First Trimester Prenatal Yoga
What’s safe during your first trimester?
First and foremost, always consult your medical professional about physical exertion in your specific situation! However, generally speaking, yoga is widely accepted as a safe exercise during pregnancy.
In my first trimester, I barely felt different on my mat. Having gone through my RYT 200, there were a few things I generally knew, and then I relied on the internet for the rest. For example, Yoga Journal has a wealth of information and resources. As a side note, I will be getting certified in prenatal yoga soon — excited to share more after my training!
Should you practice hot yoga while pregnant?
It is generally not advised to practice hot yoga (ex: Bikram, where classes are heated to 102-105 degrees) when pregnant. This is because if your core temperature raises above 102 degrees, overheating can lead to neural tube defects and miscarriage. You should also be extremely wary of dehydration - stay hydrated!
That said, I teach C2 at Corepower Yoga, a power vinyasa format that is heated to 95-98 degrees. While I am very acclimated to the heat and felt comfortable continuing to teach in heated environments, I did scale back my personal practice to primarily unheated settings. However, on a few occasions, I did feel up to taking a heated class, but I took it very easy with a lot of modifications. In summary, play it safe, take care of yourself, and listen to your body.
Do you need to take prenatal yoga classes or can you continue with regular classes with modifications?
I took my first prenatal yoga class last week (at 14 weeks) with Jane Austin at Yoga Tree, and it was AMAZING! There’s a whole different aspect to connecting with your baby and feeling strong as a momma that you don’t get from a regular yoga class. Highly recommend for both beginner and experienced yogis.
However, I was definitely the earliest to term in the class at 14 weeks (think the next woman was 18 weeks). During your first trimester, your bump is just barely emerging (if at all), so technically you don’t need to go to a prenatal yoga class just yet, and you should be fine modifying during a regular yoga class. Remember that you are expending extra energy to create a human, so it’s typical to feel extra fatigued. In my first trimester, fatigue was a very prominent part of my pregnancy, and I had to take breaks (i.e. hang out in child’s pose) throughout a class. Again, stay hydrated and listen to your body!
What are some common modifications for pregnancy?
As a general rule of thumb, don’t do anything that squishes the baby!
NO closed twists. Ex: prayer twist, revolved crescent lunge
Instead, opt for open-armed twistsNO lying on your tummy. Ex: cobra pose, locust pose, floor bow
Instead, stay in table-top position and opt for cat/cows for a nice belly stretchNO big back bends that involve your lower back. Ex: wheel pose
Instead, focus on back bends involving your cervical and thoracic vertebrae like camel pose