Yoga for Pregnancy

For the first trimester, standing Yoga Poses are advised as this will help strengthen the legs, enhance circulation, generate energy, and may reduce leg cramps. During the second and third trimester, you may reduce your time spent for practicing the Asanas to prevent fatigue and overwork. Instead focus more on breathing and meditation.

It is also not advised to practice from the tenth through the fourteenth week of Pregnancy since these are crucial times. Do not overstretch the abdomen; the emphasis of your twisting poses should be on the shoulders and the upper back and not on the abdomen. Avoid doing inversion.

Yoga is also beneficial because it helps you learn to breathe deeply and relax, which will come in handy as you face the physical demands of labor, birth, and motherhood. In fact, one of the first things you learn in a yoga class is how to breathe fully. The breathing technique known as ujjayi requires you to take in air slowly through your nose, filling your lungs, and exhale completely until your stomach compresses.

Learning how to do ujjayi breathing primes you for labor and childbirth by training you to stay calm when you need it most. When you're in pain or afraid, your body produces adrenalin and may produce less oxytocin, a hormone that makes labor progress. A regular yoga practice will help you fight the urge to tighten up when you feel pain, and show you how to relax instead.

Yoga Poses During Pregnancy
The following are the Yoga Poses that can help you in dealing with the symptoms of pregnancy, ensuring smoother and easier delivery, and faster recovery after childbirth. Poses that put pressure on the abdomen and other difficult poses should not be done during advance stages of Pregnancy. You do not have to do all these Asanas and remember to listen to your body and just do as much as you easily can.

- Sukhasana
- Shoulder lifts
- Neck excersises
- Ujjayi breathing
- Full yogic breathing
- Bhramari
- Cat pose
- Vajrasana with ujjayi
- Mountain Pose
- Konasana
- Trikonasana
- Veerbhadrasana
- Paschimottan asana
- Gentle Butterfly
- ViptritKarni (against the wall)
- Shavasana (Final Relaxation)
- YogNidra
- NadiShodhanPranayam
- Meditation