Yoga in your 1st Trimester
Practicing yoga early on in your pregnancy will help you focus on expanding and lengthening muscles through the middle portion of your body. More importantly, the muscles surrounding the cervix and birth canal can be better elongated during the first trimester than in second or third. This is because the belly hasn’t begun to really bulge and you are able to stretch a bit deeper in this area. Try poses that focus on expanding the pelvis to alleviate labor.
Physical Changes for Mom
Physical changes in the first trimester depend on many factors including the number or previous pregnancies and one’s individual biochemistry. In general, the below may be experienced by those in their 1st trimester:
- No periods or lighter bleeding
- Breast and nipple changes and sensitivity
- Urination frequency
- Nausea
- Dizziness and fainting
With regard to your yoga practice, remember the hormone progesterone is surging through the body and blood vessels become more relaxed and dilated. As a result, blood pressure lowers and you might feel dizzy when folding forward or bending your head and chest backwards. (This might even happen when you lean back to rinse shampoo from your hair in the shower!) Practice transitions between poses slower, starting in your first trimester. Avoid overheating the body and drink plenty of water. If you have been practicing yoga you *should* be able to participate for the most part fairly normally but definitely peek at The Top 10 Things to Avoid in Yoga while Pregnant to make certain you’re keeping yourself and baby safe.
1st Trimester Suggested Position
Reverse Diamond – Begin kneeling and turn soles of feet together. Crawl out to a modified plank, shoulders above the wrists with fingers spread widely on mat. Keep the body in line from the knees through the spine. Allow knees to push towards the edge of the mat and chatarunga down towards the mat. Attempt to keep the soles of the feet together, but separate if needed. This is an intermediate/advanced pose so do take your time working up to the chatarunga part of the pose. In other words, when you crawl out to a modified plank, feel free to hold for 8-10 cleansing breaths. Then proceed towards the mat by levitating gently, letting the inside of the thighs, stomach and chest touch the mat. Allow knees to push towards the sides as the center of the body approaches the mat.
Benefits of Reverse Diamond
* encourages blood flow through groin
* hold long enough to master the limits of your flexibility
* increases elongation from groin along inner thighs and quadriceps
