Pilates & Yoga During Pregnancy???

I did Yoga all the way to delivery week and I had twins! I took Prenatel Yoga at the Dowd YMCA with Donna. She is great and I highly recommend it. Best of luck.

Triad Yoga offers prenatal yoga courses. Here is their website http://www.familyyoga.org/. An instructor there offered free courses at my ob-gyn's office. It was very good to help during my pregnancy.

I'm also pregnant with my second (7 mo along) and have been doing the Gaiam Prenatal Yoga dvd with Shiva Rae. I really like it, as well as Yoga Zone's Postures for Pregnancy with Alan Finger. I tried a Prenatal Pilates dvd from Netflix but didn't like it at all. Didn't feel like I was getting a good workout.

I didn't do much yoga before this pregnancy, I always preferred lifting weights/jogging/elliptical machine. I was pleasantly surprised at what a good workout yoga can be!

I've also heard great things about the prenatal yoga classes at Carrboro Yoga Company (CYCO) and the yoga studio above the birthing center in Chapel Hill on Martin Luther King Blvd. I just choose to work out at home 'cause it is easier for me and I don't like leaving the house after dark (I know, so lame!). Hope this helps!

Healthy Moms teaches both. You can go to their website. A good friend of mine teaches the Tues. evening class and is amazing. Good luck with your search.

Hi T.,

My name is B. and I am an exercise physiologist in Wake Forest. I teach pre/post natal instructor certifications and these are the things you want to pay attention to:

1. Avoid extended periods of time (longer than 2 minutes) directly on your back. Try using a stability ball or BOSU to lye on for a modification...especially in pilates.

2. Watch for your wrists...due to increased relaxin present in your blood stream you have what is called "hyper mobility" in your joints...in sports especially YOGA we do so much on our hands that the wrists pay the price. Use a set of dumbbells under the palms when doing Downward dog for example or simply roll up another YOGA mat and lye your hands over that thus making the hand "rounder" and less strain for the wrists.

3. Do YOGA with shoes on if you do not have good ankle stability.
4. Do not do inversions in YOGA (head or shoulder stands)
5. All YOGA postures such as Triangle, Downward dog, half moon, warrior variations can be modified by using either a stability ball or chair...that way you don't have to reach down or lunge down so far!
6. During Shivasana lye on your side and do corpse pose instead with a pad between the knees.

Have a blast!!!!

B.

Rule of thumb is to not start something new during pregnancy. If you had been doing pilates and yoga before your pregnancy then you would have a base level of fitness and you would be able to modify during your pregnancy. However, the benefits of yoga during pregnancy is abundant so, its important for those without prior experience to attend a class specific to your needs, i.e. prenatal yoga. If you don't have one local the dvds are better than nothing. Pilates is great postnatal as a way to strengthen your core and posture. You can start simple pilates exercises days after a natural childbirth.

Good luck!

Gaiam makes a great prenatal yoga DVD. It has modifications for stages of pregnancy, and would give you an idea of what to do/what not to do in your class.
Hope this helps!

I continued my pilates class until about 14w when it became uncomfortable for me. I believe that there are modifications which would allow you to continue both throughout your pregancy. I would suggest talking to your instructors and see if they can tell you some of the modificatons or at least positions you may want to avoid as you get larger. I don't think anything should be a problem through the first trimester.

I'm 31w and have continued with my other activities - running, weight training and aerobics without any problems.

Yoga is fabulous for pregnancy and I'm sure pilates is great as well. When I was pregnant I bought a yoga for pregnancy dvd and did it at home everyday as well as treadmill, weights and crunches). Hopefully the yoga instructer can tell you what isn't safe for the third trimester (squatting postures are not unless you want to go into labor). You might want to ease up on the core (in pilates)excercises in the middle of your second trimester since they tend to be strenuous on the abs. Anyway, have fun and stay in the best shape you can so you can enjoy your pregnancy and have an easy labor.

Hi T.,
I know you wrote this a long time ago, but I just saw your post. Congrats on #2. I have a 17 month old son and am expexting #2 in Feb. I teach Stroller Strides classes and thought that you might be interested in trying a Stroller Strides class. Your first week is FREE!! Stroller Strides is a great way to get in shape, meet other moms, and instill a healthly lifestyle in your kids. We also offer free playgroups and monthly Mom's Night Outs. We will be having a FREE Grand Opening Class and Celebration!

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10630 Bedford Town Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27614
Time: 9:30 a.m.
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Owner & Instructor
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Helping Moms Make Strides In Fitness, Motherhood, and Life
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Hey T.--I have been doing yoga for over 8 years and I highly recommend it for pregnancy. There are lots of poses you can do that are safe for pregancy (at all trimesters) and help prepare you for birth. Here are some things to avoid:
lying on your back after 12 weeks
anything too strenous--as you get further along, anything where your head is below your heart will be harder. Just listen to your body and don't do anything that dosen't feel right.

Good poses--cat and cow--lots of it--tones your birthing muscles
You can do triangle/side angle/warrior on a chair. Frog, spported cobbler's pose (and forward bend), don't remember the name right now, but put your back against the wall, feet pointing out and go all the way down to the floor so that you are balancing your full weight until you can't balance your full weight. Put your arms in prayer position and put your elbows on the insides of your thights--press in with your thighs and out with your elbows. This is the "giving birth pose". You can also give birth in cat/cow. You may also try yoga journal's website www.yogajournal.com --you can search their site for poses.

Good luck and let us know how it is going!

Hi T.,

I actually hurt my back pretty bad when doing yoga with my second child. I somehow got my sacroiliac(sp?) out of alignment. It was later in my pregnancy, about 5 months. It was explained to me that your body releases a hormone called relaxin during pregnancy that makes all your joints very loose. So be careful if you decide to continue. My back issue was very painful and I spent 2 days unable to hardly walk, much less get in and out of bed or anything else. My son is now 3 1/2 and I still have trouble wearing heels for extended periods :)

T.

Hi T.,

Yoga and Pilates are great forms of exercise while you are pregnant. Just be careful and work only to your comfort level. The instructor should be able to offer you some modifications as you get further along. There are some great yoga and pilates moves that can really strengthen your body and specifically prepare you for labor. I would definitely recomend keeping up with cardio as well, low impact of course. Congrats though on trying to stay fit during your pregnancy. Check out the website link below... there are some great articles on both prenatal and postpartum fitness.

C.
www.babybootcamp.com