When Should I Stop My Yoga Practice?
During pregnancy and postpartum, your body, mind, and soul will go through many changes. During these changes, there will be times when you might want to stop your yoga practice: when your body feels tight, when you’re tired or when you’re hot.
If this is your first pregnancy, you’re still learning about all of the possible changes as you start to experience them yourself. Maybe you’ve heard from friends what their experience is like, and you might take this as a premonition of what will happen to you.
If you’ve been pregnant before, you’re learning how your body, mind, and soul feel different during this journey compared to ones in the past. It’s not to say that one journey will be easier or harder, but there are bound to be differences. Most commonly, I see mamas with toddlers join our prenatal yoga series saying that they feel more tired this pregnancy because they’re trying to keep up with a toddler at home.
Regardless of how many times you’ve been pregnant or postpartum, you might get to a point when you feel like you should stop your yoga practice. While it’s always important to listen to your body’s cues, there doesn’t ever have to be a stopping point of your yoga practice.
"Even as a third-time mom I still learned so much and couldn't have imagined this pregnancy and labor without the knowledge and support [Molly] provided" - Mama A.C.
Honor Yourself
During different times during your four trimesters, you will notice your body, mind, and soul gravitating towards one part of practice more than others. If you’re feeling achy, you’ll likely crave more stretching. If you’re feeling anxious, you might want more mindfulness practice.
When honoring how you feel during the different parts of your journey, it’s normal that you’ll want to lean into one aspect of yoga more than the other. Yoga is not just movement, it includes breath, mindfulness, strength, mobility, compassion, and reflection to name a few. Lean when you need to, wherever you do will still include the practice of yoga.
“I had no idea how much I needed this class. I thought I was just coming to stretch but the meditation about finding love for ourselves…I needed that so much” - Mama T.C.
Welcome Rest
When you don’t feel up for movement, I will help you settle into restorative yoga poses using props to increase your comfort and allow you to stay in the pose longer. Restorative yoga allows your body and mind to rest, soothes your nervous system, and can help you to rest.
On hot days, rest in gentle inversions such as legs up the wall or happy baby to decrease the swelling in your body and improve circulation. Remember, movement increases blood flow which decreases swelling and stiffness in the muscles. Mixing inversions with cooling breaths will help to regulate your body’s temperature as well.
“[Molly’s] gentle, well-balanced classes always leave me breathing easier, less stressed, and feeling more energetic.” - Mama S.W.
Commit To Yourself
When you commit yourself to a practice, you remind yourself that there is always room for growth. This growth can happen in the mind, body, and soul. Find ways to meet yourself, take care of your needs, and leave feeling better than when you started.
Making a commitment to yourself doesn’t have to be punishing. In fact, when you commit to a yoga practice you know that you will build strength but also find ways to shower yourself with love and compassion.
“The classes make you stretch, move and breath. It truly makes you make time for yourself and to take a moment.” - Mama L.S.
Are You Ready?
Are you ready to make this commitment to yourself? Here are ways that I can help support you during all four trimesters
Prenatal Yoga is held Sunday mornings in Southington, Connecticut. During these classes we stretch out common pregnancy aches, build stamina and strength needed for labor and birth, and practice connecting with your growing baby.
Baby&Me Yoga is held Mondays in Southington, Connecticut. These classes are meant to support your baby’s growth and development and will give you time to be fully present to bond with your baby. This class provides a gentle way to introduce movement back into your body.
Postpartum Yoga classes can be found through our new virtual series being released in September 2022. Taking 20 minutes for yourself once a week can make a huge impact on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter for our official release date!
“My daughter loves all of poses and activities that include direct eye contact with me. [Baby&me yoga] has truly helped build our bond even stronger. She looks at me when we start moving and she knows that she can trust me to support her and keep her happy.” - Mama S.W.
