I’ve found practicing yoga during pregnancy to be such a wonderful way to ease the discomforts that come along with a growing belly, and a perfect way to balance my emotions and energy. Now that I am nearing the end of a long nine months, I’m starting to experience more muscle strain and soreness after I practice. As a  yoga teacher, I hear myself advising my students not to push the limits- to make their practice one where they advance themselves in time to avoid injury. The difficult part of practicing while pregnant is most often caused by the hormone, relaxin, which loosens joints and ligaments. It is very easy to do a pose that you’re body is used to, like a wide angle forward bend, and then experience some soreness that day or even the following day, particularly in the third trimester. With the muscles being so relaxed, you have a tendancy to go further into poses then usual-often with painful consequences. This can be frustrating, particularly to those more seasoned yoginis who find their favorite poses are suddenly, poses to avoid. Pregnancy is a wonderful time to take it easy and nurture yourself in the asanas instead of going deeper. Enjoy moving gently and easily into each posture. Work on deepening the breath and simply enjoy the benefits of increased oxygen to the lungs and to your growing baby!  

I found that joining a prenatal yoga class at a great studio was a way for me to treat myself to a gentle practice. In a regular class, I am more likely to injure myself while trying to keep up where I am used to going in each posture. Prenatal classes focus on specific areas, like the low back and hips, where you tend to feel the most discomfort plus, there is plenty of time reserved for relaxation and breathing practices at the end of each class!

Enjoy this time and moment in your life. You’ll bounce back into full Prasarita Padottanasana before you know it!

    
These photos were taken by my amazingly talented and dearest friend. I highly recommend visiting her blog to see her latest photos! Enjoy!