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, 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
- 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.
Benefits:
This
asana improves the blood circulation in the discs of your back. This simple
asana is super effective for people with back pain. If you spend a lot of time
sitting, then this pose is apt for you. This is highly apt even for pregnant
women as it promotes a healthy spine.
Precautions:
1.
Never strain your neck either when trying to gaze the sky or when dropping it.
Be gradual with all the poses.
2.
Make sure that your arms are straight so as to ensure that the movement is with
your spine and not with your elbows.
Tips
For All Your Trimesters:
1. Never perform any asana without
consulting/taking the advice from your physician.
2. If you are doing any of the above
asanas without any guidance, take utmost care while doing each and every asana.
3. Make sure that your protein intake is at
least 60 grams a day.
4. Drink plenty of fluids and eat fruits a
lot.
5. Since you would be using your body
sugar’s faster, eat 6 small meals a day.
6. Try to lie on your left when you sleep
to ensure maximum oxygen supply for the growing baby.
