Prenatal Yoga Poses

Prenatal Yoga Poses: 5 exercises

When you are pregnant, your body goes through many changes that can generate great levels of stress. Therefore, we present to all expectant mothers prenatal yoga poses: a way to keep the mind and body healthy during the gestation period.

Prenatal yoga focuses on the positions that pregnant women can perform to increase their strength and flexibility,  also providing benefits for the baby. It also makes it easier to breathe properly and learn to relax to have a more comfortable and easy delivery. In addition, some  studies  claim that yoga is ideal for pregnant women.

Benefits of prenatal yoga poses

best  prenatal yoga poses

The benefits of prenatal yoga poses are innumerable for future moms. These are some of the most important:

  • Improvement of sleep.
  • Reduction of stress
  • Greater strength, flexibility and resistance.
  • Reduction of lumbar pain.
  • Decreased nausea
  • Reduction of carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • Decrease in headaches.
  • Lower risk of premature delivery.
  • Lower risk of intrauterine growth restriction.

Prenatal yoga poses: 5 exercises

Once we have known the benefits of yoga prenatal , it is the ideal time to present some exercises to practice it.

Malasana

To practice the first exercise you must sit on a chair with both legs extended in front of you. Next, bend your knees and place your feet close to your seat, slightly wider than the width of your hip.

Then, support your weight on your feet and take off your seat to squat, with your legs spread. Stand straight and put your hands between your knees, pressing the inside of your thighs with your elbows. If this is uncomfortable for you, we suggest using blocks to perform a supported squat.

Triangle

Start standing with your feet more than shoulder width apart. Take a step forward with the left leg, and bend it by the knee. You should stay with the weight of the body leaning slightly forward.

Inhale and then exhale as you raise your right arm over the shoulder. Then, turn your head, looking up; you can place the left arm on your thigh as support.

Finally, perform a full breath while lowering the right arm and stretching the left leg . Return to the starting position and repeat the movement with 5 full breaths. Invert the feet and repeat the sequence on the other side to do the full exercise.

Uttanasana

As in the previous exercise, to carry out the Uttanasana you must place yourself with the feet wider than the width of the hips , the knees slightly bent and the hips at the appropriate level.

Second, lean forward at the waist and allow the head to fall to the mat , while the knees remain loose. Hold the elbows with the opposite hands, as this will help to lengthen the spine. Do not worry if you are not able to touch the ground.

Upavistha Konasana

To begin, you should sit with your legs extended in a straight line in front of you . Stretch your legs laterally, although you do not need to force yourself too much.

Then, while keeping your back flat, bend your chest and place your forearms on the ground in front of you. This posture is especially good for  stretching the hips and opening them .

Parivrtta Sanchalanasana

Our last prenatal yoga exercise requires starting with all the lower and upper extremities resting on the floor. To do this, you must place the left foot on the floor , bending the leg at 90 degrees so that the calf is parallel to it.

Using your hands as a support to give you stability, flex and extend your right foot behind you. Thus, you will be supported mainly in the hands and left leg, which is ahead. To finish, change the weight to the right hand and extend the left to the ceiling, which will allow you to follow it with your eyes. Repeat the exercise on the other side.

Mujer embarazada haciendo yoga

Finally, remember that it is not recommended to practice prenatal yoga poses to those women who are at risk of premature birth. It is important that in these cases you consult the doctor before starting the exercises.

Yoga poses for children

Yoga originated in India as a form of mental and bodily stimulation more than 35 centuries ago. Europe was not aware of its existence until the seventeenth century, when the archaeologist John Marshall found a seal with figures in positions unknown to the Western world.

Today there are many yoga schools that adapt to each person. Some focus more on spiritual well-being, others on the physical. There are some who consider it a purely religious ritual, and there is even therapeutic discipline.

And among all of them, of course, there is one dedicated to infants. Yoga poses for children are highly recommended, and their benefits, infinite.  In addition to yoga can be practiced at home , their exercises help their psychomotor development, strengthen the spine, improve flexibility … they are a real wonder!

It is likely that your child’s sport / discipline / practice does not particularly attract attention, but that is because he has not tried it. The postures that are explained below are a clear example of how an ancient technique can survive to this day and adapt to any person, including children:

Greeting to the sun

The child should stand with the legs open and try to lower down, parallel with the tips of the feet. It is one of the most recommended yoga postures for children for those who are in the process of initiation.

Little girl doing the sun salutation

Its execution is easy and the little ones usually do not cost them effort. Be careful not to hurt your back, especially if you move too quickly. For many children it is fun to make the sun salute quickly, but this impulsiveness can make them fall.

Lumbar flexion

The position of lumbar flexure or clamp is perfect for the development of flexibility in the smallest. They should sit with their legs stretched forward, and try to reach the toes of their feet. They must maintain the posture a few seconds, enough to strengthen their joints little by little.

The backbone plays a fundamental role here, because with this exercise children are allowed to give free rein to their imagination and try to overcome reaching the limit that we have established previously (the tips of the fingers or the entire feet).

The tree

The child must imagine that it is a tree. It must stand straight and imagine that its roots are attached to the ground. Then you must move the sole of one of the feet towards the inside of the opposite leg and keep it for as long as possible.

Once stability is achieved, you must raise your arms above your head and visualize your own stability: it is a strong tree, able to stand firm in the wind.

The warrior

Start by taking one of the legs forward and flexing it. The other should keep it stretched. Once stabilized, you should raise your arms above your head, as in the previous position.

While in this position, you must visualize that he is a strong warrior . There is nothing I can do with him. It is a perfect way to enhance your concentration and strength, in addition to improving your balance quickly.

The cobra

The posture of “La Cobra” is one of the best-known yoga postures for children. The little one should only lie face down and, with the help of the hands, go incorporating the upper trunk slowly. The lower part of the body should be kept straight and stretched.

This exercise strengthens the spine and helps strengthen the upper joints, such as the arms and hands. Children often associate this execution with the form of attack of a snake, which they face with courage and pride.

Yoga is one of the most complete exercises that exist. Starting your children from a young age is a big step, as it will help them acquire certain skills and abilities. Of course, try not to force or force them: there is nothing worse than a child who feels pressured.

We must tell you about the benefits of this sport and how happy they will be when they have finished the exercises. With sincerity, honesty and a good face, they will be the first to bet for their own welfare.

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