Prenatal yoga is an ideal way to stretch your muscles, gain strength and relax while pregnant. Yoga can help you experience a feeling of well being and community with other pregnant mothers, notes Cynthea Denise, registered nurse and prenatal yoga instructor in Oakland, California. Not all regular yoga positions are safe for gestating mothers, however. Practicing with a yoga instructor can help you feel more confident with prenatal yoga, but you can also try some safe and basic positions at home to help relieve stress and stretch your tired muscles.
Knee Rocking
Knee rocking can help relieve some of the stress and muscle pain that you may find along your pelvic area, says "Parents" magazine. It is an easy beginner pose that can help you feel relaxed. Start by sitting in a cross-legged position on the floor or on a cushion and use your arms to gently cradle one knee. Rock back and forth on your hip joint as you breathe deeply, and then switch legs when you are ready.
Child's Pose
The child's pose can help to relieve pain in your chest and pelvis by gently opening the areas and allowing you to stretch them out. Get on all fours and slide your knees outward so that they are slightly wider than your hips. Place your bottom between your heels and bring your head to rest between your hands, as if you were a child crying on the ground. Hold the pose for as long as you wish, making sure to breath deeply.
Parighasana
Parighasana, the pose of sideways rocking, can help stretch out the tired oblique muscles, and it also aides in digestion, which can sometimes be a problem during pregnancy. Sit on a yoga mat, with your knees to one side of you. With a deep breath, stretch your arms above your head, bringing your hands to meet in the center. Rock from side to side, breathing deeply. When you are ready, switch to the other side and repeat.
Cat n' Cow
The cat n' cow pose helps to keep your abdominal muscles strong, while loosening your hip muscles. Get down onto your mat on all four, and push your pelvis down to the floor. Hold for three seconds before taking a deep breath and scooping your abs up, rounding your back into a cat stretch. Hold and repeat the stretch as many times as you would like.
Breathing and Meditation
Breathing and meditation can be an important part of your prenatal yoga routine. You can begin with positive affirmations that will help you during labor or just find peace after an especially stressful day. Stand with a neutral spine, allowing your energy to come through the top of your head, radiating through your fingers and toes. Reach up over your head with a deep breath, thinking or saying a positive affirmation, like "each breath helps my baby to be strong." Finish each prenatal yoga routine with this type of mediation and breathing.
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