Enter: Prenatal yoga. What if you could calm your mind, strengthen your body, and prepare for childbirth, all during a 60-minute prenatal yoga class? Sounds pretty amazing, right? Well, this type of yoga is. According to a recent study, as many as 26 different yoga postures are safe to practice throughout your entire pregnancy1. These included previously avoided poses such as Happy Baby pose, Corpse pose, Half Moon, Warrior III, and Tree. To make these safer during pregnancy, researchers recommended using blocks chairs or a wall to modify the pose. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists2 say that modified or prenatal yoga is one of the safest forms of exercise during pregnancy. They also recommend combining a yoga practice with other types of activity such as walking, swimming, or stationary cycling. While it might seem obvious—despite the fact that pregnancy can turn your brain into scrambled eggs—Courneya says a good rule of thumb is to be gentle with yourself. “You probably won’t feel good laying on your growing belly, and if there is a twist offered in class, be mindful as to how that feels since there is a lot of shifting happening in your torso,” she explains. In addition to all the shifting going on, you also need to be aware of the impact relaxin has on the body. Relaxin, a hormone your body produces during pregnancy, softens the ligaments of the pelvis to make room for your baby and prepare for childbirth. That said, you shouldn’t push yourself past your comfortable stretching range, even though you might feel more flexible. “When you’re stretching, be mindful to find engagement and activation of your muscles as well as releasing to find the stretch—this will not only free you from over-stretching, it will also support good overall physical balance in your body,” says Courneya. Founder of Strala Yoga and mbg collective member, Tara Stiles, agrees: “As your body relaxes during pregnancy, you’ll feel like you can twist in circles!” she previously writes in mbg. “So do much less than you can or might normally do here. You want to keep your middle pretty roomy and uncompressed.” Not only do prenatal yoga classes support you during the pregnancy, but they are also great for those who want preparation for childbirth. “Physically, prenatal yoga can support your body by strengthening the abdominals and pelvic floor that are used while pushing baby through the birth canal,” says Courneya. She also reminds us that yoga practice isn’t all about the physical. “We learn to breathe, we learn to rest when we need to, and we learn to listen to our bodies.” Stiles also mentions that prenatal yoga is a great practice throughout your entire pregnancy—even postpartum. “You can practice this routine in any stage of your pregnancy,” she says in our Prenatal Yoga class. “Whether you’re thinking about conceiving and starting a new family, whether you’re already pregnant or any stage along, even after you’ve given birth—this is great for recovery for postpartum.”
