Beach yoga in my first trimester
Being pregnant, I wonder if any woman is born a mom? Like she is natural with it without much struggle. For me, having my first child at late 30s seems speechless literally. There are questions I have never got in my life such as whether I would breastfeed or let my baby sleep alone or follow EASY method, etc. I felt like "Emily In Paris" with these questions (the being in a foreign country part) and holy cow, it's just the beginning. But! On the bright side, joining the M club a little late means I have more support group. From my family, from my friends, my colleagues, my internet, my Netflix account and definitely my cats! I am not the first and surely not the last on earth to have a baby. One year later, things might look different. I can't wait to go back to this blog by then.
Naturally, to make my life a little easier, the first topic I would like to dig in is prenatal yoga as I've been practicing yoga for years and my doctor also recommended it. Chances are you might have been hearing that yoga is helpful for giving birth, for getting back in shape after delivery and lots of other benefits. These might be true but one's practice is very different from others depending on the person's health and body. I guess the most important note to remember for yoga in pregnancy is to go with your flow, with the sequence you feel good for you and the baby.
For me, I love daily headstand practice hence my question is actually whether I should continue doing so. One mama said yes and I saw her picture up side down with a big bump and she said fine. One said no and said first trimester is definitely no. And most say no if you are new to the practice. So you shouldn't do anything poses that are new and challenging in your pregnancy. Eventually I decided to stop my headstand practice as I was unsure and I am glad I did.
I am in my 2nd trimester now, baby is growing and kicking and I've been practicing prenatal yoga since day 1 of having my baby. I feel good and actually pre-natal yoga is fun. I got to know new sequences, new instructors and new knowledge. Each trimester may require different different sequences with different purposes. First trimester is like getting to know with easy posture, hip opening and all. 2nd trimester is strengthening your pelvic floor and building up the stamina and third trimester is to get your baby out easier in delivery! For the first time, I've got to know the Kegel exercises for expecting mommy, lifting my pelvic floor up and down in silence!
So if you are looking for prenatal yoga practices, here is a few Youtube videos I would recommend for each trimester.
1st trimester
The one and only video you need if you don't like to change. She offers everything from hip opening to Kegel exercises to squat and light twisting. The pace is just right and even if you are new, you wouldn't find it too struggling. Plus her voice is so soothing!
Prenatal Morning Yoga Routine by Sarah Beth
This video is for all trimester but I felt like it's most suitable for the 1st and it's short and sweet and fairly easy. Some poses she holds quite long but you've got used to it after a few practices.
Prenatal Morning Practice by Yoginimelbourne
This video is also soft! Paula has an extensive collection of prenatal yoga if you like her styles. Some of her vids might look easy at first but try it and you'll feel!
2nd trimester
Strength and Stability by Tammy Yoga
This would make you sweat and really strengthen the glutes muscles with all that squat and lift and circle. She also touches on Kegel exercises a little bit. No music in this video and you might take your time to get used to this but I felt like this was good for my stamina in the 2nd trimester.
Prenatal Yoga workout with Kristin Mcgee
I also love this workout. It's a power yoga work out so you will be sweating too. The pace is quite fast so not really for beginner but you'd definitely love it. I practiced this since my 1st trimester till now.
3rd Trimester
Energising Flow | Pregnancy by Tammy Yoga
I just recently added this to my list. The description said it is for 3rd trimester but I found it a nice sequence to slow down and light up in late 2nd trimester as well. You know for days you don't want anything too high impact at weekend perhaps.
Lara Dutta | Labour Oriented endurance exercises
This is called Keep Up exercise or quickies, just 4 mins/exercise but boy, it's quite hard. She said it helps prepare mentally for labour. I thought it was nice and after practicing, I always feel better. I only do this in the weekends to finish off the practices and sit still for a few moment before closing. Highly recommended.
Pregnancy Yoga: Standing Flow | Episode 2 | Tonic & Pregnancy Yoga: Third Trimester | Episode 3 | Tonic
These are 10 mins only practice so I found it quite handy when I wanted to move in short time or lack of motivation. After 1 session, I feel better then add one more 10 min session and finish off with the above Keep Ups exercises.
And finally some books I read on this topic. I thought it would be much easier to read books than read the internet. Wish I had them sooner.
Yoga - A gem for women by Geeta Iyengar - she wrote a book on yoga from women's perspective, including pregnancy yoga and postpartum yoga and beyond! This is quite detail with illustration and precautions. And thanks to the books now I am confident to practice headstand in the 2nd trimester.
Yoga Mama - The Practitioner's Guide to Prenatal Yoga - this might be easier to read than the first book as less academic. Linda also shared some more scoop inside your body when you are in each trimester and how the sequences for each should be. She also have the sequences for the 4th trimester as well.
There is no Vietnamese resources unfortunately but I am sure there are lots of prenatal yoga classes around that you can join (you can check out Sivananda HCMC Yoga Center if you are interested). For me I'd prefer home practice for my own convenience. It's quite long blog but I hope it's helpful for ones who are looking for the same thing in your pregnancy like I did.
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