How long is the best time for pregnant women to do yoga? Yoga moves that pregnant women can do

Pregnant women doing yoga is very beneficial to the entire pregnancy. It can relieve edema and fatigue during pregnancy and help pregnant mothers adapt to changes in their bodies. So how long is the best time for pregnant women to do yoga? What are the yoga moves that pregnant women can do? Let's learn about it together~

How long is the best time for pregnant women to do yoga

The practice time is 30 to 60 minutes. Especially for beginners, 30 minutes of practice is enough, and it also includes time for rest and relaxation. It is not advisable to practice too much at the beginning. If you have practiced yoga before pregnancy, you can increase it to 60 minutes as appropriate, and stop practicing immediately if you feel uncomfortable. Don't force yourself.

The best time to practice yoga during pregnancy

It is best for pregnant women to rest during the first 1-3 months of pregnancy. It is more appropriate to practice yoga during the third to seventh months of pregnancy, which is conducive to normal delivery and child development. In the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus is still in the embryonic stage, and pregnant women should not be too active to avoid causing miscarriage. Walking is the first choice in the first three months. The physiological characteristics of pregnant women at different stages of pregnancy are different, and fitness methods should be adjusted in time. In the second trimester of pregnancy, the fetus has been implanted and has stabilized. Pregnant women can increase their exercise appropriately according to their personal physique and past exercise conditions, and do exercises within their ability, such as maternal gymnastics and maternal yoga. However, it should still be remembered that strenuous exercises such as running and jumping that are easy to lose balance are not allowed. Yoga exercises are suitable after 3 months of pregnancy.

Tips: Pregnant women should not have too high a heart rate when doing yoga. It is best not to exceed the maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate = (220-age) * 60%. If pregnant women feel dizzy, nauseous or tired during exercise, they should stop immediately. If they have abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding, they should go to the hospital for examination in time. Pregnant women should also pay attention to the following when practicing yoga: wear loose and comfortable clothes, and shoes that fit well and are light; replenish water in time to prevent collapse; keep warm to avoid catching a cold; it is best to choose a yoga hall with relatively smooth air circulation, which is beneficial to the physical and mental health of the mother and fetus. In short, everyone's situation is different, it is best to consult an obstetrician before arranging appropriate exercise.

Pregnant women should not do yoga movements

1. Backbends. These types of movements will make the already stressed lower back even more vulnerable. So don't do them. Even if you do them, only do simple chest expansion movements.

2. The action of placing the abdomen on the ground is also absolutely not allowed.

3. All abdominal training movements are bad. Because the abdominal muscles of pregnant women are already under great pressure, abdominal exercises will cause a greater burden. It may even cause the rectus abdominis to split, making the lower back support worse.

4. Avoid deep twisting movements. If you do, just do simple rotations of the shoulders, neck, and upper chest.

5. Never do a headstand. During pregnancy, the bulging abdomen of a woman has reduced her chest cavity, and a headstand will compress the chest cavity even more. If you still do a headstand during the third trimester, it may cause the fetus to be in an abnormal position, so be careful.

6. Lying posture is not recommended after the second trimester as it will compress the large blood vessels.

7. When practicing breathing, make full use of possible breathing space but do not emphasize abdominal breathing, and do not overly contract the abdomen.

8. When standing normally, remind yourself to keep your feet parallel. Avoid standing with your feet facing outwards, as this will put more pressure on your lumbar spine.

9. During pregnancy, hormones change, among which more "relaxin" is secreted, making her more flexible than usual. So when doing exercises, do not overstretch, otherwise it is easy to get hurt.

The editor reminds that pregnant mothers do not need to do yoga in the early stages of pregnancy because the fetus has not yet developed well. If pregnant women are not careful, miscarriage may occur. You can start doing yoga after three months.

Five yoga poses for pregnant women

As long as the expectant mother is healthy, she can do yoga, but she should pay attention to gradual progress and not force her body. She can choose some moderate and suitable movements for pregnant women. For example, the following 5 movements:

Action 1:

Stand with your feet about 80 cm apart, arms raised sideways, inhale, exhale, slowly bend your upper body to the left, and when you bend to the limit, hold your calf or heel with your left hand, stretch your right arm as far upward as possible, and try to keep your arms in a straight line, staring at your right fingertips. Hold for 10 seconds, breathe naturally, and slowly return to the original position, then switch to the other side and do it again.

This movement helps to strengthen the flexibility of the waist muscles, back muscles, and external oblique muscles.

Action 2:

Stand with your feet together, adjust your breathing, bend your right leg, grab your right ankle with your right hand, and try to keep your right foot close to the inside of your left thigh. After standing firmly, put your hands together in front of your chest and inhale. If you are not standing steadily, you can also place your right foot close to the inside of your left calf or knee.

This movement can help expand the chest, promote deep breathing, increase lung capacity, and improve leg strength and balance.

Action 3:

Sit down, keep the cervical spine, spine, and lumbar spine upright, retract your legs until the thighs are in a straight line, with the soles of your feet facing each other, touch the thumbs and index fingers of both hands together, and stretch and relax the other three fingers, placing them naturally on your knees, with your palms facing up.

This movement can help calm your breathing, maximize oxygen absorption, relax your mind, improve blood circulation, and achieve harmony and balance among the mind, body, and spirit.

Action 4:

Sit down, spread your legs as far as possible, open your shoulders and let your hands hang naturally, slowly twist your upper body to the left, support yourself with your hands in front and behind your body, twist your head with your body, and look forward.

This movement helps to soften the leg ligaments and activate the spine and cervical vertebrae.

Action 5:

Stand with your feet about 1 meter apart, relax your shoulders, and straighten your back. Adjust your breathing and put your hands together in front of your chest. After inhaling, squat down slowly while exhaling slowly, try to go down as much as possible, and keep your upper body vertical to the ground.

This movement helps strengthen the thigh muscles and knee joints, tighten the buttocks, and strengthen the uterine bones.

Note! Not every pregnant woman can do yoga

Before you decide to do yoga, it's best to talk to your antenatal doctor and follow his or her advice. If you've had a miscarriage or any other medical condition or discomfort, your doctor may tell you not to practice yoga poses or to wait until after the first trimester to attend a prenatal yoga class. Although yoga is considered relatively gentle on joints, if you have any medical condition or discomfort, you should first get your doctor's approval.

If your doctor approves prenatal yoga, it's also best to remember to listen to your body and pay attention to signs of dizziness, fatigue, pain, or discomfort. If you experience chest pain, amniotic fluid leakage, excessive thirst or frequent urination, rapid weight gain, or persistent back pain, you should consult your doctor immediately.