A lot of people have asked me throughout my pregnancy if I’ve been practicing prenatal yoga. My answer is no. For me, there’s only yoga, which means I’m adapting the practice to align with my needs.
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In the first trimester, when I was consumed with fear that I might lose the baby, I hardly did any asana. It just didn’t feel right. Instead, I mostly practiced walking meditation, journaling, and gentle movement. I felt more grounded and confident in my second trimester. I was at the gym two days a week doing strength training: upper body weights and functional strengthening of my legs and glutes. I started going back to class where my teacher Genny took good care of me. She shared a lot of modifications from the Iyengar perspective which I took to heart. The last trimester has been slower. No more gym, but I’m still teaching, walking up to 10k steps a day, taking the stairs, and practicing gentle movement at home—lots of pelvic rocks, variations of Downdog, and shoulder and hip openers. To me, it’s all yoga.
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Here’s what I hope to share, whether you’re navigating pregnancy or just moving through your life: yoga is a deeply personal practice. It does not have to exist within a certain paradigm in order to be classified as yoga. It should serve your whole being—body, mind, and spirit. The wisdom and courage to adapt the practice to your unique needs is the gift that keeps on giving. Maybe that’s the true gift of the practice because it allows us to align and flow through our everyday lives. Give yourself permission to find YOUR practice, both on and off the mat. Give yourself grace. That is yoga.
06 Jun 2018
Find Your Practice
Very interesting to hear about your experience! I think intuition is the best guide when it comes to pregnancy and what we should or shouldn’t do during that time.
I agree, and such a useful relationship to cultivate in preparation for motherhood.