Yoga In 1st trimester -safe ???

[Caithnessgirlsouth1]

Hi, I had started a yoga class ~4 weeks before falling pregnant. I have read conflicting reports as to whether it is safe to do yoga in the first trimester and wanted to canvass opinion on this ? I am abit paranoid so will probably wait to 12 weeks anyway but also wanted to ask if there are any pregnancy yoga Dvd or you tubes that anyone can recommend? Thanks ????

I'm confused. Why wouldn't it be safe? Surely you could tell the teacher you're pregnant so (s)he can let you know if there are any moves you shouldn't do.
Given that pregnancy yoga is a "thing" I would have thought yoga is generally safe and beneficial!

It is safe in the sense that you won't have a miscarriage because of it, but don't push yourself especially since you are not used to doing yoga to start with.

I had been doing yoga for years when I got pregnant. When I returned to my usual yoga class at 8 weeks, I was surprised by a cramp in my tummy during pranayama rapid breathing exercises so I started going only to pregnancy yoga classes. During one of those classes, in a twist I did I million times before, I got my first ever pang of sciatica which got worse and stayed until the end of my pregnancy.

So my advice is to be careful, even with pregnancy yoga.

Be sure to tell your teacher so that he/she can advise you to adjust a particular pose, or avoid it altogether if necessary.

There will come a point where you should avoid lying on your back, and you need to look out for over stretching as you will be susceptible to strains due to the relaxin hormone in your body which allows your uterus to expand. Twisty poses should be moderated too I think?

I am a yoga teacher and would not take anyone in the first trimester, even if they were very experienced.

And after 12 weeks, for a beginner to yoga, I would suggest sticking to an experienced teacher with a recognised qualification rather than following DVDs... And (obviously...) telling the teacher you are pregnant, it really matters that they keep an eye on you!

Thanks for all the help!! I'll speak to my teacher when I get to 12weeks - my teacher is quite new and so will see what experience she has with bumps. I live rurally and so will need to look into my nearest option for pregnancy yoga otherwise might just stick to walking- thanks again !????

Have a look at Birthlight - you should be able to find a class near you with a qualified teacher. There may be other organisations who teach similar but i know this one as my teacher and a couple of others i know have trained with them.

I am qualified in pregnancy yoga with the British wheel of yoga and we can only accept anyone from 15 weeks.