Morning Sickness: If you are experiencing nausea in the first trimester, this is your body telling you to take it easy. If you have been attending yoga class regularly, give yourself permission to miss classes or take a less vigorous class if you don't feel well.
Going Public: You may not feel comfortable discussing your pregnancy with many people in the first trimester. But it is important to tell any yoga teacher that you are pregnant so he can assist you with modifications. Ask the teacher to be discreet if you are not yet ready to go public.
New Yogis: Many pregnant women are looking for low impact forms of exercise and may take up yoga for the first time. The best thing to do in this situation is find a prenatal yoga class at your local yoga studio. You can start attending prenatal classes as early in your pregnancy as you like. However, if you are not feeling well, it may be better to wait to start a yoga regimen until your morning sickness has passed, which is usually in the second trimester.
Experienced Yogis: Even if you are not experiencing morning sickness, you may find that your regular classes feel a bit too intense. At the same time, prenatal classes seem a bit too gentle. One solution is to decide which class to take on a given day depending on how you feel that day. You can also start to incorporate some prenatal adaptations into your regular practice. Make sure to tell your teacher what you are doing, and think of your pregnancy as your permission slip to do the practice that is right for you on that day. As your pregnancy progresses, you may start to find that the prenatal classes you attend are more and more suited to your changing body.
Home Practitioners: If you use yoga videos, get a prenatal one. If you plan your own sequences, begin to incorporate the adaptations on the next page. Also begin to do Prenatal Sun Salutations.
Recommended Poses: Hip openers like Pigeon, Warrior II, Triangle, Ardha Chandrasana, Baddha Konasana, and Knee to Ankle will help create the flexibility that will make giving birth easier.
All fours positions like Cat - Cow can help get the baby into the optimal position for birth (head down, back to your belly.)
