- Get on your hands and knees.
- Exhale – Round your back by tucking your chin towards your chest.
- Inhale – Arch your back downwards and look up(towards the ceiling).
- Repeat this cat-cow posture for about 5 times.
Prenatal Yoga: Best Yoga Asana For Easy Normal Delivery
Congrats
on your pregnancy first! Enjoy this most beautiful phase of your life. All 3
trimesters are very much important and some simple yoga poses can solace you.
Irrespective of age, yoga comprises of customized exercises for each and every
one. Yoga makes your muscles more strong and supple for normal vaginal
delivery. Apart from providing the required strength, stamina and focus, yoga
has immense benefits for a mother-to-be. It
helps in relieving your pains, stress, and anxiety and thus induces good sleep.
Yoga
helps in improving the flexibility of your pelvic muscles and ensures the
baby’s best birth position. Support your love life, by following these yoga
poses that will contribute a lot on your big happy day. A woman’s ability to
give a happy birth to a baby is directly related to her ability to let go of
stress in her gripping muscles.
First Trimester
Yoga:
Your body
undergoes a huge transformation during the first trimester. It is building a
mechanism to nurture another life which can make you fatigue, hence you need to
take rest. The first 12 weeks of your pregnancy is phenomenal for you to
connect yourself with your body.
There is
no scientific proof that prenatal yoga is harmful in your first trimester, but
on the safer side, I’m proving you the best asanas that are highly helpful in
your first trimester. These asanas help you to have more focussed breathing and
a clear mind. Pregnancy doesn’t mean sickness, so discover the potential in you
with these asanas.
Note:
Avoid
asanas that overstretch your abdominal muscles and uterus. Try avoiding
inversions, backbends and closed twists.
1.
Tadasana
This pose
is also called Mountain Pose. This is the mother of all the standing yoga
poses. This beginner level asana can be practiced at any time of the day.
Way To Do
It:
1. Stand
erect with your legs a bit apart. Your hands should hang alongside your body.
2. Stretch
your arms, shoulders, and chest upwards, thus resting your body weight on your
toes.
3. Make
your thigh muscles firm by lifting your kneecaps ensuring to harden the lower
part of your belly (don’t harden it much).
3. Inhale
– Imagine a stream of white light passing through your ankles, inner thighs,
groin, spine, neck, and head. Hold your body in this pose for about 5 to 10
seconds.
4. Exhale
– Look upward slightly.
Tip:
Feel your
breath journey while performing this asana. Choose a focus point and
concentrate on it to avoid any distractions.
Inhale –
Breath journey: Upwards; Toes – Stomach
– Head.
Exhale –
Breath journey: Downwards; Head –
Stomach – Feet.
Benefits:
This
asana relieves all your body pains and refreshes your body. It keeps you
energetic and enthusiastic.
Second
Trimester Yoga:
This trimester
is usually termed as the
golden period. You will start gaining back your energy and your morning
sickness, wooziness, nausea, and etc…, that you had in your first trimester
will come to a stop in this 2nd trimester. Your baby bump starts
showing up and you will get all the positive attention of being pregnant.
Yoga in
this trimester increases the progesterone
levels of pregnant women thus soothing your muscles and improving your
digestion.
Note:
Avoid
inversion poses in this trimester.
Below are some of the safe poses for your second trimester.
1.
The Side Leg Raise
This
asana is also called as Vishnuasana/Anantasana.
It is derived from the two Sanskrit words “Ananta”, “Asana” which means “The
infinite one” and “Posture” respectively.
Way
To Do:
1. Lie on
your right and place your left
leg on the top of your right.
2.
Support your head using your right arm.
3. Place
your left hand either on your hip
or on your baby bump. Gradually raise your left leg upwards vertically as much
as possible. Stay in this pose for 10 seconds.
4.
Further, lower your left leg to its
normal position and repeat this asana 5-6 times.
5. Repeat
the same with the right leg by
sleeping on the other side(left).
Benefits:
This
asana relaxes your hamstrings. It gives
a good stretch and flexibility to your inner thighs as well as your abdomen.
Precautions:
1. Keep
the knee straight while performing
this exercise.
2.
Perform this asana in a slow and
controlled fashion.
2.
The Warrior Pose
This
asana is also called as “Virabhadrasana”,
the asana of the mythical warrior named ‘Virabhadra’.
Way
To Do:
1. Start
by standing and placing your feet
40 inches apart.
2. Turn
your right foot completely outwards.
3. Inhale
– Raise and place your hands to
the shoulder level.
4. Exhale
– Bend your right knee and
extend your left leg.
5. Repeat
the same with the other foot.
Benefits:
It
strengthens the muscles in your back, ankles,
knees, and shoulders. This exercise boosts your self-esteem and confidence.
Precautions:
If you
have any injuries related to your
hip, knees, back or your shoulders then avoid this pose.
If you
have any balance difficulties then
avoid this pose.
Third
Trimester Yoga
With the
3rd trimester of your pregnancy
nearing, there are several things wandering and wondering your mind. Mute them
all with yoga and meditation. Your baby’s movement starts becoming more evident
and strong. The extra weight you gain because of your protruding belly changes
your balance in every posture. Below are some poses which require no balance.
1.
Butterfly Pose:
This
asana is also called as Badhakonasana or Cobbler pose. Badha means
restrained, Kona
means angle and Asana means
pose. Since both the feet are tucked close and clasped tightly with our hands
in a particular angle, this is named as Badhakonasana.
Pronunciation: Bah-dah-cone-ahs-ana
It
is also known as cobbler pose because this pose resembles a cobbler at work.
Way
To Do:
1. Sit on
the floor with an erect spine spreading
out your legs straight.
2. Bend
your knees and slowly bring your
feet towards the pelvis. Make sure that the souls of your feet are touching
each other.
3. Inhale
– Grab and hold your feet
tightly with your hands ensuring your heels as much close to your genitals as
possible.
4. Exhale
– Press your thighs and knees
towards the floor.
5. Flap
both your legs similar to a butterfly
that flaps its wings, further while stopping the flap, slow down and stop.
Note:
Increase the flap speed of your legs gradually, it should never be abrupt.
While
doing this pose keep breathing normally. Also push your heels to your genitals
gradually,
always listen to your body.
Benefits:
This
asana helps in relieving fatigue. With
regular practice, this asana helps in a smooth delivery.
Precautions:
A person
suffering from back pain,
lower-back disorders should not perform this pose.
Sciatica
patients should avoid this asana.
If there are any medical conditions, perform this asana under strong
supervision.
2.
Garland Pose:
This is
also called as Malasana. It is
derived from the two words ‘Mala’ and ‘Asana’ which means ‘garland’ and ‘pose’
respectively. It releases your stress and improves your focus. This highly
beneficial pose is a bit difficult for beginners. So they can start by sitting
in this pose for 15 seconds and gradually increase it.
Way
To Do:
1.
Inhale – Stand in a mountain pose by spreading your feet a hip distance apart.
2.
Exhale – Squat down by bending your knees deeply and sinking your hip low past
the knees. Separate your thighs a bit wider than your torso. Lean your torso
forward and gently push it (your torso) between your thighs.
3.
Lengthen your front torso by pressing your elbows against your knees (inner
knees).
4.
Bring your palms together as in Anjali Mudra. Support the knees into the elbows
by pressing your outer arms against your inner thighs.
5.
Stay in this position for about 30 seconds, then relax to Uttanasana and then
release the pose.
Stretch:
This pose
stretches your ankles, groin,
and back. This pose acts as a savior pose for pregnant women as it provides
flexibility to both pelvic and hip muscles in times of stress.
Benefits:
This pose
helps in strengthening your
thighs, ankles. It makes your hips more
mobile and opens up your pelvic muscles for an easier childbirth.
Precautions:
1. If
your heels aren’t reaching the
floor, rest them on a folded blanket. Make sure they touch either the blanket
or the floor.
2. To
protect your joints, keep your knees
pointed in the same direction as your toes.
3. People
with knee problems can avoid
doing this pose.
4. Listen
to your body. If this pose is
painful, then don’t stay in this pose.
5. Warm
up before any exercise. It is
important before performing any asana.
3.
Cat/cow pose:
This is a
beginner pose and it targets
your spine and abdomen. When you inhale, your pose would be similar to that of
a cow and when you exhale, it would be similar to that of a cat. Hence the name
Cat/cow pose.
Way
To Do
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