Dec. 6, 2011
11 weeks pregnant

Sometimes at the best of times we don’t feel like practicing yoga or any other exercise we normally enjoy; we can be tired, busy or just not in the mood.  It can be even more of a challenge to keep up a regular practice when you are pregnant. Pregnancy exhaustion, cramps and moodiness can be huge deterrents to making it to the mat the gym or the great outdoors.  Exercising is an important part of a healthy pregnancy (if given the go-ahead from your doctor).  It can increase energy, reduce aches and pains, reduce stress and increase your self image while your body goes through major changes. Keeping up some sort of routine, even if it is a scaled back version of your usual workout, can be very helpful in having a comfortable pregnancy.

For those of us who are given the green light by their doctor to continue regular exercise, pregnancy is a time to maintain your fitness regime.  Whether you are practicing yoga daily, running, hiking or doing Zumba, you should be able to continue as usual.  This is not the time to up your weight levels at the gym or begin training for a marathon.  Exercise at this time in life is for the benefit of you and your babies health, not to out-do yourself.  If you are more of an adventurous athlete, pregnancy is a time to tone things down and perhaps try something new.  Activities such as surfing, snowboarding and mountain biking are probably not the best for your body and that of your tiny growing child.

For me, the past 5 weeks since I found out I am pregnant have been a struggle as a yogini.  Within the first few days of knowing I was “with child” I was told not to do anything but rest.  What?!! How is that even possible when I have to teach a class, finish painting my kitchen and unpack my entire house? Well, when your Dr. tells you to rest, you rest.  Even though many things are left undone at home, I have been very busy building a baby.  Accepting this, and that things will never be quite the same can be quite difficult.  Acceptance, however, is a major teaching in yoga.  Being able to accept where you are in your practice on a given day, not giving in to competition and being at peace with the way things are is key to living a happy and healthy life.

Luckily even though I am resting, I am still able to teach my restorative yoga classes here at Anamaya.  We are continually running yoga retreats and one of my favorite things in life is teaching yoga to our guests.  I find that even though I am not able to practice asanas right now, I can continue practicing certain breathing techniques, relaxation poses and also practice teaching with just my words and very minimal demonstration which is always a challenge!

I am very excited to be pregnant and to be able to share some of my experiences with you, if you have any questions or would like to find out more about our yoga retreats or yoga teacher training programs here at Anamaya please feel free to contact me here by email at [email protected]