Practice carefulness during Yoga for Pregnant Women
Since pregnancy is a period when your actions directly and instantly affect you and your growing baby, it is recommend that you bear in mind the following precautions whilst exercising
- Generally do a smaller amount of exercise than you normally do, and never hold your breath.
- Refrain from extremes in all the poses, particularly deep forward or back bends. Do not strain.
- Do not lie down on your abdomen for any positions.
- Stay away from sit-ups and positions that put a squeeze on the uterus.
- Steer clear of the stances that entirely focus on strengthening the abs; preferably, work on toning up your core in the context of more easy positions.
- When a position involves a twist, it is better to twist from the shoulders and not the belly to avoid compacting the internal organs.
- Avoid upside-down positions except positioning your feet upon the wall or a chair.
- Do not do breathing exercises that jar the body, such as the shining skull (kapalabhati) or breath of fire (bhastrika).
- Do not rise or move too rapidly in and out of positions.
- Avoid overstretching which can easily happen during exercise when pregnant due to increased hormone levels that stimulate your joints to become very supple.