Look For Classes With These Prenatal Tenets
When I first found out I was pregnant, I had no clue how prenatal yoga differed from regular yoga. Yes, I understood there were probably going to be some safety modifications and physical modification to make room for a belly, but was that the extent? I logged onto the net and starting taking a sampling of online classes from various sources. What I found was this – yes, in a lot of prenatal yoga classes, that is it. It’s just regular yoga with modifications. It was a little disappointing.
As I tried more classes with different teachers the experience expanded. I learned that doesn’t have to be it. There are specific birth preparation asanas usually involving opening the hips. Some teachers make a point to include breathwork and Kegel exercises in their classes. I was surprised to learn, I really enjoyed the endurance exercises meant to practice breathing through the pain of contractions. I felt like I was really preparing for the sometimes scary experience of birth and that was really encouraging.
Below are some specific areas that you can look for when choosing a prenatal program. And if you want to continue your usual practice with modifications, that can be really great too! Whatever feels great in your body and mind, is the best practice for you.
1. Pelvic Floor Work
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sits at the bottom of your pelvis and are responsible for cradling and holding up your organs like the rectum, bladder, and vagina. These organs sit within the sheath of muscle, which is why it is called the floor. Activation of the pelvic floor occurs in the front, middle and back. The font muscles can be felt as though you were to stop yourself peeing midstream. Your middle muscle are in the vagina and can be felt by lifting up in a Kegel. The back lies in the anus and can be felt as though you were holding in a poop.
Strengthening these muscles is two-fold. For birth preparation, these muscle are going to help you push that baby out! Strengthening the pelvic floor will also help to prevent tearing during birth. Postpartum, pelvic floor exercises can prevent issues of incontinence (loss of bladder control) that can be very common.
My recent birthing class recommended 50 Kegels a day – that’s a lot. Incorporating some into your yoga practice can help reach those goals.
2. Hip Openers
Mobility of the hips can be crucial during pregnancy. Without mobility in the hips, we have less control over our pelvis. During labor, you will want options to move your body for comfort and encourage progression of the baby moving downward through the birth canal.
Additionally, many women experience achy painful hips during pregnancy. Hip work in our yoga practice and can relieve the ache and have a domino relaxing effect towards the lower back and achy legs.
Look for yoga classes that incorporate hip openers and you will find both relief in your achy body and mobility in your pelvis.
3. Mental Training
Mental training has become a favorite part of my prenatal practice. During labor, we experience pain that we have no control over. In this pain, it is important to stay relaxed as to not get caught up in the pain fear cycle. We don’t want to grimace and hold our breath through contractions. Instead the goal is to breathe through each contraction with an attitude of acceptance and grace (the best we can😅) . We can practice this before labor with yoga. What does this look like? It could be as simple as holding your arms out in a T shape for 3 minutes. Pretty quickly you may notice your arms start to burn badly. What will you do then? Give in to the pain or find a way to push through? Practice breathing deeply. Practice your bee breath. Notice what emotions come up. Notice what your mind is trying to convince you of. Take another deep breath. We are here to practice.
4. Connection to Your Baby
Lastly, it’s always a nice opportunity when the teacher of the class invites in moments to connect with your baby. After all, you are sharing you body and practicing for 2 now! I enjoy taking my hands to my belly instead of to the pray position during vinyasa or connecting during a guided meditation. It’s also a great reminder that now is not the time to push yourself but to move a bit slower and with more purpose as you move in and out of asanas.
Conclusion
While there are many options for prenatal yoga whether online or in person, my favorite classes incorporate these four tenets. We can recognize that this is a special and distinct time in our bodies and cultivate a purpose in our practice. Ultimately, it will allow us better preparation for the big day and after too!