Pregnant and Preparing to Give Birth? Prenatal Yoga Can Help!
We often get asked at the studio what is appropriate yoga for me during pregnancy? Or what yoga practices are safe during pregnancy? Alongside our amazing Prenatal Yoga courses we always recommend starting with some breathing and learning about this powerful tool that can calm the body and prepare for labour. Read below to try for yourself!
Whole Body Breath or 3-Part Breath is a calming and grounding technique that can help you breathe during labour. This breathing technique will soothe your sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system and help bring into balance your parasympathetic (calm) nervous system. Pregnant yoga can be practiced right up until you give birth.
During pregnancy, practicing this rhythm of breath can help you relax into a meditative state while picturing your baby and connecting with him or her. Think of the breath as a wave that you are riding together, gently watching the ebb and flow, like waves moving in and out at your favourite beach.
You can also use this technique when you want or need to relax into or ride contractions during labour, riding the bigger waves of discomfort and connecting with your body's surges. This is also a technique to use during Caesarean birth to ground yourself and relax.
What is it?
3-Part Breath is when we consciously breathe into three specific areas of our body: abdomen/belly (lower section of the lungs), ribcage and chest.
How to do it?
On the inhalation:
1. Fill breath into the bottom of the lungs (fill the abdomen/belly)
2. Fill the ribcage (left and right)
3. Fill the chest (heart/shoulders - try to keep the throat and neck soft)
On the exhalation - reverse gently:
3. Relax the chest
2. Relax the ribcage
1.Relax the belly
At the top of the inhale, the chest should lift up gently (think breathing into the heart to encourage the throat and shoulders to stay relaxed and open). At the bottom of the exhale, the belly should be all the way in as if our belly button were gently dropping to your spine.
Begin with ease, and gradually let the breath deepen. Never force, always keep the breath comfortably full and smooth.
This prenatal breath work takes practice to not feel robotic! So take time daily to rest and breathe with your baby. When it comes time for their arrival, this technique will be a natural tool you can access any time that you need it.
Have questions? Need support? Reach out to us at Live Yoga! We love chatting yoga and supporting moms on their journey to becoming a mom!