Yoga for Āhua/Pregnancy
“Ko te whaea te takere o te waka – Mothers are the hull of the canoe.”
Pregnancy yoga is an amazing opportunity to connect with yourself and your pēpē, to prepare yourself for child birth
If you are attending classes (recommended), it is a wonderful way to connect with other wāhine who are going through the same physical, mental and emotional changes as you.
Pregnancy yoga helps us to stay active, fit and strong, as well as helping alleviate the stresses and strains that can occur during our hapū time.
BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PREGNANCY
Reduce stress and anxiety
Reduce aches and pains
Improved pelvic floor strength and awareness
Provides techniques for a calm birth
Calming, relaxing, restorative
Boosts mental health
Can help improve sleep
Decrease nausea
Decrease lower back pain
Increased strength, flexibility and endurance
Low impact activity
If going to classes it is a great opportunity for connection with other hapū māmā
Hapū Yoga Considerations
When we are hapū there are some considerations to take into account when we practice.
Always check in with your GP or midwife before beginning a yoga or exercise practice. Do not practice yoga in the first 3 months of pregnancy. If you are in your first trimester, please pause your practice until you are in your second trimester, and please know there is very little risk of an adverse effect if you have been practicing and are still in the first trimester. The advice to start yoga after 12 weeks is a safety precaution, as that is considered to be the stage of pregnancy when we are at the highest risk of miscarriage.
Another good point to remember when practicing is that our bodies produce a hormone called relaxin when we are pregnant. This hormone helps the body be able to stretch and make room for our growing tinana and for when we are birthing. This means that our joints become more mobile, and we may be more flexible when pregnant than we usually are. Avoid overstretching, keep movements that involve flexibility to about 80% of what you can do to avoid destabilizing and overstretching joints, tendons, and ligaments.
Please avoid lying on your back for the peace pose, savasana or for any relaxation/meditation practices. Lying on your side is absolutely fine, and as you get bigger, you can pop a pillow between your legs for more comfort.
Leave out any poses where you are lying on your tummy. Avoid strenuous poses, strong twists that compress the belly, forward bends that compress the belly, and back bends. Standing poses are fine, just be sure to be near a wall or practice using a chair as support, our center of balance changes as our pregnancy advances, and we want to stay safe in our practice.
Avoid practicing breathwork that is forceful, involves any form of breath retention, or causes you to feel dizzy or uncomfortable. Natural breath awareness is fine.
Do the poses gently and mindfully, modify where you need to, and it is always okay to skip postures that don’t feel right.
There are so many beautiful yoga practices that can support you through your pregnancy and labour – vocal toning, guided meditations and breathwork practices that can enhance your pregnancy experience, and alleviate feelings of overwhelm, worry, or anxiety.
If you can, find a local prenatal class, if that is not possible, look up pregnancy yoga specific video lessons – always trust your instincts and your own body, if a pose doesn’t feel right for you it is always okay to leave it out of your practice.