Intro to Prenatal Yoga Weekly Classes

Welcome to your Weekly

Intro to Prenatal Yoga Classes

Join the weekly live class👉 If you signed up for the LIVE series, please refer to the Zoom Call Schedule in your email for dates & links.

Yin Yoga Class

Repeating affirmations during class can help heighten your self-awareness, prepare you emotionally for the changes you are experiencing and gives you the mental strength to fight all negative thoughts for a more positive pregnancy experience.

Yang Yoga Class

I am ready to change in body, mind and spirit during this pregnancy.

Prenatal Chair Yoga

There is a body intelligence that we need to listen to but is often ignored. Being in touch with our body on a deeper energetic & emotional level and letting it speak for itself is necessary to achieve balance peace and good health.

Intro to Prenatal Yoga Kick-off Class

Welcome

Welcome, where are you all coming from?
Would you consider yourself a beginner/intermediate/advanced yogi?
What do you hope to get out of a prenatal yoga practice?
Any injuries or anything I should know about before we get started?

Easy Seated Pose (chair, props, etc) -Mindfulness

Awareness that results from focusing attention on the present moment. For pregnant women, a mindful practice can help with the pain, discomfort, stress, and anxiety that accompanies pregnancy. There are many practices uniquely designed for pregnant women, including prenatal pilates, yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises - all aimed at supporting expectant mothers both emotionally and physically.

Current Routine for helping you relax and feel present?

3- Deep Breaths - Why Yoga?

If you have practiced yoga before, you may already know about some of the wonderful benefits it has to offer, including stress relief, flexibility, balance, and improved blood flow.

Prenatal yoga is specifically tailored to expecting mothers, and while it offers all of the same benefits of traditional practices, it is designed to target specific pregnancy-related needs, such as increased flexibility and strength in the muscles required for childbirth.

You do not have to be well versed in yoga to start a prenatal practice. However, because prenatal yoga is specific to expecting mothers, it is a good idea to choose prenatal over a standard practice for pregnancy specific poses.

Here's some things you should be aware of before getting started:

#1: Make plenty of room for baby...

Child Pose - 1st Trimester

Anyone in their 1st trimester?

Aside from increasing flexibility and endurance for birthing, prenatal yoga can help to improve sleep, increase relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, decrease nausea, headaches, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and lower the risk of preterm labor.

But as with any new exercise practice, it is always a good idea to determine if the activity is right for you before you begin. First, check with your healthcare provider to make sure it's okay for you to start or continue a yoga program.

In your first trimester, you shouldn’t have many movement restrictions, but it is important to remember to drink lots of water and to breath deeply as you stretch.

If you are already well practiced, know that your regular routine will require some modifications.

Easy Seated Pose (flow with a twist) - 2nd Trimester

Anyone in their 2nd trimester?

In your second trimester, your joints will start to relax due to relaxin, a hormone that your body creates during pregnancy to help prepare for delivery. At this stage, because of the looseness in your joints, you will want to sink into yoga positions slowly and carefully and only hold as long as you're comfortable.

Here are some tips to help you along in your practice:

-Employ the use of a wedge or pillow to raise your upper body when you're lying down.

-Be aware that as your body grows, your sense of balance will be affected.

-Take your time and never force yourself to the point of pain or exhaustion

Cat-Cow - 3rd Trimester

Anyone in their 3rd trimester?

At this stage, you may be feeling less graceful and find it harder to balance due to your growing belly. Here are some tips to keep your practice enjoyable and safe:

-Do all standing poses with your heel to the wall, hand to a chair, or any other available prop for support to avoid losing your balance.

-Use blocks and straps to help you move through poses with greater stability.

-Don't hold poses for a long time. It is best to keep the body moving and blood flowing to you and your baby.

*Cat Pose is a great prenatal pose.It hips move baby into a favorable position for birth. It also releases tension in back and increases spine flexibility and strength!

Poses to Avoid- Down Dog (you can use a chair, too)

Here are some things to avoid when pregnant for your safety and the safety of your baby:

LYING ON YOUR BACK

Limit the time on your back as it can put pressure on your inferior vena cava (the vein that carries blood from the legs to the heart) causing reduced blood flow to your uterus. You can always use wedges or pillows to prop you up for poses on your back.

FULL INVERSIONS

Whether or not inversions are safe is up for debate, but a good rule is to avoid them once the baby is in position (head down).

HEATED YOGA

Heated, or Bikram style yoga, is best to avoid because you don’t want to risk raising your core temperature above a safe level.

MAJOR BACKBENDS

Major backbends can cause over-stretching of the abdominals, and even tearing.

Next, some wonderful prenatal poses you can do at home or in a class.

Tree Pose

Tree Pose is a great way to practice maintaining your balance as your body undergoes change. Here are some of the other benefits:

-Helps with heartburn (by placing hands over head)

-Improves posture

-Alleviates back pain

Goddess Pose

The Goddess Pose is an incredible pose to open your hips and strengthen your legs.The Pigeon Pose is a hip opening pose that helps to release tension in the lower back and buttocks and stretch the groin and psoas muscles that tend to get tight as pregnancy progresses.

Pigeon Pose

The Pigeon Pose is a hip opening pose that helps to release tension in the lower back and buttocks and stretch the groin and psoas muscles that tend to get tight as pregnancy progresses.

Benefits of Breath

Does anyone have any experience with breathing exercises?

Another benefit of practicing prenatal yoga is learning how to breathe deeply and consciously. The physical demands of labor require steady, controlled breaths, and one of the first steps to starting a yoga practice is to learn the power of breath.

A practiced breath prepares you for childbirth by teaching you to stay calm and relaxed when you’re in labor. When a person experiences pain or fear, the body produces adrenaline which may decrease the production of oxytocin, a hormone that makes labor progress. With a regular yoga practice, your body is more likely to resist the impulse to restrict when you feel pain or anxiety, and in turn enables you to relax and stay calm.

There are several beneficial yoga breaths. Let’s take a look at one (2nd one--- cleansing breath #1)...

Uijjayi Breath

In yoga, breathing techniques are called Pranayama, which means breath control.

Before you get started with any breathing technique, it is important to prepare yourself with a few relaxed breaths before and after each exercise. Start by doing just 30 seconds at a time until you feel ready to increase to longer increments of time.

This breath is great for calming the mind and nervous system.

Inhaling and exhaling through your nose, drag the breath along the back of your throat to creates a gentle hissing sound. Try to make each inhale and exhale even, and take each breath a little deeper than the last as you feel comfortable.

Meditative Breath

It is nearly impossible not to experience some moments of stress, fear, or anxiety when thinking about motherhood, the health of your baby, the preparation for your baby, and the process of childbirth.

Another way to create a relaxed state is to sit with yourself and practice mindful breathing to clear your mind and bring you present.

To do this, find a comfortable position, either seated in a chair or on the floor with the use of a cushion. Keep your back straight, but not rigid, and rest your hands in your lap.

Close your eyes and take notice of the shape of your body, its weight, how it feels. Then, slowly become aware of the sensations around you and within you. Relax any areas of the body feeling tight by breathing into the tightness.

Tune into your breath. Allow it to come in and out naturally, and notice where you feel it in your body.

You might notice that your mind may start to wander. This is natural - acknowledge it and bring your focus back to your breath.

Try to stay in the experience for five to seven minutes. From time to time, you’ll get lost in thought, and when you do, return to your breath.

This is a great practice to make a daily habit throughout your pregnancy and beyond.

Meditation

Does anyone have any experience with meditation or have a current meditation practice?

While we aren’t going to get into this too much today because it’s a whole other practice, I did want you to know that

1- Those that signed up for this & received the link to attend this class will receive some example meditations that you can do right now --- just check your email tomorrow.

2- When you join me for 3 weeks of yoga this month (the next 3 Thursday evenings, you will receive free access to my member area with a meditation that you can do all 3-weeks together and a resource guide to help you learn more about meditation --- including my 3-week meditation series that is technically month 2 of prenatal yoga.

3- We will end class with a 1 minute practice in stillness

Mindful Practice

How mindful are you on a scale of 1-3 (1 being super mindful and you always stop to smell the flowers to 3 being “I’m too busy rushing around most days”—post in the comments.

~Practicing mindfulness allows you to be focused on the present, --- this practice is a step needed to get to meditation.

~Mindfulness practice is a powerful way to manage your emotions, stress, and prepare your mind and body for childbirth and motherhood.

Mindfulness will help you and your baby thrive both physically and emotionally and we’ll practice it in 4 ways…
~immerse yourself in developing a bond with your baby during your pregnancy (just like we did a meditative breath together, we will do a be present mindfulness practice in a moment) & making time for youself in a weekly prenatal yoga class
#2: celebrating ourselves as new moms

#3: Taking it off the mat and make it part of your life – role model & health advocate for you babies

#4: Surrounding yourself with other moms

#1 Mindful Practice (Taking time for yourself & baby)

Take some time out to connect with your baby. Find a quiet spot and make yourself comfortable. Breathe deeply for a few minutes, sending your breath to the baby that's growing inside you. And in these few moments, think about everything you and your baby have experienced together up to that very moment, and think of your journey as a continuation.

Imagine yourself being an active participant in your child’s birth. See yourself with your child, notice any positive sensations, and stay with that feeling.

If any fears or worries you have about birth and parenting come to mind, welcome them, acknowledge them, and focus on letting them go.

Continue this exercise throughout your pregnancy, and take the time with your baby as often as you can to strengthen your bond.

*There's 4 yoga classes (including this one) in the member area that you can do as often as you'd like

*Plus 21 poses that you can practice for the next 3 weeks based on your discomforts

#2: Mindful Practice (Celebrating Yourself as Moms)

There is nothing quite as profoundly special as the journey to motherhood. For nine months, your body undergoes countless, amazing physical transformations. Your belly swells, your joints loosen, your hormones change, and your breast prepare for milk production.

A mindful practice allows you to soften some of the fear, discomfort, and anxiety surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, so that you can be present for one of the most amazing processes the body undergoes - an experience not to be missed.

Celebrate yourself for creating life, and live in the present to experience your incredible journey with your baby, now and forever.

*There's meditation in the member area & resource guide to learn more about meditation

#3: Mindful Practice: Yoga off the mat

Using the member area to do a yoga class
Taking time daily for meditation
In your life - choosing things mindfully (EOs)

Most disease starts in the mind & gut. Disease is passed on from your microbiome NOT DNA so it’s important to be mindful of what comes into our bodies.

Essential Oils have been around for thousands of years! For personal care, cleaning, perfume, traditions, mental wellness, emotions & aromatherapy.

Living with oils is a practice in mindfulness & healthy living.

They can be used to help…

~relax, calm emotions either by sense of smell (diffusing)

~rid toxins in our homes while cleaning (thieves to clean house, hands, germs in the air) – think of all of the chemical side effects you are protecting yourself and your family from

~rid toxins in our personal care products (things we apply to the skin. Eg. Ointments for bites, burns, cuts to lotions/soaps/shampoos and even DIY recipes)

~Using internally with the vitality line (supplement in water)

#4: Mindful Practice (connecting with others)

Prenatal yoga can be practiced at home, but joining a prenatal yoga class is a great way to receive proper instruction as you move through your poses. It is also provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with other expectant mothers in your community! This is a 4 week series and requires at least 3 moms to join for it to run---you’ll receive an email with the link to join but you wouldn’t make the payment until Sunday when we know everyone that is joining is registered.

Sharing the pregnancy journey with others having a similar experience to your own can help ease your anxiety about motherhood and childbirth.

Next Steps

Now it is time to get started!

A weekly prenatal yoga class will include these mindful practice, yoga poses & breathing exercises.

If you are ready to create a practice of quiet moments for just you and your baby, join my next prenatal yoga series….this is week 1 of 4.

Check your email to join weeks 2-4 (or go to yoginikeri.com/events)---that’s also where you’ll receive the meditations, 1 full prenatal yoga class that you can do as often as you’d like and the pregnancy/oils class and babies oils classes AND $25 gift code for maternity leggings/sports bra/transition pieces or some great coverups/wraps for breastfeeding.

$97 for 3-weeks of yoga & includes member area access

4 prenatal yoga classes (including this intro)
Yin, Yang & Chair classes you can do as often as you'd like
3 live classes 8/7, 14 & 21 via zoom
meditation & meditation resource guide to give you a jumpstart for meditation & month 2 of prenatal yoga series

Check your email

get your goodies (replay of this class, intro to prenatal yoga resource guide that covers everything in this class, prenatal eos & eos & baby)
reply to that message if you're interested in joining the next 3 weeks LIVE yoga classes by Sunday @ midnight
If there's 3 moms, you'll receive the payment link on Monday and we'll get started on Thursday.