Pregnancy (Second and Third Trimesters)

Usually divided into three month trimesters. These contraindications apply only in the second and third trimesters, when the placenta is larger. One of the chief worries is that twisting will separate some of the placental tissue from the uterus. BENEFICIAL POSES: Upavista Konasana, Baddha Konasana, Gomukhasana, Garudasana, Leaning. EXPLANATION: The uterus is held in place by six paired ligaments, the uterosacral, the cardinal, broad, round, ovarial, and indirectly, the ovarian suspension ligaments. Twists tighten one of each ligament pair, asymmetrically tugging the gravid uterus to one side, producing shearing forces that may dislodge some or all of the placenta. However, symmetrical poses of moderate intensity that elongate and promote control of adductors, such as Upavista Konasana and Baddha Konasana are recommended. Toward the middle of pregnancy, the placenta begins to secrete the hormone relaxin, which, as the name suggests, relaxes many ligaments, allowing the uterus to grow exponentially and the young one to exit the birth canal. At this point the mother begins to carry a good deal of weight in her abdomen, and puts significant and unfamiliar strain on the sacroiliac joints, the ligaments of which are now too flexible to resist the extra stress. Sacroiliac joint derangement is countered by the series Gomukhasana, Garudasana, and ‘Leaning,’ the latter pictured in the video below. REFERENCES: Jiang Q, Wu Z, Zhou L, Dunlop J, Chen P. Effects of yoga intervention during pregnancy: a review for current status.Am J Perinatol. 2015 May;32(6):503-14. doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1396701. Epub 2014 Dec 23. Martins RF, Pinto e Silva JL.Treatment of pregnancy-related lumbar and pelvic girdle pain by the yoga method: a randomized controlled study. J Altern Complement Med. 2014 Jan;20(1):24-31. doi: 10.1089/acm.2012.0715. Epub 2013 Mar 18. Fishman, LM. “Healing Yoga – Proven postures to treat twenty common ailments.” W.W. Norton and Co. New York: 2014.