Yoga physically, mentally and emotionally prepares one for the birth of a new child and supports both the mother and child throughout the pregnancy. Physically, yoga improves circulation, helping to lesson leg cramps and varicose veins and nourishing the fetus. Yoga strengthens postural muscles and can alleviate some of the minor discomforts of pregnancy such as heartburn, backache, hip joint and ribcage aches. Pranayama (breathing exercises) ensures a proper supply of oxygen, blood and energy to both fetus and mom, and reduces fatigue. A yoga practice of postures, breathing and meditation creates mental focus, concentration, discipline and stillness, enabling a smooth pregnancy and a relatively easy childbirth. Emotionally, yoga and meditation reduce and control stress, anxiety and fear. Yoga also improves general mood and the ability to manage pain. Meditation can also create a deeper awareness and connection with the baby.

Although yoga is great to do during pregnancy, there are a few things of which moms-to-be should be careful. Avoid prolonged poses on your back after the first trimester. The weight of the fetus pressing against the Aorta can restrict the blood flow to the lower body, including the uterus. If you feel dizzy or lightheaded while on your back, immediately bend your knees and slowly roll over to your left side. Avoid poses that stretch the muscles too much, particularly the abdominal muscles. You are more apt to tear and strain muscles now because the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which allows the uterus to expand, also acts on all connective tissue.

Avoid all postures that put pressure on your abdomen, especially forward folds, twists and belly down postures. Modify forward folding poses with the legs apart so the belly comes between the legs, and bend from the hips, not the back. Modify the position of the legs in twists so the legs do not press against the belly, and twist more from the shoulders and back. Listen carefully to your body. If you feel any discomfort, stop. You will probably need to adapt most postures to your body's physical changes and adjust your poses to fit your expanding belly.

Good Poses for the First Trimester

A pregnant woman in her first trimester should be able to do most basic yoga poses, but it is crucial to listen to your body and respect when you feel like exercise and when you just needs to rest. If something feels bad, stop; if something feels really, really good, keep doing it. A pregnant woman's intuition is why the human race is here, so learn to trust it.

Most standing poses (Triangle, Extended Side Angle Pose, Warrior 1, 2, and 3 Poses) are fine in the first trimester. Even balance poses such as Tree Pose and Eagle Pose are okay, provided they are done near the wall in case you lose your balance. Strengthening the leg muscles and the pelvic floor is important preparation for later phases of pregnancy, and it encourages good circulation in the legs to prevent cramping as blood pressure starts to drop. Standing twists such as Revolved Triangle Pose and Revolved Side Angle Pose, however, should be avoided because of the pressure they put on the abdominal cavity.

Open seated twists (Revolved Head-of-the-Knee Pose, Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) all relieve aches in the lower back and encourage proper posture. Hip openers such as Bound Angle Pose and Seated Forward Straddle should be a key focus because of the flexibility needed for delivery, but you must not overdo it; the hormone relaxin is softening all the joints and they are easily dislocated if stretched too far. Stretches on the back (Reclined Bound Angle Pose, Reclined Big Toe Pose) are good, but avoid any intense abdominal work (Boat Pose) because of the delicate situation in the uterus right now.

Contraindicated Poses

Pregnant women should avoid most inversions because you don't want to encourage circulation away from the uterus. And because of the low blood pressure pregnant women usually experience, inversions can cause dizziness. The one exception, however, is Downward-Facing Dog, which is fine for short periods of time. Because of the physical demands during the first trimester, pregnant women should not do high-energy sequences such as intense vinyasa series and Sun Salutations with jump-backs. Avoid doing most backbends (although Bridge Pose is OK) because these stretch the abdominal muscles too much.

Side-lying Savasana

A vital part of a prenatal routine is relaxation. Pregnant women should try to lie down every day for 20 minutes in side-lying Corpse Pose (all side-lying poses should be on the left side, to avoid pressure on the vena cava vein, which moves blood from the lower part of the body—the uterus—to the heart), and rest deeply. Labor is the metabolic equivalent of swimming nine miles, so a mother needs to learn how to rest and listen to her body. Arrange blankets and bolsters under your right knee, belly, right arm, and head so all parts of the body are supported. If you begin a habit of recuperating after physical activity now, you will fine-tune your ability to relax on cue, which is a crucial part of labor and delivery.

Building Strength, Encouraging Rest

During the first trimester, the sensations of pregnancy are still new, so you might be tempted overdo a sequence. Try to practice with a new awareness of the baby inside and of your body's need for rest. Use this as an opportunity to learn to appreciate the benefits of a gentler, more introspective yoga practice.

Here, in summary, are some important things to remember during your first trimester:

Physiology of Months Four Through Six

By the fourth month, the pregnancy has become visible. The belly begins to stretch as the baby grows, and the breasts become fuller as the apparatus for nursing develops. The round ligaments of the belly are stretched, and the joints of the pelvis loosen to allow for this additional bulk. All of this new weight on the front of the torso puts a strain on the back as the muscles work to keep the body balanced.

In a healthy pregnancy, the blood pressure is lowered by hormones to accommodate the extra fluids that supply the placenta. This low pressure can cause dizziness, headaches, and mild swelling in the hands and feet. Combined with extra weight gain (10 to 15 pounds during this trimester), this slowed circulation is the cause of varicose veins and cramping in the legs. Practicing yoga at this time is about alleviating discomfort and should include hip and chest opening poses and those that help to relieve lower back and neck pain.

Modifying Poses to Accommodate the Growing Belly

Despite the discomfort, a second trimester practioner probably has her energy back and can build her strength, as well as trying to relieve soreness. As long as your instructor understands the anatomical and physiological changes of the pregnant body, and what's safe and not safe, you can benefit from a well-rounded class. It's okay to challenge yourself in a safe manner providing you really listen to your breathing and follow the instructor's guidelines.

Standing poses (Triangle, Extended Side Angle Pose, Warrior 1, and 2, Chair Pose, and balance poses such as (Tree Pose, Half Moon Pose, and Warrior 3) are great for building strength in the legs and increasing circulation to prevent swelling in the feet and ankles—but do them at the wall or with a chair, in case they you unsteady. Keep in mind that wide-legged standing poses, like Warrior 2 put a lot of strain on the pelvic floor, and it's already strained so it's best to modify the pose by sitting in a chair and putting your legs out in Warrior II, so your front thighs are completely supported by the chair. This adjustment allows for hip opening and some weight bearing, but it takes the pressure off the pelvic muscles.

Chest and hip openers are favorite poses for this trimester. The muscles of the upper back have the added weight of new breast tissue to support, so poses such as Cow Face Pose and Reverse Prayer Pose help release tension. After week 20, a pregnant student should no longer lie flat on her back for any extended length of time, due to the weight of the uterus and baby on the vena cava (a major vein carrying blood from the lower body back to the heart). Poses such as Reclined Bound Angle Pose, Reclined Big Toe Pose, and Reclining Hero Pose, which increase circulation to the legs, open the hips, and relieve the back, can be done on an incline by using blankets or a bolster to elevate your upper body past 20 degrees.

This trimester is a good time to focus on different types of pranayama exercises to teachyou how to focus on your breath, which helps you relax, and they're also good practice for breathing techniques that will help during labor and delivery.

Contraindicated Poses

As the belly grows, the abdominal muscles and ligaments are stretched taut; most strong abdominal poses such as Boat Pose or leg lifts should be avoided so that the muscles don't separate or tear. Early in the trimester, you can still do a few front-lying poses Cobra Pose, or Locust Pose (done with the upper body only); place a rolled blanket under the hips to make room for the belly. Later, these can be done with the chest and arms against the wall, the feet about 18 inches away, and the upper body leaning forward to make room for the belly.

Steer clear of any pranayama that involves retention of the breath (Viloma, or Interval Breath) or altering of the flow of air (Kapalabhati, or Skull Shining Breath), since either will affect the delivery of oxygen to the fetus.

Your new shape will also require modification of any poses that involve folding or twisting. You should spread your legs slightly and bend at the hip crease for all forward bends, to avoid compressing the belly. Open twists can relieve some of the back pain, but now the twist will happen above the waist and should not be too deep. Also, avoid doing inversions and backbends because the size of the your tummy simply won't allow much of this activity, but make sure you know what poses can be modified and what poses you just shouldn't do by communicating with your instructor.

Some things to remember for this trimester are:

• Modify standing poses, with support. You don't have to use a chair or the wall, but be aware of the option if you suddenly feel dizzy or weak. You can decide how to modify the poses so you are control of your practice; this will encourage you to listen to your body and build confidence in your ability to cope with the pregnancy.
• Avoid poses that strain or put pressure on the abdominals. Boat Pose and Plank Pose can both wait until after you give birth. Remember to twist above the waist and modify forward bends to make space for your growing belly.
• It's Okay to substitute. If you miss back bending, you can do a modified Cobra Pose at the wall. If you want to do inversions try Seated Forward Straddle with the back of your hips at the wall and a block under your head.
• Include the baby in the practice, especially during relaxation. By the fifth month, you are very aware of your baby's movements. Often, the baby will be more active during your quiet periods, so connect with your child during relaxation poses. Remember the importance of rest and of allowing your body to recuperate after a practice.

The third trimester is the final stage of pregnancy, culminating in labor and the birth of the child. By this point, you have probably gained between 20 and 30 pounds. (Although only a quarter of this weight is the actual baby—the rest is mostly the support equipment that keeps the baby alive.) Extra weight can cause great discomfort. The pressure of the crowded uterus on the internal organs results in heartburn, frequent urination, lower back pain, cramping in the front and side abdominals, and shortness of breath. The large, unyielding mass of your belly causes interrupted sleep, difficulty moving, and clumsiness. You have unstable joints due to the hormone relaxin, which allows your pelvis to widen so that you can deliver, and you may experience dizziness as well as swelling in the hands and feet because of slowed circulation caused by the hormone progesterone.

In the last couple of months, your body prepares for the delivery. You will experience Braxton-Hicks contractions, or sporadic tightening of the uterine muscles, in practice for the muscle contractions during labor that push the baby out. The baby will drop down in the uterus toward the end of the ninth month, which can make walking and sitting difficult. In the last few weeks of the pregnancy, your cervix will begin to slowly open (dilate) and your pelvic floor will soften until you go into labor—usually indicated by membranes rupturing (water breaking) and/or contractions becoming intense and more frequent. All these dramatic changes, coupled with discomfort and anxiety about giving birth, can make this last trimester stressful for the mom-to-be.

Building a Mental Catalogue

Continue to explore poses that help you relax but also find strength. This work will later serve you during the intensity of birth. Having a mental catalogue to draw on during labor can be one of the most useful aspects of your yoga class so you can think, "Oh my lower back hurts, there's that pose or that stretch that will help."

The biggest concern with practicing in this trimester is protecting the joints and maintaining balance. Even an experienced yogini will have to adapt to her quick weight gain and unbalanced shape. Basic standing and balance poses (Triangle Pose, Extended Side Angle Pose, Warrior 1, and 2, and Tree Pose) are good for building strength in the legs, reestablishing proper alignment in the spine, and encouraging circulation—but be sure to do them near the wall or with a chair, in case you lose your balance.

Challenging poses are not off the menu, but use the breath as a guide and a gauge of how the sequence is going for you. If, at any time, you find your breath is compromised, you need to shift the shape of the pose—you don't need to come out of the pose, but you needto shift or take a rest so you can keep the smooth, steady breath.

Hip openers (Bound Angle Pose and Seated Forward Straddle) are also important poses in this trimester because they help relieve aches in the lower back and create space around the pelvis. Not only do these poses help release the lumbar spine and open the hip joints but they are good positions to make you more comfortable during labor, too. Pelvic tilts can alternately tone (by lifting) and soften (by lowering) the pelvic floor, while Cat Pose can help shift the baby lower in the uterus and may even encourage proper positioning (head down, face to the back).

Breath as a Teacher and Guide

Because a student in her third trimester has restricted mobility, her yoga practice can become quieter, with more emphasis on breathwork and less on poses. In fact, breathwork, or pranayama, is a crucial part of a third trimester practice. Not only does it encourage relaxation but it also helps develop the ability to concentrate deeply. It can be done on its own, in a favorite hip-opening position such as Reclined Bound Angle Pose, with pillows supporting the knees, or it can be used during regular practice to encourage focus. Daina DeVoe, an obstetric nurse at Beloit Memorial Hospital in Beloit, Wisconsin, says the mental focus developed in a yoga class is an "absolute gift" during labor and delivery. "The breathing and the keeping of control through the pain is the most important thing. If they are doing any kind of focused breathing, I talk them through it to help them center and get better control of their pain during the pushing phase. Also, between the contractions, I have them rest with their breath, because often they will waste a lot of energy."

A Time to Connect

In the third trimester, you are in the home stretch. This is the last time you will be able to focus only on yourself for awhile, so enjoy the opportunity to concentrate on your own needs before the birth of your baby.

Physiology of the Postnatal Period

The first month after giving birth is a time to recuperate and adjust. The pelvic floor has been stretched significantly during birth and may even have been cut or torn to facilitate delivery. The cervix has to close back down from dilating to 10 centimeters (4 inches) and then stretching to let the baby pass through. The uterus shrinks a lot in the first few days, but it will take at least a month to return to its postpartum size, and the internal organs have to settle back into position after being crowded for so long. If you had a Caesarean section, the pelvic floor will be intact, but you have had a major abdominal surgery that will take several months to heal.

Perhaps one of the most surprising (and possibly disappointing) aspects of the postnatal period for a new mother is that she still looks about four to five months pregnant. The baby and the afterbirth add up to only about 15 to 20 pounds of weight lost immediately. In the first week or two after giving birth,there is still a lot of extra fluids in your system that are slowly being flushed out or reabsorbed. Your abdominals and the skin over the belly are loose after being stretched out for nine months. These first few weeks can also be hugely emotional as you learn to take care of your new baby and adjust to your role as a mother. This intense responsibility, combined with hormones that are still present in the system (and will remain for months if she is breast-feeding), can lead to mood swings and even depression. A perfect remedy for all of this soreness and mental stress is a yoga class, but be careful not to rush back into a practice your body is not ready for.

Easing Back into Practice

Doctors and midwives recommend that a new mom wait for at least six weeks (eight weeks, if she's had a C-section) before hitting the yoga mat. Even if you practiced regularly during pregnancy, you don't have the same body you had then—or ever before. (Even if this pregnancy wasn't your first, your body and recovery needs won't necessarily be the same after each birth.)

The abdominals are the muscles most affected by pregnancy, and so they're an obvious set to focus on. You'll need to reacquaint yourself with this area to create stability so your back is supported as you move through the postures. The lower back is really going to be the flag if you're working the abs the right way. If it hurts, you've gone past your capacity. Experts recommend"belly backbends," such as Cobra Pose and Locust Pose, to regain strength in the back and abdominals. Other poses that help bring awareness to the torso and engage the muscles include a variety of seated twists, such as Half Lord of the Fishes Pose, a twisting variation of Easy Pose, Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose, and standing poses such as Extended Side Angle Pose and Warrior I Pose. Once you feel comfortable with basic abdominal work, you can practice more intense poses, such as Boat Pose or Plank Pose.

The shoulders and neck are another area that can be very sore in the postpartum period. If you're having any complications around feeding, you're going to find that every feed is a very stressful situation. When a woman is stressed, she tends to pull her shoulders up by her ears, and this creates a lot of pain in the neck and shoulders. Simply carrying a newborn around will strain the upper back, because the tendency is to hunch over the baby instead of standing up straight. Shoulder openers such as Reverse Prayer Pose, Cow Face Pose, and Eagle Pose will help loosen the muscles in this area.

By the end of the first eight weeks of motherhood, you should be ready to resume your regular practice, but remember to listen to what your body is ready to do. Jumping, dropping back into Wheel Pose, and intense vinyasa are still a bit ambitious until your abdominals are completely restored.

The Importance of Rest

This time is exciting, exhausting, thrilling, and scary. A new mother will be flooded with conflicting emotions while simultaneously trying to manage all the physical demands of parenthood. Taking time for complete relaxation at the end of class is a good way for you to recuperate and calm your mind. It may be the only time in the day you get to focus on your own needs. Guided meditation, pranayama, and supported poses such as Corpse Pose, Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose, and Reclined Bound Angle Pose will all help you give your body and mind a rest.

Baby the Mother

Have patience. It took nine months and one birth to get to this place, so give yourself another nine months to get back to "normal." If you try to rush the healing process, you could actually prolong it by aggravating any strained muscles, tears, or incisions. Listen to what your body is ready to do. Focus on the center. Work on your abdominals and lower back by starting with gentle stretches and gradually moving into strength-building poses. Do lots of chest and shoulder openers to ease soreness in the upper body.

Turn the focus on you. The early months of a baby's life are its most helpless. You will be spending so much time caring for and worrying about this little person that you may neglect your own health and needs. Relax and focus on yourself while practicing, so you will be refreshed and ready to parent again after class.