I just got off the phone with yet another friend of mine who is pregnant. She has been doing my DVD, Yoga For Your Moods, for quite some time but stopped doing it in the past few weeks because she didn’t know if it was okay during pregnancy. I quickly informed her that yoga is an excellent activity to do during pregnancy, as long is it is modified correctly. In fact, on page 101 of the magazine FitPregnancy’s Feb/March 2007 edition they discussed the benefit of doing yoga during pregnancy. It reads, “A 2005 study comparing pregnant women who walked for half an hour twice a day to those who practiced yoga for an hour a day, found that the latter had fewer complications, including pregnancy induced hypertension and pre term delivery.”

I have practiced yoga throughout both of my son’s pregnancies and have enjoyed quick labor and recovery for each. I will caution you to be careful with your body during this time and follow a few guidelines to help prevent injury to you or the baby. Some of them are:
Your balance is off from the very beginning. Stop looking up during poses and stay focused on things that are eye level. Also, use the wall or a chair to help stable yourself.

Stay away from inverted poses, like shoulder stand or plow. As your tummy grows this puts too much strain on your baby.
Don’t hold poses as long as you use to. As you progress in your pregnancy, you’ll have a greater chance of cramping. The longer you hold the pose, the more likely you will cramp up.
In the second and third trimesters, don’t do upward facing dog or any extreme stomach exercises (save that for post-baby!)
Drink a lot of water! You are more dehydrated when you are pregnant.

These are just a few tips. You can find a directory of poses on the Yoga For Your Pregnancy DVD which focuses on yoga throughout each trimester of your pregnancy. In addition we have Yoga For You and Your Kids to progress with yoga after your pregnancy. Until then, if you are pregnant, ask your doctor if yoga is ok for you during this time, and enjoy it!