Connecting Prenatal Yoga Practice

These online practices are blossoming out of the need to keep everyone safe during the COVID19 outbreak. I am honored to offer the gift of yoga and meditation to mamas. This guided prenatal yoga practice is an offering to connect with compassion through movement and stillness. I hope mothers find this time as a sacred space to connect with themselves and with baby. Please ensure you have a doctors consent to practice yoga safely.

Transcript

Hey,

Mama.

Thanks for choosing a time that feels best of service for you to practice yoga together.

Now take your time to find a comfortable and supportive way to practice on your mat.

Feel free to use any props like blankets,

Bolsters,

Pillows,

Or blocks to support your practice today.

Let's begin.

So we're going to start in child's pose.

So make your way there using any props that you'd like to support you.

Finding maybe your way in the hands and knees and then sinking hips back towards heels.

Arms can be reaching out long.

Or maybe you put a bend in your elbows.

Letting your head rest or hang down.

Let's just start by taking a breath in through our nose.

And exhale,

Sigh out the mouth.

See that again,

Breathing in through the nose.

Exhale,

Sigh out through the mouth.

Allow your hips to become heavy.

Having just the weight of the body to allow you to sink into this posture.

And taking this time to connect.

Maybe feeling the mat beneath you.

Maybe tuning into your breath.

Maybe connecting with baby.

And as we take this time and this practice to focus on connecting,

We'll do so with the art of compassion.

Connecting into the body and tuning into baby.

Simply with love and compassion.

And if the arms are out nice and long,

Just you touch the earth,

Placing your palms firmly on the mat.

Like fingers are widespread,

Fingertips pressing into the mat.

See if you can allow your hips to sink back just a bit more.

Even if you're just imagining.

And if you can,

Let the palm or the grip go.

And your elbows,

So fingertips point up towards the ceiling,

Palms come together.

And they might be facing towards the ceiling and stay there.

Or you might bring the thumbs back towards the head.

Maybe they reach the neck,

Maybe they touch the top of the head.

Just opening up a little bit through the heart space,

Shoulders,

Triceps.

Feeling the elbows rest down on the mat.

Slowly let the palms go back down,

Touching the earth.

And coming up through center,

Tabletop,

Hands and knees,

Taking your time.

Once you get in tabletop,

Just move your hips around a little bit side to side.

Maybe leaning the hips back towards the feet.

Maybe rounding the side body a bit,

Opening up through the ribs.

Coming back through tabletop,

Palms pressing into the mat,

Knees just at a width that feels supportive for your body and knees underneath your hips somewhat.

And then we'll start to walk our palms out in front of us.

So this is like downward facing dog,

But staying down on the knees into puppy pose.

So letting the head and the heart hang,

Or maybe the head reaches down.

Maybe the heart touches the mat.

Keep the hips nice and high.

Finding your breath here,

Just breathing in through your nose.

Maybe one out through your mouth.

See if you can breathe in and out through your nose.

And if that doesn't feel accessible to you right now,

Just breathe however feels of service to your body.

So from here,

We're going to come up into cobra,

But we're not going to rest down on our belly.

We'll leave belly and baby up off the mat.

So as you start to slide forward,

Maybe just coming on the forearms first,

Leaving the hips high,

And then bringing the palms right back underneath the shoulders.

So your heart can lift,

Hips lift.

And belly stays off the mat or just gently touching the mat.

It's okay for belly to touch the mat.

We just don't want to rest the weight down on belly and baby.

You can always place a bolster or nice pillow underneath belly or underneath hips in cobra posture as well to support you and baby.

And from here,

Just gently pressing back into tabletop,

Hands and knees.

And we'll come on into a comfortable seated posture.

So maybe cross-legged,

Maybe sitting back on your heels,

Bringing the palms right to your knees and taking a seated cat and cow here.

So inhaling,

Lifting the heart.

Exhale,

Rounding the spine.

Maybe pulling back on the knees.

Inhale lift.

Exhale round.

Rounding into spine,

Chin towards chest.

And doing this a few times,

Just at your own pace with your breath.

So on an inhale,

You'd be lifting and opening.

On an exhale,

Rounding,

Contracting.

And you can stay in one of the postures too for more than one breath.

Just stay there and breathe.

Maybe if it feels edgy or it feels restorative to the body.

And as you find edges in any postures in this practice,

See if you can work to respond compassionately.

Rather than being frustrated as the body changes,

Trust in the body that it's changing to nourish both you and both baby.

Respond with compassion.

Know that it's taking care of you,

Even within the challenges or soreness.

And gently coming back up to a nice long spine.

And bringing palms right down belly,

Right to baby.

We'll just sit for a moment and breathe here.

Teening into the breath.

Find your sit bones or feet,

However you are resting down on this earth,

Down on the mat.

And just to bring some energy into the practice,

Just bring your palms together and start to rub your palms together.

Slowly.

So finding your breath,

Relaxing shoulders.

Maybe start to move them a little faster,

Feeling the friction.

Finding your breath.

Maybe a bit faster,

Feeling that heat between your palms.

For one more breath.

And then bringing the palms right to baby,

Right to belly.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale,

Sigh.

Feeling the warmth of your palms resting and connecting.

See if it feels comfortable here to find that unjaya pranayama breath.

Again that's that breathing into our nose and exhaling through your nose.

Add this layer of sound to your exhale like an ocean wave.

It's like a slight restriction at the back of your throat on the exhale as you breathe out through your nose.

And if it feels challenging or awkward in any way,

It might change day to day,

Just note it.

This is challenging today or this isn't working for me today and that's okay.

It doesn't feel like it's working,

Just find a natural breath.

As long as you're breathing,

That's all that matters.

And see if you can stay with the breath,

However the breath is traveling in and out.

And we'll go ahead and bring our soles of the feet together.

So we're going to find that bound angle pose.

Baddha Kaunasan,

It's like butterfly,

Knees wide apart.

At least that's fine,

Nice and tall,

Giving baby a lot of room.

Hands can be wrapped around the feet or maybe just peace fingers around the big toes.

Letting your hips and knees be heavy.

And maybe just move your knees up a little bit like you're flapping butterfly wings and then exhale them down.

We're going to inhale them up,

Exhale them down,

Letting them be heavy.

Bringing your palms behind you so feet come flat to your mat.

Knees point up towards the ceiling.

We'll find seated pigeon posture.

So bringing the right knee on top of the left knee.

And you might adjust where that left foot is.

You might slide it out to create some space.

You might hug it in if you want more.

Putting a soft bend in the elbows so they're not locked.

Lifting the heart space,

Rolling shoulders down and away from the ears,

Shoulder blades,

And a hug together,

Just feeling that sense of opening through that right hip space.

Relaxing the right knee,

Maybe flexing the right toes.

There's a lot to breathe into into this posture.

So just notice.

Go ahead and unwind the right foot.

Slide it down next to the left and then let the left foot go out long.

Let the right knee open up like half butterflies.

So right sole of the foot is on the inside of the left leg.

Then walk your hands back up by the hips.

So you have a nice long spine.

Flexing the left toes,

Reach the palms up towards the sky and we'll take our left arm down towards the left foot.

So right arm stays up towards the ceiling.

It's like a half wide legged forward fold.

Keeping the heart space open,

Keeping the belly and baby open.

And that right arm can reach up towards the ceiling,

Stay there,

Or it can reach up and over towards the left toes.

Keeping the heart open though,

Rather than collapsing the heart down towards that left leg.

Keep it opening towards the right.

We'll inhale,

Come back up through center with both palms.

Bring your right palm right behind your right hip and we're going to stand up on that right knee.

So right knee is going to come down like a kickstand.

Left leg goes out long,

Pivots and plants.

This is supported side plank.

So hips are opening up to your right.

Left arm reaches up towards the sky.

Left leg is out long,

Pivoted and planted on the mat.

Right knee is down like a kickstand.

Reaching left hand up towards the sky or reaching up and over the left ear.

Finding your breath.

Taking that palm down and around towards the right palm,

But then sweep it back up towards the sky.

So just taking your left hand in nice shoulder rolls down and around and back up.

Maybe moving with the breath.

Inhaling as you come up.

Exhaling as the palm travels down.

One more full circle.

And exhale,

Come down and around.

So left palm plants.

Right knee is going to plant right next to left.

So we're back in tabletop facing the opposite way.

And just sway the hips side from side.

Come on into child's pose.

Knees apart,

Hips melt down.

Take a deep breath in through your nose.

Exhale,

Sigh out through the mouth.

Good.

Take this time to connect if your mind has wandered off.

Come back to your breath.

Inhale,

Come on up through center tabletop.

And then come back into a seated posture.

Bringing hands back to your knees and just take circles.

So forward,

Back like you're rounding through cat and cow.

Leaning forward,

Lifting the heart.

Inhale and exhale,

Rounding the spine back.

Inhale lifting heart,

Rounding on the exhale.

And changing directions.

Inhale still lifting heart.

Rounding as you come back through.

Connect with your breath.

One more time.

Inhale,

Exhale rounding.

And just start to very slowly make your way back through center.

So maybe you start to take smaller little circles.

Really just making your way back through center.

Nice tall long spine.

Bring your palms right behind you.

The knees are pointed up towards the ceiling.

Feet are flat.

And we'll get that seated pigeon pose on the left this time.

So left foot's gonna come right on top of the right knee.

Adjusting that right foot.

If you want it out further,

You can go longer,

Wider.

You can come closer to you.

Keep that heart lifted.

Elbows soft.

Breathing into that left hip.

One side might feel different than the other.

So just noting that.

It's super common.

Responding compassionately.

If one side feels tighter than the other.

Know that your hips are supporting so much already.

Just offer them love.

Go ahead and gently unwind the left foot.

Slide the right leg out nice and long.

Just like half butterfly.

Left shoulder comes on the inside of that right thigh.

Right toes are flexed.

You might shift your hips a little bit so you're kind of in the center.

Angling your heart in between your legs.

Right palm,

Left palm,

Reach up towards the ceiling.

And then take your right hand down and over the right leg.

Left palm reaches up and over the left ear.

So our heart is staying lifted open.

You might even use your right arm against your right inner thigh.

Just to add a sense of leverage and opening for the heart space.

See if you can soften the right shoulder.

Choosing a space that feels good for the neck and the head.

Whether it's chin down or chin up.

Looking towards the left arm or somewhere in between.

So from here it's like we're reverse cartwheeling the palms.

So reach the palms up to sky.

Then left palm comes down and around right behind your left hip.

Right arm stays up towards the sky as you come up on the left knee.

Right foot comes out nice and long.

Pivot and plant.

So supported side plank.

You always have the option if you'd like to bring the left foot next to the right for full side plank.

Or you can keep your left knee down supporting the body.

Pressing into the mat with the left palm.

Breathing into the side body.

Exhale right palm down on the mat.

So you're coming down and around left knee down right knee down next to left table top.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale side out.

So let's come on up into downward facing dog from here.

So tucking toes,

Lifting hips,

Head weight hangs.

Maybe pedaling the feet just a little bit.

And just like we did at the beginning of class with child's pose.

Really gripping down into the mat with your fingertips.

Kind of turning the wrists in.

So pinkies are out to opposite sides.

Like we're lifting the weight out of our wrists.

Give me a gentle nod,

No,

With your head side to side.

Then slowly beginning to walk your feet to meet your palms.

Bring the feet nice and wide like the mat.

And then bend the knees.

So come on down into a low squat.

And do kasana,

Low Buddha squat,

Palms either resting down in front or at heart center.

Elbows like press against the inner thighs and inner thighs against elbows or triceps.

Just take a few breaths here.

Maybe even bringing the thumbs,

If palms are at heart center,

Bringing thumbs to your sternum.

Taking this time just to allow tailbone and hips to soften.

Whether feet are flat or on your toes or the balls of your feet.

Gently pressing into your feet.

Bring your palms down to your mat just for a moment.

And we'll stand all the way up from here into mountain pose.

So just pressing through the feet.

Bring the spine all the way up using your thighs.

And come into mountain pose.

Feet somewhere that feel supportive to the hips.

So it might be hips distance apart or a bit wider.

Shoulders down and away from the ears.

Lifting the heart space.

And see if you can lift all ten toes off the mat.

And then just gently placing one toe down at a time.

Even if it feels a little tricky or impossible,

Just try it.

Letting your feet kind of soften.

And notice if you're favoring one side or the other and see if you can even that out.

Whether it's through the front or back,

Through left or right.

Inhale lift the palms up and around the sky.

Exhale palms touch down through heart center.

See that two more times.

Inhale lift.

Exhale palms touch to heart center.

Inhale lift.

Exhale palms touch down heart center.

Inhale reach the palms back up to sky.

Then we're going to open up the palms so they're nice and wide reaching up towards the sky.

And we'll step our left foot back behind us.

Turn all ten toes open to the left.

And then bring the arms open to a T.

So we're in a strong T pose.

So we should be kind of horizontal on the mat.

Legs are widespread.

Pressing into your feet.

Arms are reaching out to a T.

Just standing nice and tall here.

You can always adjust the stance if it would feel more supportive in any other way.

Just feeling the weight of the arms and the strength in the arms.

And go ahead and flip your palms up towards the ceiling.

Still reaching arms up nice and long and wide.

And then flip them back down.

Flip them back up.

And we'll just do this a few times for a few,

Maybe a few minutes.

Just feeling the strength in our arms.

Maybe as you breathe in the arms slip up.

As you breathe out the palms slip down.

And see if you can stay with the rhythm of your breath.

Breathing in,

Flipping the palms up.

Breathing out,

Flipping the palms down.

You might feel the strength of your arms really working here.

See if you can allow it to be okay.

Muscles working.

Doesn't mean anything's wrong.

It just means we're tuning in to our body.

We're noticing something might be challenging.

And we're breathing into it.

See if you can stick with this for a few more breaths.

Next time your palms slip up towards the sky,

Go ahead and inhale.

Reach the palms up towards the sky.

Even if it feels like your arms are a thousand pounds.

And then interlace your palms right behind the back of your head,

The base of the skull.

Elbows are wide.

Press your head into the palms,

Lifting your heart.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale,

Sigh out.

Then gently go ahead and let the palms fall down by the hips,

By the sides.

Roll the shoulders up by the ears.

Let them slide down your back.

Finding Goddess Squat.

So turn the feet opposite directions.

Starting to bend your knees.

So you're in the Standing Squat Pose.

And then bring your hands right above your knees.

So like you're making a C with your thumbs and your fingers.

And cupping your hands right above your knees.

So thumbs are in the inner thighs.

And the heart is still somewhat lifted.

Using our palms for balance.

Pressing into your feet for strength and balance too.

And take a breath in.

And as you exhale,

Dip the right shoulder in.

So it's like we're getting a hard twist through our left or to our left.

Inhale back through center.

Exhale open to the right.

And do this a few times at your own pace.

It doesn't have to be one breath,

One movement.

Feeling the inner thighs work.

Feeling the shoulders kind of open.

One more time each side.

And then go ahead and come back through center stand all the way up.

Press through your feet.

Bring the hands right to hips.

So we're going to find a wide-legged forward fold here.

So if you have blocks or a chair or something you want to rest your arms down on.

Even if you're by like a couch and you rest your hands down on the arm of the couch.

Or if you feel like you have the space to let your palms come down towards the floor.

But bring them further from you.

So you have space for baby,

Space for belly.

So it's almost like you have a flat back rather than curling down and in.

So reaching forward and out.

Keep the head nice and neutral or let the head hang down rather than turning the chin up.

Keep the chin looking down towards the floor or in towards the heart.

Put a little soft bend in the knees.

And we'll find a twist here.

So pressing into your left hand or palm.

Right arm's going to twist,

Reaching up towards the sky.

Maybe roll the right wrist around in one direction.

Changing directions.

Exhale,

Right palm down.

Inhale,

Left palm up.

Change sides.

Rolling the wrist.

Changing directions.

You're rolling the wrist.

Exhale,

Left palm down.

And then coming back up into a wide legged T.

So maybe pressing through the feet and rolling up.

Chin towards chest.

Bringing the arms out nice and long.

Taking a deep breath.

Lifting your heart,

Lifting your chin.

Exhale hands to hips,

Sigh out.

We'll stand back up into Mountain Pose at the top of your mat.

Arms resting down by your sides.

And from here,

Let's just take Warrior I.

So let's start with our left foot coming back.

Pivot and plant the left foot.

And then right foot is staying uprooted at the top of your mat.

Right knee is going to bend.

So see if you can keep the knee parallel to the ankle.

So it's right on top of the ankle.

I'm sorry perpendicular.

Or whatever it is.

But you don't want the knee to pass over the right big toes.

So you want to be able to see your toes.

So if your knee feels like it's drawing way past,

Just gently guide it back.

Even if it means you're not sinking as deep in this posture.

Pressing into both of your feet.

Feeling the strength and groundedness there.

Hands can be resting down on your hips.

Or you can reach the palms up towards the ceiling.

As if you were holding like a beach ball between your palms.

Let your tailbone relax.

Feeling length in your spine.

Bringing palms back down to hips.

And we'll step up so as many steps as it takes with that left foot all the way back up to Mountain Pose.

Relax the shoulders.

Relax the palms.

Maybe wiggle the knees or bounce the knees gently.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale out.

Change sides.

So bringing the right foot behind you,

Pivot and plant the right foot.

Pressing into the left foot.

Checking out if you can see your left toes.

Leaving the left knee above your left ankle or heel.

Feeling that right hip peel open.

Hands can stand hips or they can reach back up towards the ceiling.

If you have them towards the sky,

Go ahead and open the elbows nice and wide.

Goddess arms.

Palms can face the ceiling or face forward with fingers wide.

Keep breathing into this posture.

Bringing hands back down onto the hips.

Pressing into that front left foot in as many steps as it takes.

Getting back up through Mountain Pose.

Roll the shoulders up by the ears.

Slide them down the back.

Just bringing your palms,

Interlace them together behind the low back.

Elbows can still stay bent or you can draw your palms a little bit further where elbows lengthen.

Heart lifts.

Maybe chin lifts.

Maybe a tiny bit of a back bend if you press your hips forward.

We don't want any strain or extra strain in the low back.

Just lift from the heart space.

Gently unwind.

Reach the palms back up towards the sky.

Bring the feet nice and wide.

We're going to find that low Buddha squat once again.

Come all the way down.

Hands touch the mat.

Might be flat on the feet.

Mukhasana.

Palms might be heart center.

And bringing the palms right back behind you.

Finding your way onto your sit bones.

And then eventually finding a comfortable way to begin to rest.

Whether that's on your side,

On your back if your back is supported with lots of pillows.

Taking your time to find your way there.

And if it takes more time to find your way into a comfortable posture as the body changes,

Respond with compassion.

Honoring the changes.

Honoring this vessel.

Honoring the baby.

Honoring yourself.

Letting the eyes maybe fall shut or just soften the gaze.

Take a deep breath in through your nose.

Exhale sigh out.

Taking this precious time of rest to connect.

Letting the eyes maybe fall shut or just soften the gaze.

Letting the eyes maybe fall shut or just soften the gaze.

Letting the eyes maybe fall shut or just soften the gaze.

Letting the eyes maybe fall shut or just soften the gaze.

Letting the eyes maybe fall shut or just soften the gaze.

And slowly just staying as you are but slowly bringing your awareness back into the body.

Maybe bringing some awareness back into the breath.

And staying as you are for a moment.

This is a poem written by Rupi Kaur and it says,

When my mother was pregnant with her second child,

I was four.

I pointed at her swollen belly confused at how my mother had gotten so big in such little time.

My father scooped me up in his trunk arms and said the closest thing to God on this earth is a woman's body.

It's where life comes from.

And to have a grown man tell me something so powerful at a young age changed me to see the entire universe rested at my mother's feet.

So making your way into a comfortable seated posture once again.

And just once you find that seated posture,

Finding your feet and bringing your palms first together at heart center and rubbing the palms back together like we did at the beginning.

And starting to move them a little faster,

Finding some breath.

Feeling the heat.

And then bringing your palms directly somewhere on the bottom of your feet or on the sides of your feet and just giving your feet a nice squeeze.

Finding the sense of connection to the earth,

To the universe.

Bringing hands to heart center.

Bringing your breath in and letting it go.

From my heart to yours.

Namaste.