Pregnancy Fitness: Daily Yoga

Online Fitness for Pregnant Women

The well-being and physical condition of the expectant mother, as well as her proper behavior during childbirth, affect the complete development of the fetus and the birth of a healthy baby. Daily fitness sessions for pregnant women lasting 15-20 minutes alleviate the pain associated with pregnancy, strengthen the immune system, and prepare the body for childbirth.

Benefits and Contraindications

Hatha yoga is ideal as fitness for pregnant women because the gentle impact on muscles and joints by the asanas does not cause discomfort to expectant mothers and ensures a deep workout of the major muscle groups, ligaments, and joints.
Yoga benefits the body by:

• calming the nervous system and improving mood;

• relieving stress, insomnia, and self-doubt;

• serving as a non-medication method for healing ailments;

• making muscles and ligaments more elastic, removing excess fat, and correcting posture;

• boosting the body’s tone, energizing and filling it with positive energy.

Women practicing yoga during pregnancy master the art of proper breathing, making it easier to endure labor contractions and the delivery itself.

Pregnant women should practice yoga with caution, performing simplified versions of poses and using aids that facilitate posture, avoiding discomfort, abdominal strain, and pain. Expectant mothers diagnosed with polyhydramnios, threatened miscarriage, risk of preterm labor, hypertension, or severe toxicosis should refrain from practicing.

Exercise complexes by trimester

Properly selected poses make yoga sessions comfortable and beneficial throughout all 9 months.

1st trimester:

• The hero pose with a tilt is performed from a seated position on heels with bent knees, shins touching the mat, back slowly leaning back onto a blanket roll;

• Cow Face Pose – a seated posture with crossed legs, knees stacked on top of each other, feet aligned next to hips, hands clasped behind the back;

• Snake Pose is performed lying on the stomach, while the upper body is lifted off the mat, and the crown of the head stretches upward;

• Supine Pose with legs extended against the wall, pelvis pressed to the support, and a bolster placed under the lower back for comfort;

• Butterfly Pose is named for its resemblance to the wings of a fluttering insect: in a seated position, bent legs with joined feet are lowered closer to the floor and raised back to the original position by pressing the knees with hands;

• Diamond Pose is performed with a straight back while sitting on bent legs, with the pelvis resting on the inner surface of the feet.

2nd trimester:

• Cross-legged seated pose;

• Bridge pose involves arching the spine in the chest area, where the pelvis rests on a chair, and the head and shoulders are lowered onto a bolster;

• Half forward bend standing is performed towards a support at the height of the legs;

• Downward-facing dog pose visually resembles an angle formed by the torso’s fold with straight legs and arms supported on the mat;

• Seated twist involves turning the body at an angle to the back of a chair and a light twist relative to the straight position;

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• Extended triangle pose is assumed at the wall, bending the torso to the side and touching the ankle with the palm;

• Warrior pose is performed with a wide step, where the leg bent at the knee is placed forward, the other leg stretches back with the toe, and straight arms are raised overhead.

3rd trimester:

• Reclined butterfly pose, while the head and back are positioned on a blanket roll;

• A standing pose with foot extension, where the raised leg is placed on a support or fixed in a horizontal position with the help of a strap for easier execution;

• The crescent pose is a side bend with straight limbs, leaning the back against a wall. The foot and palm touch the floor, the other leg extends horizontally, and the arm is raised above the head;

• The garland pose involves a full squat with knees spread apart, allowing the belly to fit comfortably between them;

• The swimming fish pose is taken in an intermediate position between lying on the side and on the stomach with a bent leg, the knee resting on a cushion for belly comfort, head lowered onto clasped hands.

During the entire pregnancy, it is beneficial to perform two asanas:

• The corpse pose – relaxation of the body lying on the back with legs and arms extended along the body;

• Cat Pose supported on bent knees and straight arms, where on the inhale the spine rounds up and the head drops between the arms, and on the exhale the spine arches towards the floor, and the head extends with the crown upwards.

Visual fitness lessons for pregnant women in video materials on the site allow you to perform exercises at a comfortable pace under the guidance of an instructor and receive online consultation for any arising questions.

What should beginners know?

It is recommended for pregnant women to practice yoga in a calm home environment in a verified room with enough free space. Comfortable clothing made from natural materials allows the body to breathe and does not restrict movement. Exercises are performed barefoot on a gym mat or a folded blanket.

Yoga props such as straps, bolsters, and others aid future mothers in getting into poses. If needed, they can be substituted with a rolled-up blanket or other household items.

Start the practice with a warm-up to heat the muscles. To avoid injuries, it is recommended to follow safety guidelines:

• the mastery of Eastern practice begins with simple exercises, gradually becoming more complex, with the duration of daily training increasing;

• movements in an asana should be slow and smooth; entering and exiting a pose should not be done quickly;

• do not practice on a full stomach or when feeling hungry; any discomfort is a reason to exit the pose and stop the practice;

• it is beneficial to alternate exercises with relaxation; sitting poses with asanas performed standing.

A calm and even breathing plays an important role in yoga.

Fitness during pregnancy aims at providing the expectant mother with health benefits and positive emotions. The yoga asana complexes presented on the site are selected considering the specific needs of pregnant women for comfort during sessions, their effectiveness, and the safety of the future baby.