Anyone who asked me for tips on exercising during pregnancy, knows how badly I vouch for Prenatal yoga. I feel like I had an awakening towards fitness only after I got pregnant!

I was never into weight training , yoga or in fact any regular physical activity before my pregnancy, which is why I think I suffered from really bad back pains when my second trimester started.. I talked to my doctor who strongly suggested being active and involved in some physical activity. She also gave me a very important advice ( although I was too late to be able to implement it) that it is very important to start preparing your body at least a year before you plan on getting pregnant. Eating right and exercising can ensure you have a fit pregnancy later! So those wonder women who continue to lift weights even in their third trimester definitely are the ones who have been doing it from a long time , way before they got pregnant.

Coming back to my back pain, I looked into classes near me that were geared particularly towards mom-to-be’s, but I could not really find anything close by, so I started going for the regular yoga classes at my gym.

It didn’t take too long for me to realize that my pain was getting so much better !!

Some very beneficial poses are: ( Not sharing my pictures doing these poses, because I am no yoga expert. FYI there are tons of amazing folks on Youtube who show you how to do these poses correctly). Just sharing what benefited me :

1. Full squat : Full squat is a very good posture to prepare your body for pushing the baby out by strengthening and opening the pelvis and hip muscles
2. Cat and cow pose: This is an amazing posture for back pain!! It was pretty much instant relief when I did this.
3. Seated side bend: Another amazing pose for getting relief from side pain.
4. Child pose: Very relaxing !
5. Triangular pose: A great stretch for the entire body.

I am a big advocate of doing regular yoga during pregnancy (and even otherwise) , but there are some points you should take care of if you are preggers:

1. ALWAYS check with your doctor first: It is always recommended to check with your Ob/Gyn before starting any physical activity. Since everybody is different and each pregnancy is different , it is very important to make sure it is safe for you and your baby to start doing yoga.
2. Let your instructor know you are pregnant: In case you do not go to Prenatal yoga classes like me, do let your instructor know you are pregnant so that they let you know which poses you should not be doing
3. Do not do certain poses: Any pose which twists the belly or requires you to lie down on your back etc. should be avoided completely. Please be sure to check with your instructor if you have any doubts.
4. Discontinue if you feel uncomfortable: Stop if you don’t feel good. Do the poses in your own comfortable pace. If the classes are too rigorous you can always do yoga at home (there are tons of Youtube videos for prenatal yoga)
5. Meditate: Breath in , breath out, just enjoy! Make yoga time a time to feel relaxed and comfortable!