Namaste_Heather

Prenatal Yoga

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So, as promised to my fellow yogi-friends, I thought I would do a quick post on Prenatal Yoga.  As you all know, I took a prenatal intensive in Asheville, North Carolina last weekend.  Since I’m not a doctor and don’t pretend to be, I don’t want to go too in-depth, but I thought I’d post some generals about practicing yoga while pregnant.  Here goes:

1. For pregnant women who already have an established practice, it is perfectly fine to continue practicing as normal while listening to the body.   It is advised, however, to begin a more gentle practice during pregnancy as the body changes rapidly and some poses are contraindicated during the 2nd and/or 3rd trimesters.
2. Lying on the belly becomes contraindicated as the baby grows.
3. Forward Bends should be done with a straight spine as opposed to a curved one, especially further along in the pregnancy . . . which could help with lower back pain in the long run.
4. Practice strong backbends with care.  Pregnant women secret a homone called Relaxin which could cause overstretching.  Imagine . . . the belly expands enough to make room for baby. . . do you want to overstretch and end up with (possibly more) stretch marks after the baby is born?
5. Twist only gently and never in the lower belly.  Focus the twist in the upper chest instead.
6. No jumping in vinyasas.
7. 8 to 15 % of pregnant women can have Vena Cava Compression, so its a good idea to NOT lie flat on the back in Savasana.  Prop at a 45 degree angle with a block and bolster.  Also roll over to the left side instead of the right after Savasana.
8. Be mindful in or avoid Inversions.

So, those are just a few Prenatal Yoga tips.  Consult a physician or yoga teacher trained in prenatal yoga if you are interested in beginning a yoga practice during pregnancy.

Here is a beautiful poem that was on the bottom of my Prenatal Yoga Training Intro Letter:

A Precious Human Life

Everyday think as you wake up

Today I am fortunate to have woken up

I am alive

I have a precious human life

I am not going to waste it, I am going to use

All my energies to develop myself

To expand my heart out to others

To achieve enlightenment for

The benefit of all beings

I am going to have kind thoughts toward others

I am not going to get angry

Or think badly about others

I am going to benefit others as much as I can

Next topic . . .  Facebook

So, I noticed a few other blogger friends (who are also friends of mine on Facebook) belong to a site called Networked Blogs.  I registered this blog but cannot quite determine how it works.  If you know, please message me, and by all means follow my blog there.  Click on the link in my side bar (to the right) just below Email Subscription and above RSS Feeds.

Other Randomness

Image via Google

Recently I created a new page on my blog called Quotes.  Here, I plan to post favorite quotes.  I already posted a few but would like to continue to post as time goes on.  I use quotes often for personal inspiration and in my yoga classes.  In the past I made “quote cards” for friends and plan to begin to do so again.  I will be posting pictures of these quote cards, probably on another page as time goes on.  If you have a favorite quote, please feel free to post it in the comments section on the quotes page or in any other way you see fit.

Last but not least, I write for Examiner.com.  I am the Green Living Examiner, but have not written in quite a while as life has stretched me into so many other directions.  I will be writing more regularly beginning in the next few weeks.  So, if there are certain green topics of interest to you, please let me know.  I love to research and write and your help will be greatly appreciated!

As always, I hope you are enjoying this fabulous Thursday.  The day was absolutely gorgeous here in Ohio!