Prenatal Yoga for Pain During Pregnancy (with videos)

Ainsley (not her real name) was 11 years old when she started doing yoga with me 14 years ago. Our relationship began when visited my yoga studio during the open sessions I had offered during our small town’s Summerfest. After that, she came by to do yoga so often I started calling her my adopted daughter — even though she had a perfectly fine real mother, and, after all, I was closer to her grandmother’s age!

Anyway, Ainsley and I stay in touch, and she recently emailed me. Now 25 years old, she is pregnant with her third child. She said in her email that, while her first two pregnancies were not uncomfortable, this time around her hips and lower back are in pain. What could she do for it? She also asked about yoga moves for the rib cage and for pain during labor.

I sent her back a list of 5 considerations about yoga that can help with pregnancy discomfort.

1. Mild stretches for the hips

During pregnancy your hips and uterus will shift, which can cause discomfort in the ligaments, joints, and muscles. If practiced regularly, stretches that mildly open the hips can alleviate the discomfort. Supta Badha Konasana is particularly good as it creates a slight backbend that can strengthen, not strain, the low back, and it also opens the hips.

To do Supta Badha Konasana, lie with a small support under your spine, like a rolled up blanket or soft bolster. Bring the soles of your feet together and make sure your head is supported. Place rolled blankets or yoga blocks under your outer thigh. An eye pillow or washcloth over the eyes is a nice touch to relax the eyes and brain. Practice yogic breathing — slowly and deeply through your nose — letting your belly (and baby!) relax.

2. Don’t overstretch

A hormone called relaxin kicks in during pregnancy, so overstretching is not helpful. Do all your yoga stretches — including the ones in #1 above — without pushing yourself. Cat cow is a classic yoga pose done on all fours that is great for moving and adjusting the pelvic region and lower back, while also giving the entire spine and torso a good stretch.

To do cat cow, start on all fours, with your fingers spread wide, and your arms straight. be sure to keep your arms straight throughout the pose. As you inhale, drop your belly and spine toward the floor while lifting your head and chest. As you exhale, reverse the pose by lifting your back and belly and gently dropping your head. Please note that as you progress through your pregnancy, you may need to make your knees a little wider than hip distance. Repeat the movement through cat cow pose as many times as feels good.

3. Do NOT do these yoga poses during pregnancy!

Avoid deep twists and poses on the belly when you are pregnant. Mild twists are a good way to relieve some of the discomfort in the lower back, because mild twists subtly release the back muscles. Twist deeply from the lower back is never a good idea, even if you’re not pregnant, but mild twists are good for organizing the internal organs and gently stretching the back muscles. Remember also that lying on your left side instead of the right is recommended to improve blood flow to the placenta and baby.

4. Stretch your rib cage

The mild twists in #2 above already help stretch the rib cage, especially when combined with yogic breathing. (The breath is always your friend.)

To breathe yogically, and to further expand your rib cage, inhale through your nose and move your rib cage out and up, stretching the intercostal muscles there. Exhale through the nose naturally.

Reaching your arms up, whether you’re standing or sitting, is another great way to stretch your rib cage.

5. Find your best breathing

Yogic breathing during the practice of yoga poses can help with the pain your body is experiencing from the changes it is going through during pregnance. However, once you go into labor, you’ll need to let your body’s wisdom dictate what type of breathing is best to get through the pain. But there is something you can do before labor to help you learn to breathe through pain.

Try this simple, classic kundalini yoga move. Hold your arms straight out to the side, palms facing up. Keep your arms in this position until it feels uncomfortable. Breathe into the levels of discomfort that arise. This will not harm you. It will help you learn to breathe into and through the feeling of pain.

Conclusion

Yoga can help with pregnancy discomfort, because stretching and breathing are important components of yoga. Be sure not to overstretch, though, and when it comes time to deliver your baby, let your body take over naturally, using, when it needs to, what it has learned from your yogic practice.