Asanas for pregnant women from a lying position

Classification of exercises

Choose lying down asanas depending on how you feel comfortable in this trimester. In the initial terms, you can practice on your stomach, gradually changing to exercises lying on your back or on your side.

Don’t forget that your favorite asanas, which you don’t want to give up, can be modified. For example, if you used to lie on your back, and now it is uncomfortable, you can go into a semi-recumbent version with a pillow, etc.

Lying down asanas: what will you need?

Lying down yoga involves a very minimal set of items. Do not worry about having to travel and buy special equipment. All “shells” and tools are replaceable with ordinary items at home.

To begin with, you have to perform asanas on a flat surface. The best way is on the floor. You can roll out a rug or anything you have on hand – a plaid or a blanket.

Important: make sure that the surface is slippery to the floor. The size is such that in total there is still room up to thirty centimeters to the edge of the mat.

The thickness is up to one centimeter. Note that the mat does not slip even when it gets wet. This is very important for the mother-to-be to increase stability.

You can buy tools that help with getting into lighter versions of poses. For example, yoga blocks, bolsters. Or get regular couch cushions, as well as thick stable books (for example, to put under the buttocks).

We cover the technique in detail on the online classes in your personal MomsLab account.

Asanas for Pregnancy: Shavasana and Relaxation

Shavasana is a seemingly easy pose. However, note that the main work here is not only on the physical level, but also on the mental level. The latter is often the most difficult part of the asana.

It is better to perform “corpse pose” with sound meditation accompaniment at first. In your personal MomsLab account you will find a whole list of audio exercises for relaxation, ordered by day.

Asana is performed in statics, it is undesirable to move, and all work should be focused on the state of mind. Proper shavasana is soothing, gives a sense of relaxation and gets rid of unstable negative moods.

Coaches usually perform shavasana as a completion of the practice to release tension from all parts of the body. However, you can perform it at home any time you feel you need to rest.

In the early stages, we do shavasana in the usual way:

1. Lie down on the mat, align your spine completely, and stretch your neck in line with your spine.
2. Place your palms slightly apart and turn them palms up. Feet slightly apart.
3. Close your eyes and relax with the sounds of meditation.

During the last trimester, shavasana can be performed in another way:

1. The woman lies on her left side to avoid squeezing the inferior vena cava.
2. Place a pillow or a folded blanket under the right side.
3. The same – for comfort you can put a pillow under the knees.

If you are still comfortable, do the usual shavasana:

1. Lie on your back over your side.
2. The legs can be left bent. Or leave one leg straight and put the other on a pillow or a folded blanket.

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Other Yoga poses lying on your back

The following poses also have a good effect:

• Supta Baddha Konasana – lying down butterfly pose. Very comfortable pose to normalize the hormonal background. To do it, put a bolster vertically under your back, lie on top, pull your legs apart, bent at the knees and connect the feet near the buttocks.

• Supta Virasana – gently stretches the front surface of the thigh, relieves toxicosis and varicose veins. Sit so that your shins are under your thighs and your buttocks are gently pressing against your heels. Slowly lower yourself backwards – feel a slight tension in the front surface of your thighs. For comfort, you can build a “support” from pillows and blankets in the back to reduce the pressure.

• Supta Parivritta Garudasana is a nice pose for stretching the back and getting rid of cramps. To do it, lie on your back and extend your arms out to your sides. Bend your knees and intertwine so that the left foot is under the right. Move your legs to the left side first, and turn your head to the right. Do the same with the other side.

Lying asanas during pregnancy are considered quite safe and usually do not cause discomfort. But it is important to be guided by your sense of comfort as your belly grows. If it is uncomfortable or unpleasant to be in a pose, then move to a lighter sitting or half-lying position. It is recommended to use “helpers”: pillows, blankets, bolsters.

Yoga lying down while pregnant on your stomach

In most cases, performing abdominal poses is not recommended for pregnant women. Fear not, it is always appropriate to return to them for a recovery time (Shalabhasana, Bhekasana poses work great)! Now let’s talk about some of the allowed poses that you can go into in early pregnancy:

• Jestikasana – reminiscent of Shavasana, but performed on the stomach. The forehead rests on the mat, with the hands intertwined and lying behind the head. The pose is preferable if there are diseases of the spine.
• Matsya Kridasana is a very pleasant pose, which releases tension from the legs and lower back, and helps to fight constipation. To enter asana: lie on your stomach with your hands intertwined under your head, one leg bend at the knee and place it next to the body. Without untwisting the arms, bring the elbow of one of them to the knee.
• Bhujangasana is a pose that helps stretch the abdominal muscles and extend the spine. But during pregnancy, especially during the second and third trimesters, it is not recommended to enter the pose.

Yoga lying on your side

Anantasana pose works well on the pelvic area, relieves back pain and relaxes the abdomen.

The technique for pregnant women:

1. From the Shavasana position, roll over onto your side, the body is one straight line.
2. Place the hand under the head.
3. The supporting leg can be bent at the knee. The other straight leg is lifted up.
4. Grab the foot with your hand or help yourself with a strap or elastic band.

Hold for about 20 seconds, then bend your legs and turn over to the other side over your back. Repeat on the other side.

Lying down asanas: safety measures

Each movement should be performed with a gentle breathing technique. Do not forget to treat your body with care:

– Remember about regularity – only then you will feel the effect of the practice;

– Exercise no earlier than one hour after the meal;

– yoga is a slow practice, do not force the body;

– be sure to consult with your doctor about the approved poses for your semester;

– If it hurts or is uncomfortable, stop doing it right away;

– Do not neglect the aids – pillows, plaids, blankets, yoga blocks and bolsters.