Pregnancy is a great opportunity to relax and turn your attention inwards. Hormones released during pregnancy cause dramatic changes in the body. For example: the hormone relaxin, softens the connective tissue, cartilage, and supports the joints to prepare for an easier delivery. Any asana or pranayama technique that doesn’t make you feel good should be stopped immediately.
The practice of Hot Yoga has grown out of Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga outlines a set practice of Yoga asanas, in a specific order. Hot Yoga utilizes Bikram Yoga as a framework from which to build a powerful and effective Yoga practice. The use of a heated and humid room is also a core element of any Hot Yoga practice. Truly, Hot Yoga practitioners and teachers owe a debt of gratitude to Bikram Choudhury and his teacher, Bishnu Ghosh, in the creation of such a powerful and healing Yoga practice…
Power yoga, through its practice of a series of rigorous asanas, is more about strengthening the body than chanting and meditating than…
Research suggests that Prenatal Yoga is safe and effective for women who want to stay in shape, while preparing for their babies…
While yoga is often pursued for its physical benefits, especially in the West, it is much more than a discipline to enhance wellness. From a historical perspective, yoga’s roots are anchored in a quest for spiritual growth.
For some people, lying on the back is not going to be comfortable. For pregnant women, you should avoid having them on their backs altogether. Some women find it to be welcome relief to learn modified postures instead of lying in Shavasana. Yoga can be a great way to keep the body healthy during pregnancy, but it is important that your students never push themselves too far with their poses.
As a newly minted prenatal yoga teacher who is eminently qualified to teach pregnant students, you’ll want to stay away from particular techniques. Poses that require women to rigorously twist their abdomens from side to side can ultimately compress this region of the body. During the first trimester, women should likewise avoid jumping in and out of asanas, headstands, handstands and other poses that require them to hold their bodies in a delicately balanced position for several seconds. As an instructor, you should also advise women to avoid abdominal work. Since the stomach area is designed to expand during pregnancy, women can forget about the “no gain, no pain” methods for training their abs until after the baby has been born. Compressing the fetus is just not in your baby’s best interest.
Chair Yoga is for everyone; for all ages, for those with varying degrees of mobility, and those in varying degrees of condition. The health benefit of a consistent Chair Yoga practice is powerful and available for everyone.
By Michael Gleason Can Yoga help women suffering with postpartum back pain? The literal meaning of yoga is to join or to yoke. And after a life-changing event, such as giving birth, resuming your yoga practice is very important in order for a mother to feel whole again – especially in the singular sense. During …
The term “flow Yoga” is an abbreviated form of the phrase “Vinyasa Flow Yoga.” This form of Yoga is based on movements synchronized with…