Asanas during pregnancy - 3

Ekpadasana

This is one asana which i completely ignored before pregnancy thinking it was too easy. Not so and especially during pregnancy. There are various ways of doing this posture....

1) palms joined in front of the chest as a namaste

2) bending on either side in a side stretch as shown in the picture above

3) palms joined for an upward stretch

Believe you me, this asana gets difficult when you close your eyes or during pregnancy when the centre of gravity shifts due to the extra weight being carried. Let me be more clear - the closing of eyes is NOT for pregnant women.

It would be prudent for pregnant women to do it near a wall - just in case.

This posture brought a lot of calm in me as i feel in pregnancy one is bound to be affected by the dance of the hormone levels. It made me feel good and gave strength to my legs. i tried to remain in this posture at least for half a minute but the duration depends totally on the comfort level. My mood swings were definitely controlled due to this and various other practices but my husband might like to disagree ;-)

Anyways, just keep up the practice all moms-to-be, and enjoy!!!

Asanas during pregnancy - 2

In an earlier article about asanas in pregnancy, i had said that padmasana was a posture which could be done throughout pregnancy. Here are a few more variations which can be done in padmasana that offer different kinds of stretches to the body and can be done all the nine months provided you take proper precautions and do according to your comfort. One more thing to take care of in padmasana is that the heel of the feet should not press against the belly.

Each stretch can easily be held up to 30 seconds and can be repeated 2-3 times .... but go according to your capacity. Again, remember that pregnancy is not the time to experiment. These variations help in keeping the spine supple and strengthen the back which is very essential during pregnancy. It is also important not to lose one's posture as i have seen many pregnancy women walking with an arch of the back as if they are carrying a great burden on their stomach. This is because of weak backs. It creates a vicious circle of backache and sloppy posture.

Modify your padmasana by sitting on the edge of a flat pillow or a blanket for ease. It really works by keeping you there longer and is a very good option during pregnancy.

PS: i regret not having taken pictures of my yoga practices during my pregnancy as they would have given a better idea. but i was in a different frame of mind back then and lazed over it.....

Happy pregnancy!!

Thought for today

Look at the anvil of a blacksmith - how it is hammered and beaten;yet it moves not from its place. Let men learn patience and endurance from it.

- Sri Ramakrishna

Walk yourself to Health

I used to consider walking as an exercise which only older people or people with some physical problem, do. Not now. I have been a regular ‘walker’ since conception and do so even now. I feel walking is one of the safest exercises for pregnant women and also for mothers who have just delivered.

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I used to walk regularly for 40 minutes daily and still try to do as permissible by my baby. It has helped me tremendously…….. Not only did I put on a healthy 8 kgs (17 pounds) during pregnancy, I was back to my normal weight within 3 weeks of delivery. Moreover there was no edema whatsoever. My shoes, chappals and rings fit me perfectly till the last day. There are many other factors I agree but you can’t negate the positives of walking. In fact, I had walked even on the day of my delivery and restarted in a week’s time from my delivery. It’s been 2 months now and I still walk regularly.

Note: Take care to walk at a regular pace and then at a slow pace as your pregnancy advances. Do according to your comfort level. Walk on flat terrain wearing proper shoes.

To make mundane walking more interesting you can take help of music, a friend or some chanting. Otherwise just enjoy your own company and ponder on things……….

Happy walking!!!

Asanas during pregnancy - 1

There are several asanas and their variations that can be done at various stages of pregnancy. various schools have different takes on how asanas should be practiced when pregnant. Here, i'll talk about the poses that i have practiced.

A few very important points to be taken care of are:
1) Each pregnancy is different so asanas that might suit someone might not be comfortable for others.
2) It's always better to consult your doctor before commencing your practice.
3) If you have never practiced yoga before, do it under some expert's guidance.
4) Everything needs to be done according to one's comfort level only. It's not the time to explore and experiment.
5) Being cautious helps.

There are 3 meditative poses that i used to regularly practice throughout pregnancy.
- Sukhasana (Happy pose)
- Vajrasana

- Padmasana (Lotus pose)

I feel these are postures which i could not practice with so much sincerity before because of my focus on other asanas. So in a way it was a chance for me to develop that area of my practice. One of the major benefits of these asanas is that it emphasizes the flow of blood to the abdominal region where the fetus resides. This is a very important phenomenon. i felt really good practicing these asanas and i tried to practically sit in any of these.

Health Tip

I am soon going to start blogging on other issues related to pregnancy and parenting related to what i have learned and experienced, but for starters, just a health tip.


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Eating papaya and salad everyday relieves the strain infants have to take to pass motions. It's working for my little one. Phew!! what a relief..........

PS: It is widely believed that eating papayas is not a good idea for pregnant women as they act as laxatives and increase the peristaltic movementand may induce miscarriage or early labour. However, there is not such reasoning in nutrition, but i would advice pregnant women to be cautious and conservative. I used to eat papaya during my pregnancy but in very small portions. Moreover, this tip is meant for mothers, post-partum.

Kriyas during pregnancy

I am quite prone to colds and it's a terrible thing to be prone two as it is a double edged sword. On one hand you are not sick (technically, it's only common cold....) and on the other it makes you want to just rest & do nothing (at least to me). So one thing i didn't miss in pregnancy was doing jalneti regularly. It helped me keep colds at bay and also recover from them sooner. It's just a simple nasal wash which can be done with the help of a neti pot or simply using the cup of your palm. I will not go into the details of how to do it as it is better learned from a teacher. But i can vouch for it's effectiveness as i have been a regular practitioner of this kriya since a past few years.

Apart from jalneti, the other kriya that i used to practice was jeebha moola shodhan. It's done first thing in the morning after taking a little water and massaging the upper palate with the thumb, to puke out excess acids. It also helped me tremendously by relieving acidity to a certain extent. (Pregnant women who are puking anyways need not do it)

One can also practice trataka (candle gazing, thumb gazing) for peace of mind, focus & concentration.

i am including sun bathing as a part of kriya here for convenience though technically it is not. Regular exposure to sun in the mornings or evenings when the rays are mild is very very essential. It helps in keeping the bones healthy (vitamin D aids calcium absorption) besides being good in every which way.

Simhasana (Lion pose) is also very useful and important. I am again taking the liberty of taking it under kriyas as i used to practice it like a kriya. Extremely beneficial for the upper respiratory system, thyroid and cosmetic benefits (works like a facial). Needless to say that it is important during pregnancy as well.

Keep Healthy!!!

PS: please do the kriyas according to your comfort level only and don't start anything afresh is my tip to everyone.

Tibetan Singing Bowls

My parents bought me this Tibetan singing bowl a few months back from a Buddhist monastery near Coorg (Karnataka, India) and i feel charmed to have possessed one. The monastery is the second largest in India with a hundreds of monks.

I got introduced to this ancient yet exotic thing back in Mumbai (i m currently in my hometown Ahmedabad since the past 5 months), when i saw it in a shop and really liked the tune and energy it emanated. It also wondered me as to the hows, whys, whats and wheres behind it. I have read a few articles about the bowl but i firmly believe that an ounce of practice is worth a tonne of theory.

Hence, i have been practising it daily for 5 minutes...... and the experience has been overwhelming. Playing the Tibetan bowl really energises the surroundings. It creates very good vibrations inside the area (room) thus enhancing the ambiance. The bowl when played in the background brings vibrancy in meditation, chanting, asana or pranayama. Whenever i play it around my baby he listens to it keenly. (at least that is what i feel :-) )

There are a few tips that i would like to share here :-

- playing requires a lot of practice as the sound would not be smooth & melodious otherwise. It's similar to an amateur playing a musical instrument.

- i feel that the gong when held like a pencil brings smoothness in the sound.

- you will also feel the vibrations in your palm while you are playing it, but the palm needs to be kept straight. Do not cup the fingers.

- just tapping the gong on the rim also creates an 'om' like sound of the bell which is divine.

How to select one? Well, i really don't know as they come in lots of varieties ranging from different sizes, different metals used in the making, different kinds of gongs, different inscriptions etc etc..... So the best way is to play it before buying and take the one which sounds best to your ears.

PS: here are two good articles which are worth a read...........

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_bowl

2) I was going to write an article about this long back but Shameem, who is a senior colleague and an excellent yoga practitioner, has penned this article wonderfully

Visualization

"Empty mind is a devil's workshop" - so the saying goes. I had a lot of free time during pregnancy as i stopped taking classes, travelling too much or exerting myself. This gave me an opportunity to experience various other physically passive but mentally active techniques - that i believe are much more powerful.

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Visualization is one such technique. It simply means creating a mental picture......... of what??? you decide. I feel that everything we do in life first manifests in the mind. Likewise, if we want to achieve something or wish for something to happen, it has to first be pictured in the mind. So everyday i used to create positive pictures of myself during and after pregnancy. I visualized my pregnancy to be smooth, my baby to be healthy, my growing excellence in yoga etc etc.... I don't know and can't say how effective the technique might be but i have faith in that and i feel at least the positive visualization keeps the mind at peace.

PS: visualization is a part of the ancient yogic technique of yoga nidra as explained by the Bihar School of Yoga. So open your inner eyes..........

Breathing techniques during pregnancy

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One can practice all the breathing techniques in pregnancy except those which involve compression of the belly or retention of breath. The pranayamas and breathing exercises that i practiced throughout my pregnancy are as follows:

1) Kapalbhati - but involving forceful exhalations and inhalations using the clavicles only
2) Alternate nostril breathing or nadi shodhan
3) Ujjayi
4) Sheetali
5) Sheetkari
6) Brahmari or humming bee breath
7) Long exhalations through the mouth
8) Abdominal breathing
9) Intercostal breathing
10) Clavicular breathing
11) Deep breathing

These techiniqes help at all levels - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual thus directly affecting your baby residing within you.

Breath retention is not allowed as it inhibits the flow of blood to the fetus. For the same reason it is also wise not to get breathless when one is carrying. But some retention should be practiced in the last 2 months to help during labour.

Apart from the ones listed above, there are breathing techniques in Tai Chi as well which help. Also these pranayamas or any other breathing exercises should be learned under a qualified teacher and therefore i m not elaborating too much.

Out of these i used to concentrate a lot on alternate nostril breathing (at least 15 minutes daily). That might be one of the reasons of my pregnancy going smoothly.

ps: will go into the benefits of everything i practised during pregnancy, later.

Yogic Techniques during pregnancy

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There are a host of techniques in yoga which would help in pregnancy:

Asanas
Pranayamas
Chanting
Mudras
Kriyas
Meditation & concentration

Some of the techniques can be done as they are and some have to be modified to suit the pregnant body. I would be going into detail about various techniques in my following posts according to the ones i have practised and experienced.

A few caveats to be taken care of
- Each pregnancy is different and each individual is different. So something that might help someone might not be of help to the other.
- The exercises have to be done according to ones comfort level only.
- It's wise to consult your doctor before taking on the asana practices.
- Faith, conviction and a positive attitude at all times.........

ps: pregnancy is a time to concentrate on, explore and experience the beautiful techniques of yoga which remain ignored due to our focus on the Asanas.

No stretch marks???

Hi everyone, it's been a long long time since i last blogged. Partly because i just delivered a beautiful baby boy a month and a half back and partly because i was simply lazy. I just felt like enjoying my pregnancy and the time with my baby without thinking too much about what to write. But i feel happy to be back in circulation and share stuff with like minded people. Since i have just gone through a pregnancy ( a beautiful, sometimes a bitter-sweet experience), i am going to blog a lot on that in the coming weeks.

Firstly to tom-tom a little bit, i would like to say that i have escaped this pregnancy unscathed i.e. without a single stretch mark on my body (yeah....) - completely cosmetic and not that it mattered much, but it feels good to know that it's because of my yoga practice. No amount of anti stretch mark cream is going to help as much as yoga. A rigorous yoga practice tones the skin so well that it prepares it for the extreme stretch of pregnancy. The extreme back bends, deep twists etc help in keeping the skin supple and elastic and prevents tearing....... well that is what did the trick (although unknowingly). But i hope this, although a trivial benefit of yoga, might inspire a few of you to take yoga seriously.

more later..... ciao!!!