Hello Everyone ~ Hola Todos!!
This is my first post! I recently found out that I am pregnant, I am only 7 weeks along. I have been practicing Yoga on and off for years but I really had gotten back into it before I found out. I am an American living in the Dominican Republic and my Doctor here wants me to be careful with doing Yoga. I feel like any doctor in the US would encourage me to continure. Any ideas or thoughts??? Any specific poses to stay away from? Thanks a million!
Wonderful news for you. How sweet. Enjoy this marvelous time.
Relative to yoga, you will hear some similar feedback for practice during pregnancy and some no so similar. I can share with you some generalities relative to Purna Yoga and pregnancy. However it would be best to be looked after by a yoga teacher well trained in prenatal.
Medical doctors here tend to recommend Yoga without knowing anything about it whatsoever. That fact indicates that they do not have an understanding of what it is or the power it holds.
The practice during pregnancy should be a nurturing practice, gentle, kind. So the student takes care of themselves just as they would care for an infant. Therefore there should be no jaring, jumping, running (this pertains tot he physical practice). Any pranayama should also be calming so please avoid the more fiery, intense pranayam.
The nature of the practice changes in the three trimesters so it’s not pragmatic for me to outline all three - another reason to seek out a trained professional.
In the early part of the pregnancy the mission is containment of the fetus. So open pelvis poses should be avoided while a gentle, energetic mulha bandha is appropriate and helpful. As you progress into the third trimester, the focus is now on opening in preparation for birth.
Throughout, gentle backbends would be helpful to create room for breath around the rib cage, not to mention room for growing baby. There should not be any weight placed on the belly and when coming up from the floor you would roll to the left rather than thr right to keep the baby’s weight off of certain arteries.
Just be gentle with yourself, treating you as you would treat your child and eat very well, staying hydrated and consuming deep leafy greens at any opportunity - though it’s not as simple as this post might make it seem. 
Congratulations! I hope the pregnancy is going really well for you!
I practised yoga throughout my pregnancy and found it very useful. I agree with Inner Athlete though; caution is recommended and pretty much everything he wrote I was also told. It’s the only time I’ve sought individual lessons rather than classes.
My practice changed throughout the pregnancy and was very different to that of my friend, who was pregnant at the same time but had quite a different experience of pregnancy.
Best wishes for your journey!
You can continue your yoga with the advice of your gynecologist.
I’m not pregnant but I would like to know more about this.
On rereading my earlier post, I suddenly remembered how restrictive things had felt when I was pregnant, and then I remembered what one yoga teacher said to me when I told her I was pregnant and asked her if I could do her class:
“If it feels right for your body, do it. If it doesn’t feel right, stop.”
That was the best advice I had during my pregnancy, and boy did I get a lot of advice!
Hope that helps.
Congratulations,
Yoga wont harm your body. Moreover it will give you and your kid peaceful mind
Since you have been doing yoga for awhile and you are skilled on the basics, See if you can find a prenatel class, a prenatal book or a prenatel video. I normally don’t recommend books and videos in place of class but since you probably are skilled in basic yoga poses, use will probably pick up some healthful info to take you through your pregnancy. If you are not sure about something, don’t do it.
Prenatal yoga will help you to enjoy pregnancy with ease and comfort. The reason is because it helps you to release all the negative energies which will eventually help you to get a healthy and safe delivery.
Healthy and safe delivery
Prenatal yoga will help you to enjoy pregnancy with ease and comfort. The reason is because it helps you to release all the negative energies which will eventually help you to get a healthy and safe delivery.
Get rid of stress
When you are pregnant, you will experience a lot of stress and tension in your life, but if you are able to control your emotions then it will not be a bad thing. Prenatal yoga will help you to calm your mind and body and will make you feel relaxed.
Healthy baby
Prenatal yoga is the best option to get a healthy baby. The reason is because it will help you to get rid of the negative thoughts and emotions which will ultimately help you to get a healthy baby.
Sleep and relaxation
When you will take prenatal yoga classes, it will help you to relax and sleep in a better way. It will also help you to get rid of backaches and headaches as it will make your body and mind to relax.
So, if you are planning to get a healthy and safe delivery then take prenatal yoga classes. It will also help you to get rid of all the stress and tension and you will get a healthy baby as well.