Prenatal Yoga at 9 months

It's the final month were most of us feel so ready to hold the baby and be done with being pregnant. Yet the baby has its own schedule and there is not much we can do to control the outcome (if we are taking the natural route.) Yoga is still a wonderful tool we can use in the final month even though the practice may be entirely different by now. You may find that the word "modification" has a whole new meaning, you may discover that your range of motion is more limited and your speed is that of a turtle. But turtles are beautiful animals and we can learn so much from their grounded, calm and laid back approach to life. Now I never owned a turtle in my entire life but I feel a new found compassion for these creatures. I have regressed a little so let's go back to yoga. Modify your practice. It is so easy now to get tired and very hot half way through your session so make sure you drink lots of water and stay with your breath. Always go to a resting pose if you need to such as child's pose or any seating pose or even lay down on your side.
Listen to your body and practice "ahimsa" or non-violence towards yourself and your baby. Be realistic where you are in your practice.
You may find that your forward folds and twists are not as deep as when non pregnant. Any forward folds you do will directly impact the baby and you don't want to compress them. So give yourself more room whether you are in down dog or standing forward fold. Give your belly space and keep your spine nice and elongated. This is also a great time to use all the props available: blocks, straps, pillows, blankets and bolsters. If you are doing your own practice at home start with centering and gentle warm ups such as cat and cow, lunges, and arm stretches.
Then do a few prenatal sun salutations and standing poses. Then come down to the floor and go through some seated poses for the hips like bound angle, wide angle and open rotations for digestion such as head beyond the knee and simple seated twist pose. Always finish with 10-15min Savasana. You want to be well supported so you are not laying directly on your back. A nice option is to lay on your left side with a blanket in between the knees and a pillow under the head. Enjoy your yoga practice as it may be the last one with the baby in the belly practicing with you :)

I will upload a short prenatal yoga video as soon as I get myself organized with the camera, cables and all that stuff. Meantime I wish you and your baby a peaceful, gentle and joyful yoga practice.