The other day I was asked why many teachers and studios recommend or specifically request that pregnant women not attend yoga during their first trimester.
Most commonly, this is precautionary advice. The first trimester is often considered the time of greatest risk and miscarriages are more common during this time. While there is no evidence that yoga (or any form of exercise can cause a miscarriage), most yoga teachers and business owners, err on the side of caution.
That often results in a blanket statement of no yoga in the first trimester. But like so many things, whether you do yoga in the first trimester depends on your personal experience with yoga and the expertise of the yoga teacher.
Indeed, the NZ Register of Exercise Professional says this about exercise and pregnancy in general:
The modern approach to exercise in pregnancy is based on an understanding that there are general exercise guidelines, but more specific exercise recommendations should be based on the needs, history and life style of the individual woman, and developed with an appropriately qualified and experienced exercise professional. This means that the specific exercise recommended will vary between individuals in pregnancy.
So here are few things to consider specific to your personal experience:
- If you have never done yoga or only tried a couple of classes, starting yoga in the first trimester might not be the best time to start something new.
- If you do want to start something new, start carefully. Look for a pregnancy or prenatal yoga class. Or consider a few one-to-one yoga sessions with a yoga teacher who specialises in pregnancy yoga.
- If you already practice yoga regularly, talk with your teacher about what they would recommend. Your teacher might suggest a few adaptations for the class or cautions. Or you may want to schedule a one-to-one session with your teacher to specifically learn how to change your practice during and in the months following the pregnancy.
- As you experience change through the pregnancy talk with your yoga teacher about what you’re experiencing as they might recommend different things at different times.
- After you’ve given birth consider when and how to return to (or start) yoga.
For more information on prenatal yoga see this article from the Mayo clinic.
For more information about yoga in the first trimester, see this article that explores why different yoga teachers and studios might have different advice.
If you’re thinking about trying yoga and you’re currently pregnant or trying to get pregnant, the best advice is information that is specific to you from your healthcare providers and yoga instructors with expertise in pregnancy yoga.
Image: Annalise Batista from Pixabay
