Yoga During Pregnancy
Yoga can be very beneficial during pregnancy; it helps you breathe and relax, which in turn can help you adjust to the physical demands of labour, birth, and motherhood. There are many schools of thought and opposing opinions that can cause a great deal of confusion about practicing yoga during this time. It is my belief that you will need to take certain general precautions (rather than avoid specific poses).
Some women, who have had a strong yoga practice before pregnancy, have continued along with their regular practice well into the later months. The main thing to consider as you do your yoga practice is to really listen to how you feel and let your own body be your guide. It is also important to not hold your breath or even take short pauses in the breath during the postures. I would caution you to be sure to get the go-ahead from your doctor as well, before you begin your prenatal yoga program.
Prenatal classes are recommended because the instructors are trained specifically for this type of yoga and can teach you the proper modifications as you progress along in your pregnancy. There are postures and breathing techniques in prenatal sessions that will help you during contractions and you will probably not learn these if you attend regular Hatha classes. There are also bonding techniques and ways of getting in tune with the baby inside you, that you may find very enjoyable. If there are no classes in your area or that would fit in to your schedule, there are also many good books available for practicing at home.
Here is a general list of precautions to follow:

1. Do not perform fast and jerking movements, especially early on in your pregnancy. If you are used to hopping forward and back during the sun salutations, for instance, chose to walk back instead. Be a bit gentler with your body as the new life inside you is still getting attached to your uterus.
2. Stop the Chatarungas and lying on your front when you begin to show. During pregnancy it is still important to tone the abdominal muscles gently. Plank pose and hand and knee pose arching and rounding the back, are good, as are the Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor. Kegels are extremely important postnatal and if you don’t do them you may have urinary incontinence when you cough or sneeze. Keep lifting the pelvic floor!
3. Don't perform any poses on your back after the first trimester as that can cut blood flow to the uterus.
4. Avoid poses that stretch the muscles too much, particularly the abdominal muscles. Remember, the hormone of pregnancy, relaxin, will cause you to be “stretchier” than normal, so there is risk that you will over-stretch and tear your muscle fibres.
5. Perform standing poses with your heel to the wall or use a chair for support to avoid losing your balance and risk falling.
6. When bending forward, maintain as much distance as possible between the breastbone and the pubic bone to make breathing easier. Think more of lengthening the spine rather than folding forward.
7. Keep the pelvis upright when stretching the chest and the front of the thighs.
8. If you need to bend forward while in a sitting position, place a towel around your feet and hold both ends. Sitting up tall, bend from the hips and lift the chest to avoid compressing your abdomen.
9. When practicing twisting poses, twist more from the shoulders to avoid putting pressure on your abdomen.
10. Listen carefully to your body. If you feel any discomfort, STOP!

It is also imperative that if you have any spotting, you go to your doctor immediately or contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000