Prenatal Yoga in Billings MT.  Contact me if you are interested, to see if there is a class this week. Can be Fridays 4:30-5:30 doors open at 4:15 Mother Earth Massage, 2706 Minnesota Ave $10. drop-in rate. It could be another day and time if we have a group agreement. I am happy to teach prenatal yoga when we can get a group of 5 or 6 dedicated pregnant woman together.  Also, tell your pregnant friends or acquaintances that would like to move through their pregnancy more easily with yoga about the class.  Groups come and go, just like pregnancies. Text Laura at (406) 794.9519

 

Prenatal Yoga - Maternity Yoga - Postnatal Yoga

This comprehensive Prenatal Yoga class prepares women physically, mentally, and emotionally for the natural process of childbirth and motherhood.

Classes increase strength, stamina, flexibility, as well as breath and body awareness while relieving the common discomforts often experienced during pregnancy. Each class concludes with 10 minutes of Meditation and or breathing exercises that can be used during labor and for the rest of your life.  Meditation can remove tensions and worries embedded deep in the mind concerning labor and delivery.

Prenatal students should check with their physician before beginning this practice if they are experiencing any complications/concerns with their pregnancy.

Benefits of Prenatal Yoga

  • Prepares both mind and body for labor
  • Increases overall strength and flexibility
  • Reduces lower back pain & sciatica
  • Decreases swelling & inflammation around joints
  • Aids in digestion and overall GI comfort
  • Prepares expecting mothers physically for giving
  • Improves emotional well-being
  • Increases physical health, ability, and vigor
  • Reduces aches & fatigue in the thoracic & cervical regions of the spine

Yoga poses that are contraindicated, or not recommended, throughout your pregnancy include deep abdominal twists, poses that compress your belly, poses that stretch your belly and poses that press your heel into your belly while seated. Examples of poses to avoid include upward bow, or back bends, camel, headstands, shoulder stands, handstands, boat pose, revolved triangle pose and half lotus. It’s also advised to avoid any unsupported single-leg poses – “Balancing Poses”.

There are many advantages to practicing yoga while pregnant. One study of over 320 women found that practicing yoga once a day improved birth weight, decreased the risk of preterm labor, and decreased intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and pregnancy-induced hypertension associated with IUGR. Yoga reduces anxiety, increases flexibility, and prepares the body for labor.

That being said, there are some yoga positions that instructors generally recommend pregnant women should avoid, especially during the second and third trimesters.

Read a list of yoga positions to avoid during pregnancy after first trimester!

According to Babycenter.com and About.com, here are the top poses and types of yoga to avoid:

Avoid Deep Twisting, Serious Stretching, or Lying on the Bump: Generally, mommas-to-be should avoid poses that deeply twist, compress, or stretch their stomachs, including deep side twists like revolved triangle, as well as back bends.  Skip full wheel, plow, boat, and cobra.  When doing moves with a lighter twist, be sure to twist from the shoulders, not the stomach. Instead of wheel, do bridge.

Avoid Hot Yoga: Doctors advise patients not to raise their core temperatures while pregnant, so practicing hot yoga or Bikram is generally not recommended.

Avoid Savasana: You’ll also want to avoid lying directly on your back, as this position might put pressure on the baby’s blood supply.  Instead, curl up on your left side or sit in a cross-legged position during savasana.

Avoid Rapid Breathing: Any pranayama that requires you to pant or hold your breath compromises the baby’s oxygen supply. Practice deep, steady breathing instead.

Avoid Holding Poses Too Long: Similarly, holding poses for an extended period of time can impact your baby’s oxygen supply.

Avoid Inversions: While some experienced yogis continue do to inversions, such as shoulder stand and handstands, throughout pregnancy, it is generally recommended that mommas-to-be skip any move that put them upside-down.

Avoid Unassisted One-Leg Stands: Since your center of gravity shifts while pregnant, stand near a wall or chair when doing any one-leg balance pose, like airplane.

Avoid Jumps: Jumping moves put unnecessary stress on your joints.

While it may seem that there are many yoga moves you cannot do while pregnant, there are many poses to enjoy.  Hip-openers, like pigeon, triangle, and warrior II, will open your hips, increase flexibility, and prepare you for birth.  Positions in which you’re on all fours, like cat-cow, can help move the baby into optimal position.  If you’re attending a non-prenatal yoga class, be sure to let the instructor know you are pregnant and would like her to offer you modified moves.  Above all else, listen to your body – if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it!

Also on Babble: 10 great benefits of prenatal yoga