Your vocal folds have an uncanny similarity to your cervix and vaginal opening. When your mouth and vocal chords are relaxed, your cervix is also relaxed.
Experiment with sound
Chanting mantras (ancient Sanskrit chants) or making your own sounds during both pregnancy and birth is one of the most powerful and effective ways to attune to your breathing, enable relaxation and focus so you can deal with pain positively and bring a sense of liberation to your mind. “Practise making sounds with your voice,” says Ganga Karen Ashworth, voice empowerment coach, “so that when the time comes, you’ll feel comfortable allowing yourself to make noise during labour and birth. It will open up the way for your baby and make your journey a lot more comfortable, too.”
Bhramari pranayama (humming bee)
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Place your index fingers on the inner lobes of your ears. Take a deep breath in through your nose and, as you exhale slowly, make a gentle humming sound. Complete 5–10 rounds. If you’re uncomfortable you can practise this lying down with your arms by the side of your body.
Your breath
Establishing a deeper and more familiar connection with your breath is a great way to not only nurture your baby in utero but also to prepare your mind for labour and motherhood. Your breath and mind are intimately connected; whenever you work consciously with your breath you’re working with and having a positive impact on your mind and emotions. For many, the journey towards labour holds varying degrees of fear and apprehension and the work you do with your breath can ease that journey and help dissipate the fear. However your birth may unfold, conscious breathing will help you stay centred and connected to yourself and your baby.
Nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing)
Many of the regular yogic breathing techniques are not recommended for pregnant women. Nadi shodhana is an especially good breathing practice for pregnant women. Sit comfortably, spine straight, head in a neutral position. Place your left hand in chin mudra (hand open to the sky), your thumb and forefinger lightly touching, resting it on your left leg. Now place your right hand in front of your face, your ring finger resting lightly on your left nostril, your thumb resting lightly on your right nostril. Lightly close your right nostril and take a slow breath in through your left nostril. Now close your left nostril and slowly exhale through the right. Inhale through your right nostril and then exhale through your left. This is one round. Complete nine rounds and then sit quietly with your eyes closed.
If you already have your own meditation practice, this is a good time to begin it as nadi shodhana prepares your mind for meditation. If you don’t have a meditation practice, sit quietly for 10 minutes, effortlessly observing your thoughts and your breath.
Meditation
Meditation is a wonderful way of enabling yourself to move more gracefully through the final trimester towards labour. As you move towards labour land, your awareness may naturally become more inward. To deepen this journey and cultivate a more centred and peaceful state of mind, develop the habit of doing daily meditations. If you’ve not yet learnt how to meditate, take the support of some guided meditation CDs.
Final relaxation
Beyond week 20 of your pregnancy, whenever you lie on your back your uterus presses against your vena cava (the large vein that carries blood from your body back to your heart). This reduces the flow of blood to baby, slowing his heart rate and possibly causing a drop in your blood pressure.
Lying on your side, preferably your left, is not only better for the blood flow but can also encourage optimum foetal positioning in the later stages of pregnancy. When you relax at the end of your yoga practice, to make it more comfortable, place a pillow under your abdomen and/or between your legs and then close your eyes for 10–20 minutes. Alternatively, if you really want to lie on your back, just tilt slightly to your left side and place a pillow under your right hip to prevent vena cava compression.
Other tips for your last trimester
Avoid wearing black. Colours affect your mind and mood in different ways. Surround yourself and your baby with beautiful colours, both in the clothes you wear and in your surroundings.
Spend time in nature. This will increase your connectedness with yourself and with the natural rhythms happening around and within you.
Take extra care with your diet. Make sure you’re including lots of foods that are high in prana (life-force energy): fresh, organic vegetables, fruits, nuts, pulses, legumes and milk.
Sit leaning forward. If you’re watching television or working at your computer, create a hammock position for baby to help baby move into an optimal position for birth. Do this by swivelling an office chair around and sitting on it backwards.
Avoid violent movies and books. Choose to watch films and read stories that are light-hearted, full of humour and free from violence. Whatever you feed your mind affects you and baby.
Listen to flute music. Flute music is great for soothing both you and baby. There are many different types of flute music out there and you’ll prefer some to others, so find something you like.
Nap whenever you need to. It’s so important to get good rest in the last trimester of your pregnancy. If possible, take short naps (30–60 minutes) during the day to make up for lost sleep. Don’t feel guilty doing this; both you and your baby will benefit from the rest.
Drink raspberry tea. Some practitioners recommend drinking raspberry leaf tea throughout your pregnancy; others suggest drinking it from 32 weeks onwards. “This tea is thought to have many properties, including those that are beneficial for pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding,” says midwife, Jane Palmer.
Keep good company. “Surround yourself with those people, including and especially care-givers, who believe in your inner strength and capabilities to be a mother,” suggests Jane Hardwick Collings, author of Ten Moons.
Meggan Brummer works as a volunteer for the Art of Living Foundation, teaching courses which combine ancient practical wisdom with simple and powerful breathing techniques to release physical and emotional stress, deeply relax the body and mind and promote general wellbeing. Meggan is also a Corporate Wellness Consultant, an internationally published health writer and a funeral celebrant. Reach her at www.megganbrummer.com or meggan.brummer@gmail.com
