Online prenatal yoga – second trimester

There’s something special about the 2nd trimester, isn’t there?

You FINALLY have a bump that’s big enough not to be mistaken for too much lunch,  you’re not quite so big that you’re overly uncomfortable, your energy comes bouncing back and (hopefully) morning sickness has passed.

Today I’m sharing another online prenatal yoga practice. This one is for that glorious second trimester where unlike the super gentle of the first trimester, this one does build a little bit of heat. (though we go slow to counter any blood pressure changes and dizziness).

So let’s talk general yoga ‘what not to dos’ whilst pregnant.

– Obviously no laying the belly by this stage.  Chances are that’s the last thing you would even think about doing, but you know, I thought I better mention it anyway.

– Core work (planks, etc) now need to be very gentle.  Take the knees down whenever you can.  And no crunches at all as this sort of action can lead to abdominal separation. (Learn how to check for that post pregnancy here) You won’t be winning any six pack awards any time soon so it’s best to give away those old-school core burners.  Gently engaging the core and pelvic floor during yoga poses is a good way to safely keep these muscles strong and you’ll likely feel back to yourself sooner because of it.

– Avoid lying on the back for long periods of time.  We avoid back laying as out bodies get heavier to make sure we aren’t lying on major veins and restricting blood flow to you or your baby.

– Avoid closed twists or any other compression of the belly.  At this stage of pregnancy we modify all of our poses to create space for the growing belly.

– Don’t push your body too far.  Relaxin is pumping around your body now and making everything start relax and loosen to make room for the growing baby. You may find yourself more flexible than ever before.  Don’t push yourself too far into stretches as you may actually create injuries.

Today’s video is an 18 minute practice.  (It was meant to be ten but I got carried away.)  If you’d like to join me for the entire class you can sign up for this one and more on my online yoga studio.