There are hundreds of yoga postures in pregnancy yoga too. In this article, I will tell you which asanas will help you against pregnancy problems and do you good until you give birth, and what you should bear in mind when doing so.
Safety note : Before you start the exercises, make sure that your gynecologist has no objections to exercising during your pregnancy.
Would you like to know what you should generally consider when practicing yoga during pregnancy?
1. Standing Pose: The Mountain
Tadasana, the mountain, has a wonderfully grounding and power-giving effect: you feel the earth under your feet, which carries you, straighten your spine and automatically gain more confidence in yourself and your body.
Variation: Put one hand on your stomach and one hand on your heart. Feel the warmth of your hands and focus on your baby.
Effect of the asana:
- Activation of the core muscles
- Grounding, trust and balance
What you should pay attention to:
- Bring your feet parallel, hip-width apart.
- Press the ball of your big and little toe and your heel actively into the ground.
- The knees are slightly bent.
- Roll your shoulders back and down, push your sternum forward to open your chest.
2. Back strengthening: The tiger
Unfortunately, back pain is not uncommon during pregnancy. Your growing belly forces your spine to curve more, increasing the pressure on your lumbar spine. It is all the more important to strengthen your back muscles now. The posture “Vyaghrasana”, the tiger, is wonderfully suitable for this.
Variant 1: Just stretch your leg back without lifting your arm if you find it difficult to keep your balance.
Effect of the asana:
- Strengthening of the back muscles
- Strengthening of the pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles
- strengthen your balance
What you should pay attention to:
- Place hands directly under shoulders. Spread your fingers wide. Your middle fingers are pointing forward.
- The knees are directly under the hips.
- Rotate your upper arms outward.
- Keep your eyes down to keep your cervical spine long. Gently activate the pelvic floor and gently pull the navel towards the spine to avoid slouching.
- Raise the leg first and, when you are stable, the diagonal arm. Spread your hands and feet as far as possible.
3. Side bend: The gate
During my pregnancies, side bends accompanied me every day. They are incredibly effective because they open up the flanks, expand the chest, and help stretch the respiratory muscles and upper back. “The Gate” (Parighasana) is easy to do even with a baby bump and you can support yourself well on the stretched leg. So you only need a little abdominal strength to keep the side bend.
Effect of the asana:
- Opening of the flanks and shoulders
- Stretching of the intercostal muscles
What you should pay attention to:
- Kneeling (put your knees a little below your knees if necessary): stretch your right leg out to the side. The right foot is completely grounded.
- The left knee, straight leg and torso are in line.
- Raise your left arm while lengthening your spine. Without losing length, bend to the right side.
- Push your knee firmly into the floor as you do this.
- Then switch sides.
4. Rotation from the four-footed stand
Yoga rotations, also called twists, give you clarity, stability and calm. As a pregnant woman, you can only practice gentle rotations like this great rotation from the 4-footed stand, so as not to endanger your baby in the womb.
Effect of the asana:
- Release of tension in the back and shoulder muscles and blockages in the spine
- opening of the thoracic spine
- clarity, calm
What you should pay attention to:
- Start in the 4-footed stand. Hands shoulder width apart, fingers spread wide.
- Open your knees hip-width and place them under your hips.
- Place one hand on your lower back while keeping both knees evenly grounded.
- Rotate the top shoulder far back.
Variant: Stretch your upper arm towards the ceiling
5. Leg & Back Strength: The Sumo Squat
The sumo squat, i.e. a wide squat, is perfect for staying strong, especially in the second trimester of pregnancy. The asana gets your circulation going and increases your heart rate. So you can also challenge yourself on the yoga mat and build up strength.
Effect of the asana:
- Strengthening of the leg and back muscles
- Strengthening of the pelvic floor
- Breathing training under stress
- courage and self-confidence
What you should pay attention to:
- Place your feet wide apart. Rotate your feet outwards 45 degrees.
- Bring your knees over your ankles. The weight rests on the heels.
- Keep your back long.
- Activate the pelvic floor.
- Bend your legs up to a 90-degree angle.
Variant: Stretch your arms up.
6. Hip Opening: The Deep Squat
The deep squat (Malasana or “Yogi Squat”) is an integral part of an hour of pregnancy yoga because it has so many benefits and positive effects.
Effect of the asana:
- opening of the hip
- mobilization of the pelvis
- Better blood flow
- stimulation of digestion
- grounding
- confidence and courage
What you should pay attention to:
- Place your feet a little more than hip-width apart. Turn them outwards a bit.
- The soles of your feet should touch the ground completely. Otherwise your pelvic floor will automatically tense up. That doesn’t work yet? As an aid, feel free to place a pillow under your buttocks and sit down.
- Open your knees wide until they are over your ankles.
- Bring your hips just above the floor.
- Due to the pressure of your hands, your upper arms push your knees outwards more.
- The spine is upright, your cervical spine in extension to the thoracic spine.
Tip: This pose is also a classic birth position. Due to the maximum opening of the hips and the effect of gravity, the baby can be brought into the world in a particularly powerful way.
7. Hip opening: Low lunge
The low lunge, a variant of “Alanasana” with the knee laid down, is also suitable for childbirth when your energy reserves are slowly decreasing.
Effect of the asana:
- Strengthening of the back and legs
- Stretching the hip flexors (iliopsoas) and thighs
- opening of the heart
- Can prevent lower back pain
- Focusing on your consciousness
What you should pay attention to:
- Your front foot is well grounded. Your knee should be right over your ankle.
- Energetically pull the back knee toward the front foot. The hips align themselves parallel.
- The upper body is upright over your hips.
Variation: Stretch your arms up, palms facing in.
8. Heart opening in the heel seat
During pregnancy, there is often tension in the shoulder and neck area and a feeling of tightness in the chest. This gentle backward bend from the heel seat can also be practiced safely during pregnancy and still gives you the effect of opening the heart.
Effect of the asana:
- Strengthening of the back and legs
- Stretching the hip flexors (iliopsoas) and thighs
- opening of the heart
- Can prevent lower back pain
- Focusing on your consciousness
What you should pay attention to:
- If you have problems with heel seating, place a blanket or pillow between your heels and buttocks.
- Bring your palms to the floor, fingers rotated toward your hips.
- Gently straighten your arms as you push your sternum forward.
- If necessary, use blocks to place your hands higher.
Variation: Stretch your arms up, palms facing in.
9. Pause: The Child Pose
Garbhasana, the child pose, allows you to withdraw your senses completely inward and focus on the breath. In order to lie comfortably even with a large baby bump, open your knees as wide as the mat.
Effect of the asana:
- Extension of the entire spine
- stretching of the back muscles
- Opening of the hips and the pelvic area
- calming your mind
What you should pay attention to:
- From the 4-footed stand, put the instep down. Slide your buttocks over your heels.
- Keep your buttocks here as you walk your hands forward.
- Rest your forehead on the floor or turn your head to one side.
- Direct your breath deep into your stomach.
Variation: Stretch your arms back to relax your shoulders more.
10. Gentle Backbends: The Shoulder Bridge
Backbends open the front of the body and stretch the abdominal muscles. The shoulder bridge is suitable for every trimester of pregnancy.
Variant 1: Lay your arms relaxed next to your body.
Variant 2: Alternately stretch one leg up to strengthen the back of your body more.
Effect of the asana:
- Opening of the shoulders and chest
- Strengthening of the entire back of the body including buttocks, feet and calf muscles
- confidence and openness
- Heartburn Relief
What you should pay attention to:
- Lie on your back with your feet hip-width apart and parallel to each other. The feet are directly under the knees.
- Gently press the back of your head into the floor and keep your cervical spine long.
- Cross your hands under your body and bring your upper arms close together.
Has your baby not turned into the birth position yet?
The shoulder bridge can help that it turns into the skull position in time.