Yoga is a collection of hundreds and thousands of asanas. Each asana has a unique purpose and has maximum effect on a specific body part. Not all asana are same and neither do they work in similar manner. During pregnancy the main concern is the abdomen and the fetus in the womb. Thus the Yoga is performed keeping this in mind.
Identifying unsafe postures during pregnancy
As a general rule, care should be taken to avoid any postures during pregnancy that does the following to you-
- Presses the abdomen, like paschimattanasana–
- Twists the abdomen, like most of the twisting postures,
- Stretches the abdominal muscle thus applying pressure on the uterus, like ustrasana or chakrasana
- Any posture that makes you anxious, or nervous like shirshasana
- Makes you sweat or increases your heartbeat like doing suryanamaskar
Being cautious during pregnancy
Extra care should be taken by women who have specific medical condition like:
- Women who’ve had a history of abortions
- If your cervix is dilated then you should avoid stretching your pelvic.
Ladies who have never exercised before and have lot of stiffness in the body, should go slow and make sure to be easy on themselves. If you have chosen to practice yoga for a healthy pregnancy, then seek advice from your doctor and practice yoga under the guidance of experienced yoga teacher.
A pregnant woman is the best judge of her own condition. In case there is even an iota of doubt of practicing a particular posture, then avoid it completely.