Here’s the sequence I came up with for my first prenatal yoga class a week and a half ago. It’s a perfectly fine series for anyone to practice – it’s an active sequence with some good emphasis on thighs, hips, and pelvic floor. It just doesn’t involve any deep forward folds, twists, or poses lying on the belly.
- child’s pose
- cat/cow
- leg and arm extensions from neutral all-fours
- downward dog
- step up to gentle forward fold
- 4 half sun salutes
- 2 (or 4) modified full sun salutes (modified to omit chaturanga and up dog: fold, high or low lunge, step back to down dog, lunge on the other side, up to fold)
- mountain pose
- standing sequence:
- warrior 1
- warrior 2
- triangle
- pyramid
- wide-legged forward fold
- goddess pose
- crane/squat dynamic balance pose (this is great but a little hard to describe, I need to shoot a video or something)
- repeat standing sequence other side
- if time permits, tree pose
- squat/malasana at the wall
- modified cobbler pose (instead of bringing feet tight toward the body, extending legs a bit into a diamond shape, leaving more room for the belly)
- happy baby (mostly because I can’t hug my knees in to my chest anymore)
- legs up the wall or other inversion depending on student’s ability
- savasana (for students later in pregnancy, savasana should be taken while lying on one side, instead of lying flat on the back)
After practicing this sequence, the only thing I felt was missing was some sort of neck stretch. In the future I’d work that in either while standing in mountain pose or while seated, after cobbler pose. Just some gentle neck circles would fit nicely into this routine.
Rox Does Yoga 