Is it safe to do yoga during pregnancy?

Drs. usually recommend that you do the exercise that you're use to while you became pregnant.Don't take chances, especially stretching in the 1st trimester.

I took an awesome prenatal yoga class in Naperville at Universal Spirit Yoga. I really enjoyed it, she created modified sun salutations it was great. You can't do any inversions, down dog, or cobra like poses. Everything you do should leave plenty of space for baby and keep your belly free so the baby doesn't have any pressure put on it. Congratulations!!!!

Hi E.,
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Prenatal yoga is provided three times a week - Tuesdays at 7pm, Saturdays at noon and Sundays at 4:30pm at Universal Spirit Yoga in Naperville. Details are at www.universalspirityoga.com
Props (mats, blocks, bolsters, blankets, tennis balls etc) are provided for yoga students to use at each class. Yoga classes provide the opportunity to work on breathing, relaxation, interaction with other prenatal Moms, and the opportunity to just enjoy being pregnant. We give advice on techniques for reducing low back pain and other aches and pains. One of our teachers is also a doula (someone who provides emotional support during labor and delivery).
We also have Iyengar teacher who can combo teach prenatal and regular students - there is a pregnant yoga teacher regularly attending her yoga classes and doing many of the advanced poses.
In general, try to avoid anything that compresses the abdomen (nothing that causes you to lie on your stomach); avoid twisted poses (ie turning towards your knee in Marichiyasana 3 leaves the belly no place to go!);avoid gomukasana legs...avoid lying on your back during 2nd and third trimesters...there are tons of great yoga poses still available for you.
Sharon and Shannon and I welcome the opportunity to work with you!
You are welcome to email me directly with more questions.
C.
mom of three
registered yoga teacher - RYT200e (1000 hours of yoga teaching experience)

You just need to watch out for some of the things that everyone mentioned below - no compression of your abdomen, avoid any poses that involve you lying flat on your back, and keep a wide open space at all times for your belly. One other thing my yoga instructor always had me do (I take Bikram, and my instructor modified many of the poses for me) was to always be on my left side during any floor work. Also obviously no poses that involve lying on your belly. I only continued my bikram for the first couple of months...some people do it throughout pregnancy, but that type of yoga got too tough for me quickly.

Otherwise, my dr. said bikram or any other yoga during pregnancy is fine, heated rooms ok, just to be absolutely sure you are well HYDRATED. That's the #1 concern...if you are hydrated, just do what feels good and back off a little if you feel faint, tired, or anything else that might indicate you're overdoing it, like pressure in your abdomen. You want to get a workout, but the most important thing is the baby, so only do what feels comfortable and good to you.

If you follow DVDs, go to collagevideo.com and check out what they have for pregnancy. They have a lot of videos in all catagories that you can preview online. They have a lot of pregnancy ones also.

I know it gets difficult to do downward dog. It's virtually impossible to do any poses on your belly (of course). It's also not a great idea to do poses that involve you lying flat on your back.

Other than that, I'd just avoid poses that use your abdominals and that make you uncomfortable.

HI E.,
If you have a regular yoga practice there is no need to change anything in your first trimester (unless your body is telling you otherwise - that is always the best indicator). After first trimester, avoid postures on your belly and flat on your back, and anything that requires a tremendous amount of abdominal strength. In your last trimester if baby is head down avoid any inverted poses (including down dog). There are also poses that are particularly beneficial for pregnancy (squatting, lunges, baddha konasana seated and lying on your back supported). In general, your body will tell you what is appropriate! I would encourage you to add a prenatal yoga class to your regular practice - the focus is different and can really help with comfort during pregnancy, labor, & childbirth, but you don't have to stop going to regular classes. We have 3 prenatal yoga classes a week at the studio I teach at (I teach 2 of them!), in addition to 50+ other classes. Check it out at www.totalbodyyoga.com. Let me know if I can help with other yoga questions! Feel good,
R.

Hi -- I too am on baby #2 and practicing yoga through it all. I'd strongly suggest attending a few prenatal classes at a studio you trust. Talk to the teacher about your yoga experience because many prenatal classes draw students who are brand new to yoga and you will be at a different level than they are.

There are lots of competing theories about what can / cannot be done during pregnancy. Some teachers will say no inversions, others think that if you have a inversion practice already, go ahead and keep going upside down. I've heard two really good points of advice -- 1. Listen to your body because you know best if somethings does not feel right, pregnant or not. 2. Dont start anything new. This is not the time to start learning how to do breath of fire! But if you have a strong practice, keep up with those poses.

I have also consistently heard the advice given below, which is to not compress and to make sure to give your growing belly more and more room in your poses -- wider legs in forward bends, a wider stance in warrior 1, etc.

Hello moms,

I teach a Saturday 2pm-3:45pm class at Moksha Yoga in Chicago and all new students are free for the first class. There are so many benefits of a prenatal yoga practice. You can ease your physical changes, but also develop confidence to prepare for labor and life after delivery. I am also happy to provide private instruction in the Chicago area on evenings or weekends.

Check out the class description here: http://www.mokshayoga.com/classstylesprenatal.html You can also find my biography on this site.

Lastly, I am teaching a free class this Sunday May 3rd at 10am at the Lululemon in Bucktown. Hope to see some new faces soon!

Hi E.

If you are interested in taking a class and live anywhere near Lincoln Park, my friend E. teaches a prenatal class on Sat afternoons at Moeksha. She is an AMAZING teacher and would be able to help you work at any level.

Good luck and congrats on the 2nd rugrat!
A.