What to do and not to do in yoga when a life is growing inside? (3 min read)

I am not gonna lie - I remember before I dived deep into birthwork and had any formal trainings in prenatal yoga training, whenever I heard students telling me that they are pregnancy before class, I panicked.

Our socialization or cultural norms make us feel scared of pregnant bodies because we thought that they are as fragile as grandma’s fine china!

One thing I unlearned is that pregnant bodies are actually stronger than we thought, and pregnancy is a sign of health and strength!  

From TCM perspective, it’s harder to get conceived if your blood (Xue 血) or Energy (Qi 氣) are weak (the concepts of blood (Xue) and Qi (pronounced "chee") are fundamental to understanding holistic health and wellness differing from Western medicine, but that should be discussed in another time instead of here).

So in order for the body to be the vessel for the masculine and feminine forces to unite, the body is indeed a fertile and abundant piece of land metaphorically.

I also discern that there are often two extremes in terms of approaching yoga while you are pregnant: some people tend to do everything they have been doing (these are often seasoned yogi) and some tend to be over-conservative.

I choose to trust my pregnant friends that their inner knowing and natural instinct as a mother SIMPLY KNOW what to do and not to do (taking into any risk factors like underlying injuries or complicated birth).

Below is a few dos and dont’s and points to note I suggest we bear in mind: