A Little Shift...

Expansion

Something we haven't discussed before is yoga and pregnancy. Though I haven't shifted into allowing pregnant participants into my classes before now, I am slowly evolving into a wider and more inclusive focus in my teaching. As I expand my knowledge more and more, I am excited to share it and my love of yoga with more and more participants.
My teacher has taught me many things that will come in handy, both for me and for pregnant participants. Here, I'll share some of them with you as well.

Some things to remember:

• Everyone is different. Some women have pregnancies with little difficulties. Some women have pregnancies fraught with difficulties. As a yoga teacher, my first goal is to be of service to my students. As a pregnant yogini, listen to your body and I will be here to listen to you, making your practice as wonderful and comfortable as I can.
• Consistency in your practice is important. Yoga practice is most beneficial when regular.
• Great goals for your practice during pregnancy are: lessen the discomforts of pregnancy (mindfully use the poses to make your body more comfortable as your baby grows), get ready for delivery (de-stress, breathe steadily and calmly, strengthen muscles used for delivery), increase post-partum recovery (yoga can help build your stress immunity for delivery), use variations and modifications for your comfort and stability.
• If you are tired, rest in child's pose or lie on your side, doing deep, diaphragmatic breathing at any time during class. Do your kegel exercises.
• Many pregnant women suffer from nausea. To prevent nausea, try not to have your head down for too long and come in and out of poses gradually. If the poses are strenuous or fast-paced, like Sun Salutations, rest. Vigorous yoga can cause the body temperature to rise too high. 
• Use legs up the wall for ankle swelling or leg cramps with a pillow or rolled up mat under the seat, elevating the hips. 
• Stick with open twists. Skip the closed twists. Skip bridge pose, shoulder stand and plow after mid pregnancy. Dog pose is a great strengthener but can be increasingly difficult as pregnancy moves along. Try puppy pose or wide-legged child's pose with a bolster for support instead. Maybe you'd prefer cat/cow instead? We can figure out what works for you.
• Meditation and relaxation are both helpful for enduring labour.They help to improve your focus and all-over body relaxation. 
• If you feel any dizziness or faintness, chest pain, excessive shortness of breath, painful uterine contractions, any "gush" of fluid (suggesting premature rupture of membranes), please stop exercising and consult your doctor!

During poses:

When doing standing exercises, stand with feet apart for a wide base of support and good balance.

Come out of forward fold by bending knees and using hands on thighs for support.
Bend your knee to support your elbow or use a chair for support in triangle. In other standing and balancing poses, use the wall or a chair for support. For prone backbends (on the belly), look for modifications that work for you, like child's pose, table, cat/cow, sunbird, pigeon, or plank (modified on knees.) Use a pillow or bolster for seated poses, both to sit on and to learn forward onto. Be sure  not to lie on your back for more than a couple minutes. During reclined poses, alternate lying on your side or seated and lie on the right side for relaxation. 

Pregnancy is a time to do what feels great and, above all, feels safe. 

Before you know it, your little one will be born and growing like a little weed!

                                                                     (Lia, age 2...ish)

This Month 

This month, we grab our mats to start outdoor Tuesday night summer yoga on a farm! The view is going to be pretty outstanding. Let me know if you want more information on that. 

We'll focus on our breath linked with movement and alignment, as always, but with a particular focus on Classical Hatha Yoga. 

With that, I wish you a beautiful night and offer a quote I use often in classes: "I rule myself. No negativity can touch me." (Kathryn Budig)

                                                                            Namaste.