Pregnancy, the phenomenon. I wonder, is child labor one of the 7 wonders of the world? hmmm…
All women react differently to finding out they are pregnant. The emotions and feelings, ranging from glee to fear –
along with a whole set of hormones coming in; all expected to be handled by a human, a female, being told there is another human growing inside of her.
Let us begin by taking a moment to see pregnancy as a miracle…………..A real miracle….
MIRACLE, according to Google’s dictionary:
a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.
So when we leave the 12 week sonogram with all sorts of sensations after a new type of wild experience – perhaps hearing the heartbeat or catching a glimpse of new life growing – let us feel a relief that this baby is ready to make a home out of the uterus for the a lil bit.
refer to: “the work of divine agency”
I hope to spread through teaching prenatal yoga that it is important to push out any negative or “nervous”thoughts – because this fetus is
miraculous.
I practiced yoga for 5 years before learning I was pregnant.
<I will save my “how i felt when I found out” for another time, as I’d like to keep this area as a means of advice on how to bring yoga into pregnancy.>
Yoga does not mean stretching of flexing the body, necessarily – Yoga is merely a state of being, often brought to our minds from the motions our body are capable of to reach that state.
Can we really be in control of the mind and body? I study yoga because it has taught me that our actions can be controlled by the thoughts we create. By praying, or meditating, or practicing any form of yoga, our thoughts become more aligned with positive actions, creating a happier day2day life which circles back to having good thoughts. It is all a cycle, just like life!
#Mantra:: Maybe not all “preggos” need to hear reasons or mantras on accepting the bodily changes that come along with birth… but hearing a yoga teacher recite this when entering a prenatal yoga class calmed me when thoughts on “omg am i ready for this?” would approach my mind.
So, take a deep breath and repeat: 
Pregnancies can lead towards discomfort, negative feelings – and negative thoughts for some (like me), overeating, feeling overtired… need i go on?
I found it was hard to sleep sometimes, often because of the discomfort I felt with my body changing.
I felt private about my pregnancy – I felt it was something my husband and I needed to embrace and become 1 with before sharing with all. I am appreciate he always knew exactly what I needed during my pregnancy. especially… yoga!
(special thanks to my sister for the 10pack of prenatal yoga she sent me for upper east side @yogaworks)
I want to give yoga the credit it deserves for getting me through the tougher evenings & days of pregnancy. I wanted and envisioned myself being constantly in a state of enlightenment during those 9 months, but there was a certain hesitance and anxious feeling I had, almost like a block to the good sensations I yearned to feel. Only a constant yoga practice helped me strengthen my mind, while also building body strength to prepare me for “the big push”.
I doubted myself often. I felt anxious about birth. I thought that everyday of my pregnancy I would be grateful, but it only took working on my physical strength that helped my mental strength. Though my mental strength is what pushed me to do yoga, or do the workout, even when my body wanted to rest. So, another sign of cycle, that I would push myself to workout to be strong yet once I was strong it was easier for me to bring myself to the mat on an almost daily basis.
I outline below yoga vids, tips, and Asanas (poses) that are beneficial to the bod:
1st trimester:
-for the mind, could be used at any point of pregnancy including the very end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRNQZHUcQaY