Yoga exercises for pregnant women

Two midwives from one of my training groups put it in a nutshell. They say: "Yoga is the best preparation for childbirth."
In fact, yoga practice improves self-awareness and body awareness. In this way, the way in which you perceive your baby in the womb is also sensitized. Knowing what is good for you and your baby strengthens and deepens the bond with the unborn child. Yoga also helps you to better accept the challenges of pregnancy and childbirth on a physical and mental level and to deal with them on your own responsibility.
Your belly is growing, the clothes you are used to suddenly no longer fit, the hormones are going crazy, your mood may fluctuate unusually often, over time the first pregnancy-related symptoms may appear and you catch yourself thinking “How will my body feel after the pregnancy? pregnancy changed? How will having the baby affect being with my partner? Will we harmonize as a family? When can or should I go back to work after the birth?” or if you are already a mother, you may be concerned that there will be jealousy among your children. You may also be single and will actually be on your own in the coming weeks and months.
With all these open questions, it helps a lot if you know a technique that can quickly relax you, strengthen you internally and center you when your restlessness increases. Yoga can be such a technique for you.
Yoga exercises have a strengthening and harmonizing effect on the different parts of the body, the organs, the nervous system, the glandular system and the chakras. Chakras (chakra = the wheel) are energy centers (or energy wheels) with a specific position and function in the body. Certain yoga postures, so-called asanas, train possible positions that you can assume during childbirth, e.g. squatting, lying on your side or quadruped. Other positions work well during labor or pauses in labor. The breathing exercises train the ability to control your breath and thus facilitate the birth process. Many fears can be reduced by the feeling of being well prepared for the birth. Yoga during pregnancy prepares you for a natural and active birth.
In addition to the physical level, yoga also works on deeper levels of being and can lead you to one of the most important skills that a woman can (re)discover during pregnancy: your intuition. Intuition is often equated with gut feeling, and in hardly any other situation in life is the description so appropriate. Meditation is a wonderful tool to get in touch with your intuition, to better recognize the needs and changes in your body and to react to them in a more targeted way. Regular meditation helps you to take on the role of observer so that you no longer constantly identify with thoughts and feelings. In this way you can also rest more in yourself in everyday life. This strengthens your confidence in your body and in the course of pregnancy in general.

Body work during pregnancy is important, because birth is also body work, according to a midwife I work with as part of the yoga training.

The physical exercises during pregnancy:
· gently maintain physical fitness, relieve and strengthen legs and back, improve posture
· promote mobility of the pelvis
· show you possible birthing positions and positions that you can adopt during labour
· counteract pregnancy-related complaints
· Dissolve energy blockages and thus bring the prana (life energy) in the body to flow unhindered again
· train the perception of the pelvic floor and have a strengthening effect
· facilitate recovery

Question: I already have experience practicing yoga - which exercises can I still do and which should I avoid?
Basically, what is good for you and your body is allowed. Which exercises are still comfortable for you and which are no longer also depends on the progress of your pregnancy. You should note the following:

• · Stop doing prone exercises once you are no longer comfortable with them

• · Refrain from exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles

• · Avoid any exercises that put pressure on the abdomen, such as the twist sit and the classic forward bend

• · When doing balance exercises, make sure that you only do exercises in which you can keep your balance safely

• · Do not practice too advanced pranayama, because breath-holding exercises are not suitable during pregnancy. So miss out Kapalabhati and practice

• alternating breathing without holding your breath

• · The following applies to all exercises in the supine position: only practice them as long as you feel comfortable and do not experience dizziness or nausea · Make sure that you only practice backbends gently - if at all - and avoid a hollow back

On the subject of inverted postures: if you are familiar with them, you can also practice exercises such as shoulderstand and headstand during pregnancy, but only as long as you feel comfortable doing it. Chances are, at some point you'll become comfortable with gentle inversions like this - prefer down-facing dog or the shoulder bridge.
If you want to practice Bandhas, only use Mula Bandha and do without Uddhiyana and Jalandhara Bandha.
For Shavasana, the relaxation, prefer the side position instead of the back position.

The vein pump & mobilization of the wrists

In a long seat, support your hands behind your body and open your legs slightly. Inhaling pull your toes towards your body, push your heels away from your body. Exhale stretch your toes and feet. Repeat a few times with the breath. Then describe large circles from the ankles, also connecting with the breath. Extend your arms straight forward, make loose fists, relax your shoulder blades back and down, then rotate your hands. Release fists, close fingers, tilt hands up and down. Make fists, spread fingers. Mobilizes the ankles and wrists, works against edema, stimulates circulation and blood flow. Helps with water retention around the joints, especially in the summer months.

Sitting cobra

Clasp your hands in front of your body, palms facing away from your body. As you inhale, bring your arms up and gently stretch your upper body. Exhale and lower your arms back down. Release your hands and fold them together behind your body. As you inhale, gently pull your arms back and down, opening your chest, contracting your shoulder blades, pulling your shoulders back and down. Release on the exhale. Stretches the chest and shoulder muscles, relieves tension in the shoulder girdle, deepens breathing.

Lateral spinal rotation

Sitting cross-legged, place your right hand on your left thigh and place your left hand behind your buttocks. Exhale gently turning your upper body to the left. The spine is long and erect, the shoulders gently pull back and down. Avoid leaning backwards and leaning too hard on your hand behind your buttocks. Hold a few breaths and then switch to the other side. Mobilizes the spine and chest, stretches and relaxes the back muscles.

Flank stretching

While sitting cross-legged, place one hand on the floor behind your thigh, fingertips pointing to the side. Raise the other arm while breathing in, bend the upper body to the side while breathing out. Distribute the weight evenly on both seat bones, gently lengthen the flank. Hold for a few breaths, then repeat to the other side. stretches the flank, mobilizes the thoracic spine, deepens breathing If you have symphysis pain, practice flank stretching while sitting on your heels

Butterfly

Straighten the spine in the butterfly, lift the breastbone and straighten the back. Exhale and lower your knees towards the floor. The hands can be on the ankles or on the toes. Or support your hands behind your body and arch your chest towards the ceiling so that your pelvis can relax even more. Opens the pelvis and promotes blood circulation in the pelvis. Stretches the muscles of the hips and inner thighs, relieves tension in the hip area. Prepares the pelvis for childbirth. Do not practice if you have symphysis pain, unstable sacroiliac joints, premature labor or premature opening of the cervix, or if you have acute knee problems.

Shoulder & Neck Exercises

Pull your shoulders towards your ears on an inhale, let them drop on an exhale. Roll your shoulders (both directions). On an exhale pull your chin towards your chest, keeping your spine long and straight, your shoulders continuing to gently roll back and down. Then tilt your head back slightly (as far as is comfortable). Hold a few breaths. Finally tilt the head to the right side, the right ear pulls down to the right shoulder, the tip of the nose points forward. Come back to the center. Repeat to the left. Relieves tension in the neck and shoulders, stretches the muscles in the neck and neck, mobilizes the cervical spine Do not practice if you have acute and painful cervical vertebrae and shoulder problems

Camel ride

Sit on your heels, your hands on your thighs (if you are not comfortable sitting on your heels, even with aids, do the exercise cross-legged, with your hands resting loosely on your knees. Rock your pelvis first, circling your pelvis is also possible). As you exhale, pull your sternum back so that your neck and back are slightly rounded, your chin pulls toward your sternum, and your body weight shifts slightly backwards. As you inhale, lift your sternum and head, open your chest and gently contract your shoulder blades. The weight of the body is now shifted slightly forward. Repeat with the breath. Arm variation: Raise the arms, on the exhale the arms round, as if hugging a large ball. As you inhale, open your arms to your sides. mobilizes the spine and chest, relieves tension in the back, deepens breathing.

Forward bend in straddle

Open your legs from the long seat and come into a wide straddle. Sit on a cushion to keep your pelvis upright. In preparation, massage or smooth out the muscles on the inner thighs. As you inhale, place your fingertips on the mat in front of you, keeping your upper body upright. As you breathe out, bend your upper body slightly forward, only going as far as your stomach has enough space and your back does not round. Raise the breastbone, the shoulders gently sink down. The palms or fingertips rest on the floor in front of the body, the neck is long. Possibly bend your legs a little. Stay for a few breaths and then straighten up again. Stretches the hips and inner thighs, promoting the ability to surrender and let go Do not practice if you have symphysis pain, acute painful back pain, unstable sacroiliac joints or if the abdomen is pressing heavily on the breastbone / costal arch in this position in advanced pregnancy.

Balance Posture (after forward bend)

In a long sit, place your hands behind your buttocks, fingertips pointing backwards, legs are relaxed OR stretched out. Inhale lengthen your back, exhale open your chest towards the ceiling, let your head sink slightly back. A few breaths remain. stretches the chest and shoulder muscles, relieves tension around the chest and heart, deepens breathing

The swivel seat

In a long seat, raise your right leg with your foot approximately level with your left knee. Either put the foot on the other side of the extended leg or keep it on the same side. Take hold of the raised knee with both hands and straighten up. Now loosen your left hand, twist your upper body to the left and place your left hand behind your body. The spine remains long and straight in this position, the shoulders gently sink down, the hand is only loosely supported behind the body. Do not lean backwards with your weight. Breathe deeply and regularly, enjoying the twist in your spine, and then switch to the other side. mobilizes the spine, calms the nervous system, stretches and relaxes the back muscles Do not exercise if you have acute back or sciatica problems, exercise cautiously if you have scoliosis

Have fun with yoga during pregnancy!
Karin