Yoga - continue as normal?

[BeachYogi]

Hello... I'm a long time yogi and am generally fit and healthy. Since being pregnant (7 weeks now) I've been scared to practice my usual yoga sequences. I am really noticing a difference (more aches and pains and my mood is lower) and so I'm thinking of starting my morning practice again and using my intuition/body awareness concerning my physical limits.
Did any other experienced yogis continue their practice in pregnancy? There is so much conflicting advice online!

Anecdotal only but my experience would suggest huge caution. I did a pregnancy yoga c

Generally if you are an experienced yogi you could do any movement during pregnancy and it will be okay as your body is used to it (I know women who still did twisting poses up to 6 Months). But you should listen to your body and if anything feels uncomfortable stop.

Personally I would go to a pregnancy yoga class then do their moves at home too.
Iv practiced yoga for years too but your body has different needs when pregnant and videos is no substitute for a good yoga teacher who can see what you're doing.

Just to reassure you, I had such a low mood around 6/7/8 weeks. I'm now 12 weeks and feel so much more normal, like my old self and way more excited. So I just wanted to let you know you're not alone there.

I'm also a fellow yogi and to be honest I was so shattered in the first trimester I managed a couple of tiny pre-bedtime sequences and that was it. That said, I totally understand that you want to continue to help your mood etc. Personally I would look up pregnancy yoga on youtube and stick to that. Then once you hit the 12 week scan mark, you can sign up to a physical yoga for pregnancy class.

Yoga is said to be amazing for pregnancy though, so it's definitely not something to be scared of as long as you modify accordingly. I recently finished reading 'Expecting Better' and in it there was some research to suggest that pregnant women who did pregnancy yoga had a short labour than those who didn't - on average, two hours!

Hi

I was a long term yogi and my mum is a yoga teacher... There are a couple of aspects to it. In theory yes you can continue however most yoga teachers aren't taught modifications as part of their 200 hour teacher training so they may be anxious having you in the class. And in fact most won't want you to attend before second trimester.

There are lots of modifications you need to take, done my best to think of them here:

As a general rule avoid:

• Planks/Chaturanga/boat/core work
• Anything on your stomach is a big no - modified cobra is like a cow pose on your knees.
• Deep back bends eg wheel
• Twisting unless it's an open twist (if you're in doubt don't do it)
• For anything standing where legs are supposed to be together take a wider stance
• Forwards folds get a lot harder with your bump so you'll need to modify to make space
• You'll likely want a shorter stride in any standing positions
• And re breathe work... not sure if you do this in your classes but no holding of the breath or anything pumping the stomach... keep a steady breath.

On the other hand actual pregnancy yoga classes can be nice. I made lots of friends and it was a lovely environment - though not a physical workout really.

Hope that helps and congratulations!

Oh one more thing, the release of relaxin can make your joints a lot more flexible in things like butterfly, I used blocks under my knees to rein it back a bit so I didn't over extend

I do pregnancy pilates and pregnancy yoga - check out Dr. Brie's videos on youtube. They are free and designed for pregnant women and I find them really good and relaxing!

Doodle has it spot on, great advice.

I found I was too tired for my usual practices during my first trimester. I just did some simple relaxing sequences at home whenever I had the energy, mostly sitting poses and gentle breathing so that I still got the mental benefits.

From weeks 12-22 ish I went back to my usual classes, with the full support of my teachers. I just went at a slower pace, modified where needed and made use of props to prevent over stretching.

Then I did some pregnancy yoga which at first felt VERY different to "real" yoga, but definitely benefitted me. I learnt some safe stretches to keep the aches and pains at bay, and some little modified sequences that I could follow at home too. We also did a lot of pelvic floor work and breathing practice in preparation for labour. If highly recommend finding a good pregnancy yoga class once you're further along.

I don't see why you wouldn't do pregnancy yoga instead, as it's geared towards your current needs?

Easy to overstretch and injure yourself in pregnancy. Pregnancy yoga is aimed at helping with aches and pains and preparing for birth.

It might give you an interesting new perspective on yoga anyway. Relaxin continues for some time after birth (depending on whether you breastfeed I think) so you might need to alter practice for quite a while.

I don't see why you wouldn't do pregnancy yoga instead, as it's geared towards your current needs?

I continued normal yoga and did pregnancy yoga. They are totally different. Pregancy yoga isn't exercise really ... It's social, nice stretches and breathing but very slow and can be a bit boring if you are used to a strong practice.

You can do both... But as PP and I mentioned you do need to make sure your teacher is comfortable and you take lots of modifications. Some of the modifications become a necessity when your bump is better anyway, like you can't do a seated forward fold with your legs in front, you need to do a diamond shape.

Great post from Doodle. Just one more thing to add which is no inversions, especially in the first trimester. Be really careful not to overextend and don’t do any balancing poses if you have even the slightest twinge of pelvic pain.

Pregnancy yoga is pretty mind-numbing if you are an experienced yogi.

@Teddybear45 This is what my intuition is telling me - to trust my body. So far I have continued as normal, but followed @Doodleoodleday's advice somewhat, especially when it comes to "closed twists" or anything that puts pressure on my abdomen (goodbye boat pose). I'm taking it easy and listening my body. I'm not trying anything new or aiming to advance my practice, but I do need to feel like me even if I am pregnant, and yoga is how I do that!

@purplefig Thank you for the encouraging words regarding mood... I'm glad to hear that things improved for you as you got further along in your pregnancy. I'm at 8 weeks now and my mood is low and I feel quite irritable. I took your advice and found some decent prenatal classes on YouTube but I've also been (carefully) doing a lot of my usual yoga practice too, on the days I feel up to it. x

@mrsjackrussell Thanks, I might try a pregnancy class later down the line. x

@Doodleoodleday Thank you so much for your help! It was really kind of you to share your expertise and I've made a note of the recommendations/modifications.

I also picked up a great book that echoes a lot of what you said regarding precautions but also states that continuing normal practice in the first trimester is generally fine for someone with an established practice and no complications/contraindications. The book is called "Yoga Mama" bu Linda Sparrowe, I'd highly recommend it. x

Thanks to those that suggested finding a pregnancy yoga class - I definitely plan to do that once I'm bigger and further along as I doubt I'll have much choice over whether to continue my usual practice then! But I'd like to keep up my usual practice somewhat while I feel able, as it really helps my mood. The book "Yoga Mama" has reassured me somewhat and so far I've done my usual practice (with a few modifications as per @Doodleoodleday's advice) with no issues. x

I was wondering something similar. I’m not a long time yogi but I have been doing yoga 2-3 times per week for about the last two months. Last week I found out I am pregnant again and so I haven’t been back since. As you say, the advice online is contradictory and there seem to be so many poses to avoid. I did some pregnancy yoga in my first pregnancy but didn’t enjoy it as much.

Also when I did pregnancy yoga before they told me they do not allow people to start until after 12 weeks