Prenatal Yin Yoga Sequence

Yin Yoga stimulates the meridian lines of the body and this is very beneficial for both baby and mother. They influence every organ and physiological system in the body . They carry energy throughout the body, this energy is often referred to as chi,qi or prana. This following Yin flow is attempting to stimulate all the meridian lines of the body. You should remember that during the pregnancy hormone relaxin is causing the ligaments to soften and stretch. With the ligaments already softening it is easier to damage them. So now is not the time to try to go deeper in the practice. It is good idea to go only as far in the poses now as open you were before becoming pregnant. You can hold Yin asanas several minutes, when you are pregnant adjust the holding times according how the pose feels for you. 

 

You can start with a short meditation while you are deepening the breath. Take very slow inhalations and exhalations while you keep your eyes closed and your mind can focus first to your breathing and then slowly between your eyebrows. You can imagine a white light spot there to be able to focus better. Just breath and be in the present moment few minutes.  

Open your eyes and twist lightly to your sides and open up your chest. This is opening your shoulders and upper back and helps the circulation to improve there.   Don't do strong twists when pregnant as they may increase abdominal pressure. Instead you can sit in a cross-legged pose and use yoga block under your sitting bones to improve your posture. 

                                                Repeat this light twist 3 times to both sides.

Butterfly: create space for the growing belly and help to open the hips (The Gall Bladder lines, Kidney, Liver and Urinary Bladder lines). Affects to hips and lower spine joints. 

 

Anahatasana: is working for your upper and middle back and shoulders while the asana is also opening and softening your heart. This is a great pose to release and let go. You can use a rolled blanket or bolster under your chest if it feels too much to place your chest to the ground. Remember to try to keep your hips above your knees.If you are very advanced in Yin yoga and your neck is ok you can place your chin to the ground for few minutes in order to go deeper in this pose. (Urinary Bladder lines, Spleen and Stomach lines as well as the arm meridians, especially the Heart and Lung lines).

Dragonfly - left leg, right leg and down the middle (Liver, Kidney and Urinary Bladder lines). Works for your lower back and hip joints.

Squat: create space for the growing belly and help to open the hips while strengthens the ankles. Releases the lower back. This can be a great pose to prepare your body for childbirth. (The Liver, kidney, and Urinary bladder lines). Affects to hips, knees, and ankles joints.

If you have a good balance and are more advanced in Yin Yoga and you feel like stretching the upper bag you can twist by joining your fingers behind your back while opening up your shoulder.

Or you can just lift one arm at a time and look up towards your palm - this feels great in your upper bag. 

Do Swan with chest up if you feel any pressure in your tummy. I could lean my forehead down towards a rolled blanket even during my third trimester.(All six lower body meridians: Kidneys,Spleen, Liver,Stomach, Urinary Bladder, Gall Bladder).

Remember to do both sides of Swan and to use props like yoga block or bolster under your buttock if needed.

Wide knee Child Pose (Liver, Gall Bladder and Kidney lines). This pose is also very relaxing while it helps if you have lower back pain. If the belly is big you can use a yoga block under your forehead to create more space for it.

Frog or Half Frog: don't put any pressure on your tummy. This is a deep groin opener while it provides a slight backbend. It also aids digestion. (Spleen, Liver, Kidney lines). Hip, lower back and shoulder joints are affected.

Generally women are advised not to lie on their backs when they are pregnant as it can cut off blood flow through the vena cava vein (which brings blood from the uterus to the heart). As a final pose you can pile up some yoga blogs or bolsters and pillows under your back and head and do the back leaning Butterfly. You can relax your eyes by covering them with a lavender bag. You can finish with Shavasana, lying on your left side, you can put a pillow between your knees and/or under your belly. Just relax and send the relaxing thoughts and feelings to your baby as well.   

Namaste - Give thanks to your Self for the practice and the precious time you spent for the benefit for both; you and your little baby.

I hope you enjoyed this Yin Yoga sequence, I loved it especially towards the end of my pregnancy. I was practicing these asanas almost until the birth of our baby but listen to your self and skip anything that doesn't feel good for you. I hope you have a lovely beginning of the October! Feel free to comment below about your yoga experiences. I will try to post soon again about the books I was reading for the pregnancy, and the name party of our baby is coming soon so I will let you guys know!

 💞 Jutta