Yoga and Pregnancy - Yoga Poses for Pregnant Women

Pregnancy is something most Women anticipate. It brings both fear and joy to parents, joy for finally having a baby and fear of the risk that goes with it. Pregnancy is the period from conception to birth. That is from the time when a male's sperm cell fertilizes the female's ovum (egg) to the time of delivery or a total of 40 weeks or 280 days. Some women go into labor before the expected date of giving birth, resulting to premature infant. Pregnancy Symptoms include missed Menstrual Period, morning sickness, tenderness and swelling of breasts, fatigue, nausea, increased frequency of urination, weight gain, mood swings, and sometimes may also include cravings for unusual substances such as ice, clay or cornstarch.

Pregnancy has a lot of risks, though these risks are always worth taking. The complications may be on the mother or the child. The risks include ectopic Pregnancy wherein the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus and toxemia, a serious complication that occurs in the later stage of Pregnancy and is characterized by High Blood Pressure, extreme weight gain and protein in the urine. Health problems can also increase the risk in Pregnancy such as heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, Asthma, epilepsy, and sexually transmitted diseases. The risk relatively the highest during the first trimester or the first few months because it is during this period that the infant's most vital organs like the brain, internal organs, the arms and the legs are being formed. The second trimester, on the other hand, is characterized by weight gain and the continuous growth of the baby in your womb. You will also notice that your baby starts to move before the end of this trimester. Constipation and leg cramps may also continue, thus it is important to keep yourself healthy. In the last trimester, you may still continue to feel the discomforts you felt in the second trimester. In addition to this, you will also have the need to go to the bathroom often and breathing can become harder. Your baby is growing bigger and putting more pressure in your organs.

The Practice of Yoga can help you prepare your mind and body for labor and birth as this helps you focus, to concentrate and keep you healthy. The Yoga Poses are gentle ways of keeping your body active and supple and minimize the common Pregnancy Symptoms like morning sickness and constipation. It can also help in ensuring easier labor and smooth delivery by relieving tension around the cervix and birth canal and by opening the pelvis. The Breathing Techniques can also become handy during labor. It also helps in restoring your body shape, uterus, abdomen, and pelvic floor, and in relieving upper back tension and breast discomfort after childbirth. Special care, however, is needed in choosing the Yoga Poses that you will practice, you should avoid poses that requires laying on the back or belly.

For the first trimester, standing Yoga Poses are advised as this will help strengthen the legs, promote Circulation, generate energy, and may reduce leg cramps. It is also advisable to do some stretching such as the hamstrings stretch to avoid Sciatica. During the second and third trimester, you may reduce your time spent for practicing the Asanas to prevent fatigue and overwork. It is also not advised to practice from the tenth to through the fourteenth week of Pregnancy since these are crucial times. Supine poses, backbends, and twisting can also be done with modification or if the body is on an incline. Do not overstretch the abdomen; the emphasis of your twisting poses should be on the shoulders and the upper back and not on the abdomen. Avoid doing inversion poses though some experience Yoga practitioners usually still feel comfortable doing this until the seventh month.

The following are the Yoga Poses that can help you in dealing with the symptoms of Pregnancy, ensuring smoother and easier delivery, and faster recovery after childbirth. Poses that puts pressure on the abdomen and other difficult poses should not be done during advance stages of Pregnancy. You do not have to do all these Asanas and remember not to push yourself on a pose.

		Mountain Pose - Tadasana This yoga posture is a base for all asana, a yoga exercise in itself focusing on posture and awareness. Practiced consistently, balance and posture improves from Mountain Yoga Pose. The feet become roots to the Earth and the mind are the branches to the Universe: so develops the Mind-Body Connection.

		Triangle Pose - Trikonasana Triangle Yoga Pose gently stretches the chest, hips and legs. Increasing blood flow to the head, this yoga position offers stress-relief to the mind and strengthens the shoulders. The open twist promotes a supple spine and relieves any low back discomfort.

		Warrior I Posture - Virabhadrasana I Warrior I Yoga Posture is strength. It is important to keep the heel of the forward foot in line with the center of the rear foot in Warrior positions. Warrior(s) brings a sense of independence, strengthening the core and thighs, and increases endurance.

		Half Moon Bend Posture - Urdhva Hastasana Though this yoga pose incorporates the name of 'moon', it is a most rejuvenating yoga posture! Stretching the entire line of the body, this pose strengthens the cardiovascular, endocrine, and respiratory systems. Practice only with a health spine as yoga practice of Half Moon Bend Posture requires both strength and flexibility.

		Standing Wide Angle Forward Bend - Prasarita Padottanasana This yoga posture is a great restorative pose for you after your body is warmed and can be calming, used for anxiety and sleeping disorders. It also gives a strong stretch to the lower back, hips, and legs. Raising kundalini energy up the spine, Standing Wide Angle Forward Bend Yoga Pose stretches the back meridian of the body.

		Seated Forward Bend (Noble Pose) - Paschimottanasana This yoga pose is invigorating! Raising kundalini energy up the spine, this pose stretches the back meridian of the body. The exercise from Staff Yoga Pose into the Seated Forward Bend Yoga Pose raises Kundalini, cleansing the chakra system.

		Hero Pose - Virasana Hero yoga pose is a relaxing seated posture used in yoga meditation. It is important when incorporating this pose into yoga practice to be aware of the positioning of the knees and heels of the feet. The chakras are aligned in proper position and can be practiced on any comfortable surface.

		Forward Bend Pose with Leg Extension - Uttitha Uttanasana This yoga pose calms and settles the mind through the inversion, while your core strengthens practicing the leg extension. This is an extended form of the Standing Forward Bend Position used commonly during yoga class, built to strengthen the core and acts as therapy for the back and hips.

		Fish Pose - Matsyasana The Fish yoga pose works as a great chest opener, inclreasing lung capacity. This position is often used in yoga class to counterbalance the Shoulderstand Yoga Posture and increases it's benefits. It is said that if you practice this pose in water, you will be able to float like a fish!

		Cat Stretch Pose - Vajrasana A deep backbend, this yoga position strengthens the muscles of the torso. Exercise with this pose for several rounds to bring heat and flexibility to the spine, releasing toxins and stimulating the internal organs.

		Headstand Pose - Sirsasana The therapeutic effect of this yoga posture is that standing on your head in proper alignment strengthens the body's core and calms the mind. Alignment is synonymous with Mountain Pose in this posture. Using Headstand Posture during yoga exercise can alleviate sinus pressure.

		Tree Balance Pose - Vrksasana This balancing yoga posture, once learned, opens the torso for greater respiration and a deeper understanding of the body's dimensions. Tree Balance Pose aids in your personal yoga practice the development of Mountain Posture.

		Plough Pose - Halasana Though this yoga pose does not have any direct refference in any classical sense, it carries similarities to other yoga positions practiced in traditional yoga classes. Plough Yoga Pose brings relaxation to the muscles of the back and thighs, gently stretching the ligaments and sinews of the spine and back.

		Sage Twist - Parivrtta Bharadvajasana This yoga twisting pose brings deep internal awareness for a balanced twist to both sides of the body. This yoga exercise offers a massage to the internal organs and spine. The therapy of this yoga pose extends to the mind as it releases tension and anxiety.

		Hare Pose - Shashankasana Relieving tension within the upper back and neck, this yoga pose also massages the digestive organs and stimulates the energies of the manipura and svadhishthana chakra. Tip: Keep the chin in towards the chest to relieve stress from the neck muscles!

		Ujjayi According to the ancient yogic text, Ujjayi can help protect you from a host of diseases by getting rid of excess phlegm, wind or bile. Learn how to perform this challenging breathing technique by following the guidelines found in this article.

		Corpse Pose - Savasana A yoga pose for complete relaxation is challenging first with the mind. Yoga practice usually includes this position near the beginning or end of asana practice, as therapy for fear, hypertension, insomnia, and even psychosis.