Prenatal Yoga in the First Trimester Archives

Yoga and Pregnancy

October 15, 2018 by Full Circle KC

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Yoga, or prenatal yoga, and pregnancy are a prefect combination! Prenatal yoga is like the rehearsal leading up to the grand performance of your birthing journey! Mama’s who practice yoga while pregnancy have a strong tool in their well-house to pull from during labor.

While exercising can feel daunting it helps build stamina for labor and supports a healthy pregnancy. Exercise normalizes blood pressure and glucose metabolism, builds muscle tone, helps regulate digestion, increase energy, and improves mood. Exercise also improves blood flow through the placenta by 30%.

Pregnancy has a profound impact on a Mama’s body as the body undergoes physical and emotional changes. The first trimester is often the most challenging period of pregnancy with the greatest physical adaptation that takes place. The blood pressure drops, intense fatigue, nausea, and lower back discomfort, mood swings, and constipation. Regular yoga in the first trimester will help temper these side-effects. Breath awareness that is practiced in prenatal yoga will help increase energy.

The second semester is often referred to has the “blooming period” where energy returns, skin glows, hair shines and the body finds a new normal with pregnancy. Prenatal yoga offers poses that are safe and support the changing shape and weight of a pregnant Mama.

As baby grows and takes up more room, discomforts may set in again in the third trimester. Yet, with poses and stretches offered in prenatal yoga your body will remain strong and prepared for your birthing journey. The emphasis placed on breath in prenatal yoga is the platform for which a Mama can find her inner strength and confidence she can carry into her birthing journey.

Yoga and pregnancy compliment each other so nicely for the dual benefits yoga offers. While exercise is important to Mama and baby, prenatal yoga offers a deeper level of preparing the mind and body for one of the most empowering challenges a Mama will experience. Prenatal yoga prepares a Mama for discomforts that she will experience in labor. Through holding challenging poses and relaxing into these poses it equips a Mama to relax and accept the work her body must do to bring her baby into the world.

Full Circle Yoga KC is family centered yoga studio in Midtown Kansas City specializing in Aerial Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Baby Yoga, Power Vinyasa and more.

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Prenatal Yoga In The First Trimester

June 12, 2017 by Full Circle KC

Prenatal Yoga in the first trimester can be incredibly helpful as long as one listens to their intuition. With the increased research that supports the health benefits of prenatal yoga, more and more healthcare practitioners are recommending prenatal yoga or pregnancy yoga.

Yoga can help center your mind to tune into the amazing work your body does in the first trimester. This is a time to notice the unbelievable changes that are happening, number one, you’re growing a new life, congratulations!!! Celebrate this moment and be gentle with yourself as you notice your body changing.

Whether you are an advanced yogi or just beginning, your body is going through tremendous changes. Your hormones are surging. Your producing more estrogen- which increases your pliability of connective tissue, produces more blood, and can produce mood swings. More progesterone is produced, slowing the digestive system, and increasing the basal body temperature. Relaxin hormones also increase, relaxing the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Because of the major increase in these hormones it can play a role in your yoga practice.

Prenatal Yoga Tips For The First Trimester:

Listen to what your body needs!!! This is often a time of fatigue, although you can’t see it, your body is working so hard! First trimester may create nausea, be gentle to yourself.
Avoid closed twist poses, rather stick to upper torso open twists to open the shoulders, upper back, and chest.
Prone poses- proceed with caution, make sure you know how to do these poses correctly to keep and belly is not getting direct pressure. Direct pressure on the uterus should be avoided.
Deep backbends, again should proceed with caution, and possible avoid as it can place direct pressure on the uterus and overstretch abdominal muscles.
Some pranayamas- typically this is a good time to practice breath through the nose and out the mouth, which is the most beneficial way of breathing during labor.

This list is not comprehensive and one should talk to their yoga instructor and/or healthcare practitioner to ensure safety for mama and growing baby.

At Full Circle Yoga KC our prenatal yoga offers a class that mamas at all stages can practice and build their physical and emotional strength in preparation for their birthing journey.

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