Pre Natal Yoga

M

ms@hk

New member
I know there are old threads on this but none answered my questions

- Is it useful - does someone have experience of benefiting from this

- Is it safe - till what stage in the pregnancy can one do it

- Is there any place good in Hong Kong for this - I know pure has a one off workshop - are there any continuous classes which can teach this safely. I see frequent mentions of Yoga Limbs on the website - but unfortunately that has closed down.

Thanks to anyone who cares to reply.
 
Hi, Yes I've found it very useful. Has kept my joints mobile (and also pilates too) throughout, and maybe I've just been lucky, but I've had no pains at all through my pregnancy. You can carry on right up to your due date as proper pre-natal teachers will modify which moves you can do (the women teachers are sometimes better at this than the men as pehaps they understand a bit better!).

Pure in causeway bay has pre-natal classes (taught by Dora), Pure in soho has pilates where they will modify the exercises (and I'm sure the yoga teachers there too will just so long as you tell them you are pregnant - just not tried those ones), plus special pre-natal classes that mix a bit of yoga, pilates and strength work.

A couple of friends went to Anahata Yoga on Lyndhurst terrace and found them to be good too.

Enjoy!
 
I know several people that go to Yoga Room in Sheung Wan and I plan to try it out. I heard you should wait until 12 weeks before starting, but after that it's fine to practice.
 
I go to Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong in Sheung Wan. They used to offer a pre-natal class, but now I go the the regular Yoga I class and the instructor modifies the poses so it is appropriate for certain stages of pregnancy. They accept students after 14 weeks of pregnancy. If you're not that set on meeting other pregnant mothers, I highly recommend the Iyengar Yoga Centre. I normally go to the Sunday Yoga I class as there are usually maximum 4 people per session. I've been going there for about a year now. The teachers are highly certified and I absolutely trust them in terms of safety and well-being for myself and baby.

I've found yoga has been really beneficial with preventing back pain. It's also very beneficial for opening up and toning your pelvic floor muscles in anticipation for childbirth.
 
Pure Yoga at Centrium have 3 classes a week for prenatal yoga. I believe they are on tue, thur and sundays. I used to go to the Sunday classes because they were sooooo relaxing. Tue and Thur were good too. Taught by Neely who specializes in prenatal yoga.
 
Yep, I have also been going to Pure at Centrium. Occasionally other teachers take the class and I really enjoy the variety of styles. Has kept me more limber and is nice as I feel less and less is possible on other exercise fronts. They ask you to wait until 12 weeks to join but then you can keep going until delivery - one girl said her waters broke in class with her first child! It's great to get to know other mums-to-be and I find I am more accepting of the changes in my body and realise that everyone is at their own stage but we all share the experience. I joined Pure just to do pre-natal yoga. You join at one location but if you are doing pre-natal you can go to any of their studios for a pre-natal class and most of the locations have 2 - 3 classes a week. Enjoy!
 
I went to Amazon and bought a DVD with prenatal yoga by a woman named Shiva Rea.
I prefer doing it at home, as there is no yoga school near my home or work, and my work hours can be long / irregular.
I figure it's better to do it regularly at home, than struggle to goonce in a while to class. Plus, it costs much less. I just pop the DVD in whenever I have a spare hour.

The hour workout is slow and gentle. It includes lots of breathing, stretching and pregnancy exercises like Kegels. It avoids positions that would be harmful for pregnant women. Each move is demonstrated by 3 women -- one for each trimester. If you've done yoga before and are in good shape, you can keep to the 1st trimester lady. If you're not flexible or are heavily pregnant, you can do the easier moves with the 3rd trimester lady.

I've found it really helpful. I couldn't do it the first trimester because of a high miscarriage risk, and my doc took me off all exercise. I developed awful back pain.

As soon as I was allowed to exercise and started doing yoga in the 2nd trimester, it mostly went away. Up to about 30 weeks, I could still touch my toes! I can't tell you how helpful that is. :)

Note, though, that I've done yoga before. If you haven't, don't push yourself into positions that feel uncomfortable.
 
There's also a prenatal yoga DVD by Karyne Steben, a former Cirque du Soleil acrobrat. But I have to admit that I was intimidated away from that one. I didn't want a hard-core workout. I just wanted to stretch my muscles so I didn't have so much backache / cramps, and to be in decent shape for the birth.
 
Shiva Rea's prenatal yoga DVD is very good, gentle and challenging at the same time. I started at around 20 weeks, did nothing earlier due to miscarriage risk. I didn't have much back pain or swelling during pregnancy.
 
I have found yoga to be a good way to stretch and help relieve the aches and pains of pregnancy. However, practice with caution, especially if you're new to it. Most prenatal yoga instructors are good at guiding you (even more so in smaller classes) to ensure you're being safe. That said, I recently tried a class at one of the studios and was horrified at the things she had us doing. Not sure if she is actually qualified to teach prenatal classes.... Didn't seem to keep in mind that there's a bump in the way and certain positions simply aren't possible anymore. In a couple of poses I (and baby) felt something just wasn't right and she pushed me to do it anyway, complete opposite to others who always emphasize you should listen to your body and not do anyhing that feels painful or uncomfortable. Another thing that struck me as odd was that she kept telling me off for breathing out my mouth... I know in yoga you should breathe in and out your nose, but all other instructors always say in the last months of pregnancy it's ok to breathe out your mouth instead. At the end she had us doing shoulder stands with no concern for how many weeks pregnant we were or the position of the baby (like others do). Mentioned it to OB today and she said NOT to do that (she was horrified too). Found this online about the topic:

In the third trimester: "Inverted postures such as headstand and shoulderstand are strongly discouraged at this stage because they may adversely affect blood flow to the baby, place undue pressure on the placenta, and increase the risk of the umbilical cord becoming wrapped around the baby's neck. One must consider that not all babies are "athletic" enough to extricate themselves as the amount of relative space in the uterus decreases; or perhaps in women who have had multiple pregnancies and the uterus is more spacious, it may be easier for the baby to flip around but remain in a breech position. The last 8 weeks of pregnancy are a time to encourage the downward flow of energy and the correct downward positioning of the baby's head (Optimal Foetal Positioning) to facilitate labor."

So yes, I would recommend it, but make sure the instructor knows what they're doing!
 
Andrea, I'm a bit shocked at your experience with the above mentioned yoga instructor. Can't believe she would try pushing you into doing something you weren't comfortable with!

I think there are really mixed views on what's appropriate and inappropriate during pregnancy. As long as you listen to your body, the risk of something going wrong is extremely low. Some people say yoga is ok during first trimester, while others don't. It's very important to know your body's limits. I practiced yoga before my pregnancy so I felt very comfortable with shoulder stands and light twisting positions in my 2nd trimester. I'm now in my 3rd trimester (29 weeks) and baby is growing perfectly fine and already head down.

If I ever got tired in a certain asana, I'd take a breather and come out of it. However, with my third trimester, I'll probably be doing less strenuous poses and focusing on asanas that widen and strengthen my pelvic floor instead.
 
Andrea -- No shoulder stands! Please don't go back to this teacher -- she will hurt you.
And do listen to your body. I'm following a very simple prenatal yoga DVD, and I have done yoga before. Still, there is one move that just feels wrong to me, so I don't do it.
No good yoga teacher would push a student into a painful or uncomfortable pose, even if that person wasn't pregnant.
 
Definitely best to listen to my own body and baby. Have found some classes I'm happy with and look forward to class as I need the stretch! Have also tried swimming but it feels really awkward.
 
I've been doing pre-natal yoga since my first trimester (after my morning sickness subsided) and I have found it a great way to relax and ease a lot of the stiffness in my hips and lower back. I definitely sleep a lot better after a yoga class. Provided that your instructor is well qualified and knows how to teach yoga for pregnant women, you'll find that yoga is a very good low-impact exercise. The instructors at PURE will also guide you through the all important pelvic floor exercises, which can help you during labour and prevent urinary incontinence. I also believe that the focus on breathing will eventually help me during delivery. I practised yoga very regularly before I got pregnant, so if you will be doing yoga for the very first time as a pregnant woman, just remember to take things slowly and listen to your body. If you're not sure about a certain pose, a pose feels uncomfortable in any way or you just don't understand what is going on, my best advice would be to skip that pose and perhaps ask the instructor for some guidance after the class.

As for yoga studio recommendations, I recommend PURE. They may not be the cheapest in town, but I strongly believe that you often get what you pay for.
 
I am indeed that mum whose water broke in yoga class! I did yoga throughout my first pregnancy and really found it so beneficial for both my health and also during labour with all the breathing exercises etc (although i did have epidural). I am continuing to do it through my 2nd pregnancy although who knows if my waters will break again in yoga class! I am doing it at Pure Yoga in the Centrium which is good although the class size is big and so it's not that good if you are new to yoga and need lots of adjustments or even if you want a social class to make friends. I have friends who went to the Yoga Room in Sheung Wan and that was much more social and friendly
 
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