Pigeon Pose for Prenatal Yoga Practice

This prenatal yoga pose helps to stretches the thighs, groins, back, and psoas and opens the chest and shoulders.

Instructions:

1. Sit with legs outstretched straight in front.
2. Bring right foot towards your groin, extend left leg behind your body.
3. Try to square the hips, within your limit, towards the floor.
4. Both hands at the side of body, keeping the body and spine straight
4. If necessary, place a cushion or padding under the right buttock ,to bring the hips square.
5. Continue squaring the hips and breathing into the tightness and relax.
6. Bring left leg to the front and bring up right leg.
7. Repeat pose on the other side.

Beginners be reminded to have adequate padding under the right side of the buttock for support. If necessary, use a few blankets or a block.

Advance prenatal yoga practitioners, may start to bring the right shin more parallel with the front of the mat.

Source: http://www.10prenatal-yoga.com/

Cobbler's Pose for Prenatal Yoga

This pose, with regular practice helps to open groin and hips.

Instructions for this pose:

1. Sit with legs outstretched straight in front.
2. Bend knees and brings the soles of the feet together, let the knees fall out to either side.
3. Keep the spine straight.
4. Strongly, press the outer edges of the feet together.

Breathe in and out.

Beginners, if necessary, may need padding under the sitting bones, depending flexibility of your body. If necessary, position a block under each knee for support

If you are an a dvance prenatal yoga practitioner, may come into a forward bend, keeping your spine long and straight.

Source: http://www.10prenatal-yoga.com/

More Precautions on Prenatal Yoga

Source : www.10prenatal-yoga.com

Many of the prenatal yoga variations are designed to accommodate for a big belly and prevent uterus compression. The uterus remains rather small during the first trimester, and is protected by the pelvis; hence, compression is not really an issue. However, even in the first trimester and you feel uncomfortable, you should always be cautious. Most importantly, remember that this is never a time to try to move forward in your yoga practice, but stay tune with your body and really listen to and respect it.

Throughout your pregnancy, a hormone called relaxin is produced, which is intended to soften your bones and ligaments, and to make room for the baby and getting ready for child birth. With the ligaments softened, it is vulnerable that you will be over stretching your self and. Avoid going further into poses, other than what you are familiar with, as an over stretched ligament is a serious injury that can not be healed easily. Be extra careful with your knees.

Pose like seated spinal twist, which is a deep twist from the belly, it compresses the internal organs, including the uterus, should be avoided in prenatal yoga practice. Instead, twist more gently from the shoulders.

Jumping activity may result the dislodgement of the fertilized egg from the uterus and should be avoided during prenatal yoga practice.

Any pranayama that requires breath retention or rapid forced exhales and inhales such as Skull Shinning Breath should be avoided in any of your prenatal yoga practice. Instead, begin to practice birthing breath.

Inversion poses a risk of falling and injury; you may substitute inversion with Legs up the Wall.

Generally, deep backbends like Full Wheel pose should be avoided in prenatal yoga practice. However, if you performed this pose without any difficulty before the pregnancy, you may like to continue to do it in the first trimester.

Poses that are purely abdominal strengtheners such as Boat Pose should be avoided in prenatal yoga. You should allow your abdomen to soften a bit to allow for the stretching that follows.

Poses that require you to lie on the belly, such as Cobra, can be practiced in the first trimester as the fetus is still very small. As your pregnancy progresses or any other time, when they cause any discomfort, these poses should be avoided.

Your doctor may advise not to lie on your back for long periods or even recommend you to sleep on your side in your second trimester. You can start practicing Corpse Pose lying on your left side as early in your pregnancy as you wish to be.

Hot yoga or Bikram yoga should be avoided during prenatal yoga practice, as it is not recommended to raise your body’s core temperature during pregnancy. Bikram yoga practitioners may make use of this opportunity to explore other yoga options.

Ashtanga yoga may be too intense for prenatal yoga practice. Just be flexible and willing to accept that, Ashtanga is not suitable during pregnancy.

As usual, always consult your prenatal healthcare provider before starting any form of exercise regime.