Prenatal Yoga: Just the FAQs

By Rebekah Lake, RYT

Many women take yoga for the first time during pregnancy (no prior experience is necessary to attend prenatal classes), but even expert yoginis naturally have questions when they’re expecting. Here are a few of the most common questions I hear from moms-to-be:

I've never done yoga. When should I begin prenatal classes? Will I fit in?

If you're pregnant, you'll fit in! You can begin prenatal classes as early in your pregnancy as you’d like. You just need the okay from your doctor or midwife. Being pregnant can sometimes feel a bit isolating, and we mothers have so many questions. Besides benefiting both you and your baby throughout your entire pregnancy, and supporting you in your birth process, prenatal classes are a great way to meet other moms-to-be and connect with a community that really understands exactly what you are experiencing.

Won’t I be uncomfortable in a class? 

Every class begins with a 10-minute check-in, so the moms can get to know each other and newcomers have a chance to settle in and get oriented. We talk. We leave to go pee in the middle of class. We keep it real. In fact, there is a constant flow (no pun intended) of mamas taking turns in the bathroom during class. And although the practice is deep and intense, we have a ton of fun, and the laughs flow freely.

I already practice power yoga regularly—won't prenatal yoga be too slow and easy for me?

If you already practice yoga, feel free to continue your regular practice as long as you stay away from heated classes (absolutely unsafe) and you know what poses and breath exercises to avoid during each trimester of your pregnancy. Also, don't assume your regular yoga teacher knows the appropriate modifications for pregnancy or has the time to continuously check in on you in a large power/flow class. Proceed with caution and be mindful that pregnancy requires that we slow down, soften and become open—not only physically, but in every aspect.

Will your regular yoga practice serve you in labor, birth and the first year of mothering? Perhaps, but maybe not. Each time you walk into any yoga class while pregnant, you've got a brand-new body. What felt good one day might not work the next. The poses are modified in a prenatal yoga class to accommodate the ever-changing dimensions of your body, not to make them easier.

I promise, birth will take you to your limit and ask you to take two steps further. A good prenatal yoga class will help you meet those edges you're likely to meet in birth. You cannot “power” through birth, but you can experience the power of birth through surrendering deeply and completely. Prenatal yoga offers you an opportunity to deepen your yoga practice, become more clear in meditation, sort through your fears, make friends, sweat, connect with your baby, feel your butt burn, and celebrate this incredible rite of passage!

Rebekah Lake is a mom of two, Registered Yoga Teacher, Birthing from Within Mentor, Certified Doula and midwifery student. She has been teaching prenatal yoga in Sacramento since 2005. You can find out more at OmBirthYoga.com.