8 Yoga Poses To Avoid While Pregnant
The significance of exercise during pregnancy shouldn't be underestimated. Staying mentally and physically fit is difficult during pregnancy, but yoga–among other activities–can help.
Yoga not only helps keep your body ready for labor and childbirth, but it also assists you with remaining calm and relaxed while in labor. Let's look at a list of yoga poses to avoid during pregnancy and continue reading for a list of yoga poses that you can do and enjoy!
Why must you avoid certain yoga poses during pregnancy?
The body tends to undergo a few physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy, and subsequently, you shouldn't push yourself to the limit.
The point of yoga during pregnancy is to expand adaptability, assuage pressure, and work on your breath. It is recommended that you should only perform yoga to the extent that you feel comfortable and if you would like to stop or take a rest in the middle of your session, pay attention to how your body is feeling and enjoy yourself.
Pregnancy, or gestation, is a series of complex changes happening inside your body. During this process hormones and proteins are released into the body causing changes to occur.
There is a lot of blood and hormonal activity going on in the female reproductive system during pregnancy, so it's essential that you listen to your own body and not push yourself too far beyond what feels comfortable for you.
One of the best ways to take care of your baby while pregnant is by taking care of yourself. Yoga has numerous advantages during pregnancy, including developing pelvic fortitude.
Is It Safe to Practice Yoga When Pregnant?
If you already have a stable yoga practice, it's not necessary to stop completely once getting pregnant. It’s possible to continue practicing some postures while adjusting a few and abandoning others entirely.
When in doubt, new sorts of activities during pregnancy are usually not a good idea. If you are unsure of your willingness to take a pregnancy yoga class, start with Yoga classes designed for mothers-to-be.
8 Poses that are meant to be avoided
You should not do yoga poses that are unsafe. Your safety and the safety of your child MATTER when it comes to yoga. These 8 poses are considered unsafe:
1. Twisting or compressing
Twirling around your body and twisting your limbs is never a smart decision during pregnancy. It is important to avoid unnecessary tension in the stomach area during this period. Doing any pose that causes your stomach to be compressed may slow the progression of blood from your legs toward your midsection.
2. Lying on your back
It's undeniable that complex stances are more difficult to learn than simple ones. Although many yoga poses involve lying on your back, any pose that puts pressure on the inferior vena cava can cause it to become strained. This increased pressure on pregnant women is not ideal; which is why specialists ask them to avoid back-lying yoga poses.
3. Jumping or Quick movements
Yoga, by and large, is performed at a slow pace. In some cases, specific postures and practices have quick movements and hopping included. During pregnancy, hopping and quick streaming postures will bring the body under a great deal of strain and should be avoided. Therapeutic and establishing poses are essential during this period since they can help in both embryo development and anticipation of different pregnancy issues.
4. Stretching Poses
It becomes very important to pay attention to serious stretching acts like they may hurt your joints and tendons.
As you push ahead in your pregnancy, your body begins planning for childbirth and labor. This prompts your muscles and tendons to turn out to be more adaptable than previous. Outrageous extending during your second or third trimester could wind up harming your tendons or pelvic joints.
5. Complete or half inversions
Half or partial inversion yoga poses are usually performed by regular practitioners of the activity. Inverted poses during pregnancy may cause extreme feelings of nausea, mood swings, and anxiety. This outrageous exercise can be perilous to both you and your unborn kid.
6. Heated Yoga Poses
Yoga postures that are too warm have the potential to be harmful for a soon-to-be mom. Some yoga poses are said to expand body heat which makes it important to understand how each pose affects the body. The poses that significantly raise body temperature to be avoided in every one of the trimesters as they can likewise cause a lack of hydration during pregnancy.
7. Belly-down poses
Despite the fact that it isn't profoundly dangerous, you may get uncomfortable with these postures during the pregnancy. As pregnancy progresses, you may find that your back becomes uncomfortable and belly rests are no longer comfortable. Comfort is important while practicing yoga, so you may want to avoid belly-down poses.
8. Forward fold with feet together
As your pregnancy progresses, modifications to deep forward folds like uttanasana and paschimottana are needed in order to make space for the infant as well as protect the lower back. Place blocks under your palms as you bend forward to fix the amount of pressure on your lower back.
Finally, 10 poses that you can do!
1. Child's Pose
It is the best yoga pose to reduce stress and anxiety. It also helps in balancing out the pressures that arise due to pregnancy.
2. Downward Facing Dog
Those who are not familiar with this posture should take time learning it, as it is one of the safest poses for pregnant women. It opens up the chest, stretches thighs and shoulders, and improves balance.
3. Wide-legged forward fold
This pose is so great for pregnancy that even if you have completely no yoga experience you can still do it. You need to stretch your arms over your head, push your back out by stretching your legs apart. Keep your mind relaxed and breathe deeply during this posture.
4. Crescent Lunge
It is a powerful pose for avoiding back pain, increasing flexibility of the hips and thighs, stretching shoulders and abdomen, and improving balance. It can be performed on either side as it greatly benefits both the right and left sides of the body but is more beneficial to perform it on the side that is carrying weight.
5. One-legged forward fold
It helps in stretching the hips, thighs, and pelvic area with much more flexibility than a regular forward fold. Also, it is very helpful in reducing back pain during pregnancy time. You can you use two blocks or a chair to support your hands behind while performing this posture to avoid back pain.
6. Upward Facing Dog
It is also good to stretch and strengthen shoulders, arms, and abdomen but if done incorrectly can result in spinal injuries. Make sure that your back isn't rounded during this posture as it may cause strain on the lower back muscles. Also, avoid lowering your head down while performing an upward facing dog pose.
7. Triangle Pose
To perform a triangle pose, stand in mountain posture and then stretch your right leg behind you with the knee bent to form a 90-degree angle. Then, parallel to the floor, place your hands on the left leg just above your ankle. You will feel a deep stretch in your outer hips and thigh.
8. Reclined Twist
When lying on your back, cross your right leg over the left with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your right forearm behind you and gently twist to open up through the upper body and chest. Hold for 10 breaths then switch sides, crossing left leg over right with the right forearm behind you.
9. Legs up the wall
Legs up the wall pose helps in reducing pain and stress felt in the lower back area due to pregnancy. It also helps in getting relief from mild edema by draining fluid from legs through gravity effect. You can do this pose on either side but be careful while performing it as it is not recommended in late periods of pregnancy and can cause miscarriage.
10. Temple Pose
This pose is comparatively easy to do than other difficult poses during pregnancy. It helps in stretching shoulders, arms, back and stomach. To perform temple pose, stand straight while holding your big toes with your fingers or by tying two belts around the big toes. If possible bend your knees and try to touch the ground. While doing this, sit on a pillow with your back straight and lean as much forward as you can.
You must always consult your doctor and trainer before starting a pregnancy yoga schedule. They'll help you pick the right routines that will be safe to do during pregnancy.
Focus on your body's signs; if a pose causes you pain or discomfort, stop doing it.
