Prenatal Yoga - Slow flow, head to toe
You will need:
- No props
- Blocks or pillows/bolster as you progress in your pregnancy.
Energy level - Medium
Stage of pregnancy - Suitable for all, recommended for first and second
This is a really nice, gentle flow for all stages of your pregnancy. We begin seated and create space in the side body, hips and back body with some side body stretches and baddha konasana (bound angle pose), a favourite to open the hip and pelvic outlet, to tone the perineum and to create space in the lower back. As the body warms, we flow through cat/cows, remembering in prenatal yoga we only move through the "angry cat" posture and avoid "cow" to ensure we are not over stretching the belly (it's stretching enough as is), before grounding into downward facing dog to find the breath and stability.
Our salutes to the sun incorporate and low kneeling posture, to open into the front of the hips and side-body, just gorgeous for your changing body and regaining length as the pelvis starts to tip forward. This is followed by my favourite wide-legged forward fold (parsarita padottanasana), to open the hip and pelvic outlet, to tone the perineum and to create space in the uterus and belly. As you get bigger in the belly, you won't want to fold as deeply, this is where blocks and/or pillows come in handy, place them under your hands to lift you away from the floor and support you in a more upright position.
We finish with malasana (Hindi squat) and pigeon pose which is just wonderful for aching hips and lower back pain.