yoga and the birthing body

Prenatal yoga is often recommended to birthers as they prepare their bodies for labor and beyond. And indeed, yoga can be very helpful for the process of birth. Here are a few tips to help maintain a strong and nurturing yoga practice during the months of pregnancy and beyond.

1. Active vs. Passive stretching: When you imagine yoga, a lot of what comes to mind is passive stretching. Lying on the floor with your foot in a strap being held up by your arms is a passive stretch. Hanging out in low lunge can be a passive stretch. And passive stretches are great! There is a time and place for everything. However, when the body is going through pregnancy and preparing for birth, active stretching can better serve our purposes. Because of the hormonal shifts the body experiences during pregnancy the body is already extra limber. Active stretching allows us to elongate the muscles while providing stability for the ligaments and tendons that are already stretching because of the changing body and the demands of birth. Some examples of active stretches are pushing your feet into the floor while lunging, hip hinges, seated figure four with no hand support, and seated forward bend with legs wide and heels pressing into the ground.

2. Discomfort practice: One great way yoga can help prepare us for labor and delivery is through having a discomfort practice. This one is pretty self explanatory! Labor and delivery are bound to have moments of discomfort and if we practice experiencing something that makes us uncomfortable before hand, it can help us when the time comes. A discomfort practice is by nature a personal practice; one person may find a certain pose uncomfortable while another might find it pleasant. Some suggestions to try are chair pose (try adding a block between the thighs and squeezing gently!), eagle arms, and seated foot stretch (upright on the knees with the toes tucked under). Hold for thirty seconds to start and see if you can work up to a minute. Remember to breath! Which brings us to the next tip...

3. Breathing: This one may also seem self explanatory and it can get tricky real quick! Take a few minutes and try out one of the discomfort practices and notice your breathing. What happened? Did it start out strong and get quicker and shallower? Did you hold your breath? We all have breathing habits we use when under duress. The practice here is to notice and become aware of them. We are not trying to control the breath as much as we are trying to notice it and use it as a tool to help us through the moments of discomfort. Try the practice again and this time try to hold your awareness on the breath. If you can, allow it to deepen, or try blowing out on the exhale like you're blowing out a candle. How did that experience differ from the first? Take a few moments to sit with the feelings. 

I hope adding these tools into your practice can help grow it and guide you through labor, delivery and beyond! These can be helpful tools for all parts of life, whether or not we are birthers. If you are interested in having personalized, one on one yoga instruction please reach out! 

Disclaimer: I am a certified yoga instructor, not a medical professional. Please consult your caregiver before beginning or continuing a yoga practice while pregnant.