YogaHealth is perfect for pregnancy. All our instructors know how to look after a pregnant student with care. It is important to inform your teacher of your condition for at least the first two or three classes so we can keep an eye on you!

Because of the weight of the body as pregnancy develops you may need to spend more time on your side rather than on the back, especially towards the end of the pregnancy. This is especially important to be aware of because of the time that is spent on the back in class.

Pregnancy for most women is a normal, wonderful and challenging time that lasts approximately 40 weeks (1st trimester - 3 months, 2nd trimester - 6 months and 3rd trimester - 9 months).

The Practice of Yoga can help you prepare your mind and body for labor and birth as this helps you focus, concentrate and keep you healthy. The Yoga Poses are gentle ways of keeping your body active and supple and minimize the common pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness and constipation. It can also help in ensuring easier labor and smooth delivery by relieving tension around the cervix and birth canal and by opening the pelvis. The Breathing Techniques can also become handy during labor. It also helps in restoring your body shape, uterus, abdomen and pelvic floor, and in relieving upper back tension and breast discomfort after childbirth. Special care, however, is needed in choosing the Yoga Poses that you will practice - you should avoid poses that require lying on the back or belly for too long.

For the first trimester, standing Yoga Poses are advised as this will help strengthen the legs, promote circulation, generate energy and may reduce leg cramps. It is also advisable to do some stretching such as the hamstrings stretch to avoid sciatica. During the second and third trimester you may want to reduce your time spent on practicing the asanas to prevent fatigue and overwork. It is also not advised to practice from the tenth to through the fourteenth week of pregnancy since these are crucial times. Supine poses, backbends and twisting can also be done with modification or if the body is on an incline. Do not overstretch the abdomen; the emphasis of your twisting poses should be on the shoulders and the upper back and not on the abdomen. Avoid doing inversion poses; although some experienced Yoga practitioners usually still feel comfortable doing this until the seventh month.

We wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy.