It’s very important to do yoga poses during pregnancy under experienced guidance only. Don’t try these poses alone by watching the videos!
Hello ladies, how’s your pregnancy time going on? Is your body becoming weak day by day? Today I have 11+ Yoga Poses To Strengthen Body During Pregnancy! Read ahead to know more.
Prenatal Yoga classes teach you how to deal with the challenges that occur during pregnancy. Yoga poses will help you to alleviate body aches and strengthen your legs, back, and abdominals to prepare your body for giving birth naturally.
Yoga poses have been useful to provide many benefits to a pregnant woman including:-
- Sound sleep
- Fewer body aches
- Cope with morning sickness
- Lower back pain
- Increase body flexibility
In this article, I mentioned the benefits of Prenatal Yoga poses like strengthening your body for the birth process. Strengthening your body for birth is the most important factor. If you have a strong core, it will help you to prevent back pain.
11+ YOGA POSES TO STRENGTHEN BODY DURING PREGNANCY
Another benefit of yoga poses is having strong abdominal muscles which keep your core strong and will make it easy to push during labor. It will also help make fast recovery after the birth process.
These poses keep your pelvic floor muscles healthy and will make labor faster as well as it will help to prevent urinary inconvenience later also.
Considering yoga is the best way to get physically fit and healthy as well as emotionally healthier during the labor and birth process.
If you’ve not done these moves before, these modified moves taught in PRENATAL YOGA are safe for women who have complicated pregnancies and for expectant moms as well.
Women with complicated pregnancies find comfort in yoga’s gentle motions and breathing tips. Before starting these exercises, first, be sure to warm up yourself.
1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Mostly, yoga sequences start with Mountain Pose. Stand up straight with feet slightly further than shoulder- hip-width apart, knees bent slightly and toes are pointed straight ahead.
Now, bring your hands up and your palm touching in front of your chest like you’re praying. Now close your eyes and breath deeply. Inhale and sweep your arm out and overhead and bending back slightly.
Now, exhale and stand upright by returning your hands into the center of your heart. Repeat this pose for at least 10 times.
2. Warrior pose (Veerbhadra Asan)
This pose strengthens the arms, shoulders, thighs, and back muscles. This pose signifies Veerbhadra a fierce warrior as Lord Shiva.
Stand up straight with your legs wide apart of 3-4 feet. Turn your right foot out by 90 degrees and your left foot by about 15 degrees. Keep your back straight. Now raise your both arms sideways to shoulder height and parallel to the floor.
Exhale and bend your knees in line with your ankle or as far as you are comfortable.
Next step – inhale as you are turning your head to the right. Now draw up your pelvic floor muscles. Stay in this position for at least 10 breaths.
After then while exhaling, straighten your right leg and turn your head straight ahead. Lower your arms and rest for few breaths. And then repeat this on the other side.
3. Supported Triangle (Trikonasana)
Triangle position strengthens your entire body. Stand on your feet farther than shoulder – width apart from the same position as warrior pose. Face your right toes forward and left toes out. Bend your left leg and place your left hand on your thigh, keep your eyes looking downward.
Inhale, then exhale while lifting your right arm above your shoulder and turn your head by keeping your eyes up. Place your left arm on your thigh for support.
Hold your breath as you lower your right arm and straighten the leg. Return to the starting position. Repeat it for 5 full breaths.
If you’re in your first trimester, you can rest your right hand on the floor for support. Use a block or a chair if you’re in your third trimester what do you feel comfortable.
4. Extended side angle pose ( Utthita Parsvakonasana)
This pose is the same as to extended triangle. After finishing the extended triangle pose, keep your feet where they are. Turn your right foot in a 90-degree position and anchor the left foot to the floor.
Draw up your pelvic floor muscles and while exhaling bend your right knee over your right ankle. Keep your shin perpendicular to the floor. Push your shoulder blades pack as you can feel a pinch in your back. Bend to the right by placing your right elbow on your leg close to the knee.
Extend your left arm straight up towards the ceiling, then inhale and reach your left arm over your left ears but remember your palm should be facing to the floor. Lengthen the entire left side of your body as you can feel the stretch.
Keep in mind that your right shoulder pushed away from your right ear. Now turn your head towards your left-hand side.
Stay in this position for 15 breaths and then slowly stand up as you inhale. Again, reverse the sides, By exposing your left foot out to a 90-degree angle and bending your left knee.
5. Supported Squat
Stand up by widening your feet then hips, keep a stack of pillows on the floor just behind you where you’re trying the pose. Bend your knees and lower your hips into a deep squat by sitting on the pillows, keep your palm together in prayer mode at your heart center.
Now in this position close your eyes and breath deeply with your nose as you relax your pelvic floor. Hold this position for at least 10 breaths, then again repeat this for the next move.
Note: This pose is not good if you’re experiencing any sign of premature labor.
6. Belly Breathing (Ujjayi Pranayama)
Sit Straight on a soft pillow in a comfortable zone with the cross-legged position. Keep both hands on your lower belly. Close your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose. Just keep your face and jaws in a relaxed mode. Focus on the relaxation of your pelvic floor muscles. Exhale slowly and repeat this again.
Absolutely, this poses help you while you’re in labor. It’s perfect breathing techniques that help you a lot during contractions. When you’re in labor pain just keep your jaws and face relaxed, eyes closed, place the top of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and keep your hand on your lower belly.
Breath slowly and deeply through your nose, feel the drawing the breath to the top of your head and the deep into your belly. After a few moments exhale through your nose make your belly empty all the air out.
Belly breathing promotes more relaxation and supplies you and your baby with the most oxygen in labor.
7. Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
This pose commonly helps to stretch the core, hips, and quadriceps. This pose is helpful by providing great relief from discomfort and prevent strain.
As in previous posts in a standing position, widen your feet in the same distances, After then bent at your hips to lower your arm to the floor.
Afterward, twist your body to the right side as bending your right knee. Place one of your hands on each side of your leg. Now slowly slide your leg backside straight until you feel a comfortable stretch. And now turn your foot’s top to the floor.
While inhaling, lift your torso upright and sweep your arms out to the sides and up. Look up to the floor and open your chest without scrunching your shoulders.
As you exhale, bring your both hands to the floor and swiftly switch your legs to repeat the position on the other side.
8. Cat/Cow Pose
It’s one of the best poses for moving your baby into a favorable position. It increases your spine flexibility and strength.
While posing makes sure your hands are directly under your shoulders and knees are directly under your hips.
Kneel all your four limbs with your abdominal muscles drawn in. As you start inhaling look up between your eyebrows by raising your head gently. just slowly arch your back, tipping your tailbone and chest up as you have observed how cat sits.
As you exhale round your back bringing the chin towards your chest. Repeat this pose at least five times.
9. Side-lying leg lift Pose during pregnancy
Comfortable lay down on your right side with your knees bent slightly. You can either do this with your right arm stretched out the floor under your head that can make rest to your head while making this pose.
You can use your elbow to support your body as shown in the above picture which makes you more comfortable.
Inhale, bend the bottom knee and lift your left leg straight up to approximately a 45-degree angle. exhale and bring your leg back down.
Repeat this 10 -15 times. You can switch sides and now lay down on your left side, repeat the same process with your right leg.
10. Clamshell leg lifts
The first lay down on your right side with your knees bent. Keep your both heels together. Now inhale and open your knees wide as you can.
Remember not to allow your pelvis to roll back. While exhaling brings your knees back together. Repeat this breathing or pose for 10 -15 times and switch on your other side.
11. Butterfly Yoga Pose while pregnancy
Calmly sit on the floor, bring your ankles together and pull them the help of your both hands toward your body. Hold your feet with your hands. Look down, or you can close your eyes and breath. Hold this position for 10 breaths. This is one of the best yoga poses during pregnancy.
12. Child’s pose (Garbhasana)
Kneel on all your fours, abdominals drawn in. Gently arch your back while inhaling. keep your tailbone up and your both knees slightly turned out wide as our womb get good space.
now sit back on your heels and walk your hands out in front of you as you’re leaning forward your body.
Breath properly while making a pose. stay in this pose till you feel comfortable. Breath deeply while doing this pose which makes you relaxed.
These yoga poses during pregnancy will help you to strengthen your whole body for birth as well as provide so many benefits like relaxation, flexibility, and relief from back pain.
Always remember in pregnancy, don’t overstretch if you feel pressure or pain, stop the particular pose, and chose a different pose. Do one which makes you relief not causing pain.
Because yoga should be a fun, relaxing experience and should not be painful. So, You should stretch at your comfort level, not to the point of pain.
The most important thing about any prenatal exercise is to do the poses which you feel comfortable and under experienced guidance. You should never try any pose that causes pain or discomfort.
If you don’t feel right don’t do them.