Calming Prenatal Yoga | Beginner-friendly Yoga for Pregnancy

This prenatal yoga sequence was designed to be supportive for all trimesters. So whether you're in your first, second, or third trimester, this practice is for you.

We'll move through poses and guided imagery to help you feel calm and connected. We also practice a breathing exercise that is perfect to practice during labor contractions.

Transcript

Hi there, Kendra Tolbert here. I'm a registered dietitian and registered yoga teacher, And I specialize in preconception, Prenatal, And postpartum health. Today, I have a prenatal yoga sequence for you. It is my hope that this sequence leaves you feeling connected, Grounded, Supported, And strong. For this practice, There are no props that you absolutely have to have, But there are definitely props that I highly recommend. So I do recommend that you grab something to sit up on. That could be a bolster, It could be cushions, It could be a stack of pillows, It could be a block, Whatever it is, Make sure that you feel comfortable sitting on it. And I also would recommend something to cushion your knees because we are spending the entire practice down here on the mat and we're going to spend a lot of that time on our knees. So a blanket or a large towel is a good idea to have around. So go ahead, Grab any props that you have decided that you would like to have, Roll out your mat, And let's get started. So as I stated in the intro, We are going to be down on the ground. So join me down on the ground if you're not here already. I am going to start straddling this bolster in Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt is the pose that we will all be in. It'll just look a little different depending on what you are seated on. So if you have a stack of pillows, Cushion, Or bolster, You're going to put your knees on either side of it. And then rest your hips back on to it. If you are going to be using a block, You have a few options. You can either, Give me a moment, You can either place it between your hips and your heels and sit back on it. Or especially if you have two of them, You can place them between your calves and then sit back on them that way. So you do have some options. Choose what feels best to you today, And that may be different than what felt best to you a different day. Once you are comfortable, I invite you to place your hands onto your thighs. Rest them there. Perhaps you close your eyes or you can cast your gaze down. Simply by looking down and slightly in front of you. Bring your attention to each spot where your body is in contact with the support beneath it. Your props, The floor. Then bring your attention to your breath. Notice your breath. Observe your breath. But try not to change or judge your breath. Simply be with it. Now, Bring your attention to the center of your chest. The spot near your heart. Envision an orb of light glowing here. From this light, See a thread of light travel down to your lower abdomen. Where another orb of light is shining. And growing. See another thread of light travel down. Through your pelvic floor. Through whatever you are seated on. Through the ground. To the center of the earth. Feel your connection here. Feel the support that is rising up to meet you. If your eyes are closed, I invite you to open them now. Now that all of our eyes are open. We're going to place our hands behind us. And bring one leg forward. Followed by the other leg. So that our knees are bent and the soles of our feet are flat on the floor. And we're still supported by any props beneath us. Place your hands onto your knees. And on your next inhale, Send your chest forward. And your chin up as you look up. And as you exhale, Lean back, Straightening your arms, And perhaps drawing your chin in towards your chest. Inhale. Chest comes forward. Elbows bend. Look up. Exhale, Lean back, Chin down. Continue moving through. This cat-cow variation. Allowing your breath to be your guide and your support. I think this is your last round. Come back to a neutral spine. Place your hands behind you. So that you can come off of your props. And then remove your prop from your space. From your mat, That is. But do keep it nearby because we will be using it again. Then make your way onto your hands and your knees. This is where a blanket or towel will definitely come in handy because we will be here for quite some time. So take this moment to set yourself up to be comfortable. Once you're on your hands and your knees. Begin to shift your hips from side to side. For some people. This position can be really uncomfortable on the wrist during pregnancy, So you can ball your fist and come onto your fist. Come on to tinted fingertips. Or you can come down to your elbows. Decide what feels best for you today. And go with that. Curl your right toes under. Slide your right foot back, Straightening your right leg. Notice if anything needed to shift in your body. Keep your hips level. And your back strong and supported. If you'd like, You can reach your left arm forward. And once again, Notice. Does anything need to shift? So that you still feel supported, Strong, Grounded. And finally, You can lift. Your right toes off the ground. Noticing once again what needs to shift. To keep yourself level and steady. If your hand is up, Lower it back down to the mat. If your leg is up, Lower it back down to the mat. Draw your knee back in. And shift your hips from side to side once again. Curl your left toes under. Slide your left foot back, Straightening your left leg. Once again, Check in. What needed to shift. To keep you supported. Would you like to reach your right arm forward? If so, Please feel free to do so. And finally, You can lift your left toes if you'd like to do that as well. Even here. With all of these limbs extended, There's still a part of you that's connected and supported by the ground. Notice those parts. If your arm is up. Lower it. If your leg is up, Lower it. And draw it back in. Once again, Shift your hips from side to side. Noticing what feels different compared to the very first time you were here in table. Shifting your hips. What things have changed? What has remained the same. If you're not on your elbows, I invite you to come down to your elbows. Hips remain high. If you'd like, You can bring your forehead down to the mat or perhaps onto a block and rest here for a moment. When you're ready. Come back up. If you have a prop, Move it over to the side. Step your left foot forward. On the outside of your left hand. And then bring your torso up. We're in a lunge, But it's not your deepest lunge. You're not leaning forward. You're actually looking to make a 90 degree angle. With both legs. On your next inhale, Sweep your arms up. Then as you exhale, Twist open to the right, Arms come to shoulder height. Breathe here. On your next inhale, Come back through center, Arms are up. And then exhale, Twist open once again. Inhale to come back up through center. Exhale, Twist to open. Do that about three more times at your own pace. Inhaling up. And exhaling to twist. On your final time, Meet me with your arms up overhead. Then place your hands back onto the mat. Bring your left knee back. And then let's sit up on the other side. So right leg comes forward. Torso comes up. Inhale to sweep your arms up. Exhale, Open to the side, This time twisting to the left. Breathe here. Feeling the support that your legs and your feet are giving you beneath. The ground meeting you to support you. On your next inhale, Come back through center. Exhale, Twist to the left. Arms come down to shoulder height. Inhale up. Exhale, Twist. You know the drill. Continue this at your own pace. For about three, Maybe four rounds. Final time. Bring your hands back down to the mat. Step your foot back. Sit back onto your heels, Just so you can remove your prop if you were using one to cushion yourself and then set that aside. Then take a seat at the center of your mat. And you can sit up on the edge of any of the props that you have if you find that your lower back is rounding, Because that can help to tip your pelvis forward and allow you to sit up nice and straight. Comfortably without being forceful or rigid in doing that. Once you are seated comfortably, Bring the soles of your feet together and press them firmly together so you're activating your legs, Activating your feet. Breathe here for a moment. Feeling the strength of your legs and your feet. Interlace your fingers together. Extend your arms out in front of you and then begin to make circles with your torso. You can imagine that you have this large spoon in your hands and you're stirring a large pot. You might bend your elbows as you come back in your circle and straighten them as you come forward in your circles. Change the direction of your circle, Still pressing those legs together or those feet together firmly. Come back to neutral. Release your hands. Straighten your legs out in front of you. I'm going to turn, But you can continue to face whichever direction you are facing. Lean back. And circle your ankles. Change the direction of your circle. And then be still for a moment. Noticing each place. Where your body is in contact with the ground beneath you, Your hands. Your bottom, Maybe the backs of your thighs, Maybe the backs of your knees, Your calves, Your heels. When you're ready, Sit up nice and tall. And once again, You can sit on the edge of a prop to tip your hips forward. On your next inhale, Bring your arms up overhead. Then as you exhale, Hinge forward at the hips. Inhale to bring your arms back towards your torso and then reach them up. Exhale, Hinge forward at the hips. Inhale, Arms come back as your torso comes up and you reach up overhead. Exhale, Hinge forward, Reaching towards your feet. Inhale, Arms sweep back. Torso comes up. Arms reach up. Exhale, Hinge forward. Continue with this almost rowing motion at your own pace. Last round. Bring your hands down to either sides of your hips. Once again, Circle your ankles. And then in the other direction. Be still. Noticing any changes that have occurred in your body, In your breath, In your heart. And in your mind. Make your way into a comfortable cross-legged seated position. Once again, Choosing to prop up your hips. That helps you to feel more comfortable as you're seated here. Once you're comfortably seated, Palms down on your knees or your thighs. I almost said knives. You know what I mean. I invite you to close your eyes. And bring your attention to your breath. We're actually going to explore a different way. Breathing practice, One that can be very beneficial. During labor or any time you just kind of need to center and have a point of focus. So what we'll do is inhale through our nose. And as we exhale, We'll purse our lips and exhale through our pursed lips. So inhale through your nose. Exhale through slightly parted or pursed lips. Continue breathing that way at your own pace. Return to your normal breathing, In and out through your nose. Then switch the cross of your legs to bring the other foot in front. We're going to practice that pursed lip sort of breathing while kind of exerting ourselves, Right? So it's a great way to practice turning to your breath when things get uncomfortable, Which they definitely can during pregnancy and definitely during labor and delivery. So what I invite you to do is extend your arms out to the side. And then begin to make circles. Forwards or back. Your call. We're aiming to continue this for about a minute, Maybe a minute and a half. How long contractions can be. So again, An opportunity to practice being with the uncomfortable. And turning to your support turning to your breath as your anchor and your source of comfort. I know at this point. I'm needing some comfort. So I am going to start with that pursed-lipped breathing, And I invite you to do the same, And see, Does it change your experience as your arms grow tired? Perhaps you change the direction of your circles. Reach your arms up overhead. And then slowly allow them to melt down. Palms up, Resting on your knees or your thighs. Breathe deeply here. Bring your fingertips to the mat. Walk your hands out as far as you can. And as you inhale, Lengthen your spine. Exhale, Drop your right ear towards your right shoulder. Bring your head back up. Inhale to lengthen your spine. Exhale, Left ear towards left shoulder. Bring your head back up. Reach your arms behind you, Interlace your fingers behind you, And stretch your knuckles down towards the ground. Chest is open wide. I'll turn so you can kinda see what I mean. Release your hands. Lie down on your left side. You can use your arm. As a rest. Or maybe you stack up some of your props. To support yourself. Breathe here. Rest here. When you're ready. Remove your props if there are any. Slowly Press yourself up. Come to seated. Sitting up on the edge of any props to support yourself. Inhale to circle your arms up overhead, Palms touch. Exhale, Hands come to the center of your chest. Place one hand on your heart and the other on your lower abdomen. Once again, Notice each place. Where you are in contact with the ground. And then bring your attention to your heart. Seeing that orb of light. Glow and spin. Seeing its thread drop down to your lower abdomen. To connect. With this other glowing orb of light. And finally seeing a thread trail down through the ground. To the center of the earth. Where you are anchored, Where you are held. Just as you. Are this growing life's anchor. And support. You also are enveloped. Held and supported. Bring your hands together at the center of your chest. And thank yourself. Forgiving yourself, This time to move and breathe. And I thank you for allowing me to guide you in this practice. Be well, And bye for now.