Siri asks, can I do Yoga?

Hi Melissa!  I`m pregnant, and I`m wondering if I can continue to practice “normal” yoga throughout the 1st trimester and then start prenatal yoga when I enter the 2nd trimester? Or should start prenatal yoga right away?

Namaste
Siri

Dear Siri

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Since you have been practicing yoga prior to your pregnancy you can continue into your pregnancy.

The most important thing to be concerned with in your first trimester is to keep cool through adequate hydration & appropriate clothing in the first trimester.

In most cases in yoga we aren’t raising your body’s core temperature too much, so you probably don’t need to be too worried about this. However, if you have a high risk pregnancy you may want to exercise extra precautions with poses that create “heat” in your body like twists and breaths like breath of fire. Kapala bhati breath. The important thing is to always listen to your own body and stop if it doesn’t feel right.

The second thing to consider in the first trimester is fatigue. You will be tired. Avoid prolonged or strenuous exertion during the first trimester. For every hour of exercise, follow with an hour of rest. You are growing a baby! Make sure you get plenty of rest!

Finally, your ligaments become relaxed due to the hormone relaxin, therefore avoid overstretching. It’s tempting to overstretch because it feels good, but try to work within your “normal” range of motion.

When your belly starts to get too big and the general population classes become cumbersome you can check out my prenatal yoga video. 🙂

Thank you for your question and please leave your comments below!

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