Three indoor yoga poses suitable for pregnant women during the monsoon.
Creating a pleasant inner environment during pregnancy sets the foundation for a vibrant life for your child. A joyful pregnancy leads to a healthier newborn and a happier you. Yoga is not just about fitness; fitness is a consequence. The important thing is to achieve the right geometry of life because the physical universe is all about geometry. The same goes for the body, the planetary system, and everything in the universe. Here’s all you need to know from the expert Shlloka – Classical Hatha yoga teacher, lifestyle expert.
Benefits of Yoga Asanas During Pregnancy
1. Practising yoga during pregnancy offers numerous benefits:
- Relief from Back Pain: Yoga helps alleviate back pain commonly experienced during pregnancy.
- Reduction of Emotional Tension and Anxiety: Regular practice reduces stress and anxiety that may arise during childbirth, enhancing the mental and physical development of the foetus.
- Balancing the Mind and Stabilising the Body: Yoga promotes mental clarity and physical stability.
- Ensuring a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy: Yoga supports overall well-being, contributing to a joyful pregnancy.
- Strengthening the Pelvic Floor and Abdominal Muscles: This paves the way for an easier delivery with fewer complications. After childbirth, yoga helps you quickly regain your pre-pregnancy physical state.
2. Ayurveda and Monsoon Season
According to Ayurveda, the monsoon season is primarily governed by the Vata and Kapha doshas, which become aggravated for everyone, especially expecting mothers. This leads to increased mucus production, congestion, joint stiffness, pain, and a weakened immune system. Such aggravation can cause respiratory infections (colds, coughs, sinus infections), digestive disorders (bloating, constipation, diarrhoea), and skin conditions (rashes, fungal infections). Cold weather also disturbs the digestive fire, weakening the body’s natural defences and making individuals more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections.
For both pregnant women and normal individuals, the increased humidity, heavy rainfall, and stagnant environment during the monsoon create a breeding ground for various microorganisms, leading to the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid. Ayurveda recommends following a healthy seasonal regime to prevent diseases common during seasonal transitions. Practicing certain yoga asanas, pranayama, and meditation can boost immunity and help prevent infections during the monsoon.
Recommended Yoga Poses for Pregnancy
- Yoga Namaskar
Yoga Namaskar is a simple and complete process that nurtures the physical, psychological, and energy dimensions of a human being. It involves bringing the hands together, creating harmony in the entire system. Yoga Namaskar strengthens the lower back muscles, which become vulnerable during pregnancy. However, it should be avoided during the 3rd and 4th months of pregnancy.
Benefits:
- It brings balance and stability to the system.
- Activates the lumbar region of the spine.
- Strengthens lower back muscles.
- Prevents the collapsing of the spine with age.
- Offers all-round benefits for the entire body.
Note: Yoga Namaskaar should be avoided during the 3rd and 4th months of pregnancy.
- Malasana (Garland Pose)
Malasana is commonly practised in prenatal yoga. Squatting during pregnancy provides an excellent stretch to the groin area, opens the hips, and begins to make space for the baby. If unable to complete a squat, use a towel or cushion under your heels. Malasana helps massage the abdominal organs, aiding in managing symptoms like diarrhoea.
Benefits:
- Opens the hips.
- Stretch the groin area.
- Aids in the management of digestive symptoms.
3. Vajrasana (Diamond Pose)
Vajrasana helps the practitioner imbibe the hardness and brilliance of a diamond. It is done by kneeling and sitting on their heels, with the big toes touching each other.
Benefits:
- Enhances blood circulation in the lower abdomen, improving digestion.
- Relieves excessive gas and pain in the stomach region.
- Strengthens the nerves of the legs and thighs.
- Makes knees and ankle joints flexible.
- Keeps the neck and spine aligned, enabling easy energy flow.
- Relaxes the waist and hip region.
- It acts as a basic posture for pranayamas and meditation.
- Helps relieve back pain.
Modifications:
- Place a pillow or cushion between the thighs and heels if sitting directly on the heels is difficult.
- Release the legs early if the pose cuts off blood flow to the lower extremities.
Conclusion
Incorporating these yoga poses into your prenatal routine can help maintain a joyful, healthy, and balanced pregnancy, paving the way for a smoother delivery and quicker postpartum recovery. Practising yoga, pranayama, and meditation can boost immunity and help prevent infections during the monsoon season.
IMPORTANT NOTE – Always practice yoga under the guidance of a trained yoga practitioner. Learning it online could do more harm than good.
