Wondering which yoga poses are safe during pregnancy? Here are 5 yoga poses you must avoid during pregnancy.
Postures with belly down
Avoid yoga poses like cobra or locust pose (salabhasana) during pregnancy. Swap the cobra posture for a cow or a sphinx pose (first trimester only). You should not lie on your stomach after you reach the second and third trimesters.
Lying down on your back
Poses that are practiced on your back that take more than 90 seconds should be avoided after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Hot yoga
Yoga should not be done in a heated setting with severe temperatures as it puts you and your baby at risk of dangerously high core maternal temperatures.
Breath retention
Breathing yoga practices like kapalabhati should be avoided. Practices like diaphragmatic breathing and ujjayi breathing are excellent to use throughout labor and delivery.
Deep backbends
Avoid doing deep backbends such as an upward bow pose (also known as “wheel” or urdhva dhanurasana).
Postures that twist
Twisted chair, twisting moon, revolved triangle, and seated twists should not be done as they squeeze the abdomen. Open twists are acceptable because they do not compress your baby’s worm.