getting pregnant

Hello trace

You have done so much Bikram yoga in the hot room that you should be able to continue. I generally tell women to go with what they know. So if they are 3 months pregnant and have never done HY before then maybe it is better to wait. But you have 2 years’ experience under your belt.

My story: I practiced Bikram Yoga between 2-5 times per week when I was pregnant. Plus I was teaching several classes per week. I went to pregnancy yoga – and yes, I thought it was boring. But it gave me a great opportunity to meet other first-time moms. And I learned some stuff that I incorporated into my Bikram series while everyone else was lying on their tummies – which I couldn’t do after about month 4.5. The Bikram series doesn’t really address any pelvic opening moves to facilitate childbirth, so I created that for myself.

Doing this yoga was absolutely the best thing I possibly could have done. Pranayama breathing is a gift and allows you to perfuse your whole body and that of your baby with beautiful life-giving breath.

There will undoubtedly be some modifications for you and your pregnant form. But rest assured you can do 90 minutes of wonderful yoga in that heat.

Come back and tell us what happens

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Trace

There are some poses that you will avoid. But at the moment you don’t need to be concerned with those. You probably wouldn’t be needing to change anything from anywhere from 3-5 months. I stopped doing some poses at around 4 months (of course didn’t lie down on my stomach from then on) and there are other modifications.

You have inspired me to put something together for this. I wanted to keep up my yoga in the hot room and didn’t want to just stand or lie there when the others were doing the poses I was supposed to avoid.

The most influential obstetrician in my region (and the most experienced) tells his patients that they can continue going to Bikram Yoga. I do not know under which conditions the placenta tears away from the uterus. Remember you have been doing this for some time so your body is used to the movements. You have to decide for yourself. Remember the first rule here is to do what you know. I may not be saying the same thing to someone who does not normally do hot yoga or any yoga at all.

When I was pregnant, my body was not happy to be in the studio when it was too hot. I have perfectly controllable temperature so whenever I was teaching or practicing I would drop the temperature to body temperature and no higher. No one complained. Heating a room to 110 degrees F poses a risk for anybody, pregnant or not. So please know what conditions you are practicing in.

Your body will have many demands made on it by the fetus. You are probably already taking folate supplements. Electrolytes of course will be good for you. I took specific pregnancy vitamin supplements but had to stop them as they were too strong and made me so thirsty… Maybe you will find that an organic diet will be sufficient and/or some specific supplementation (iron, folate, b) you can talk to your doc, pharmacist, your friends!

Keep us posted on your *status* 😆

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Melissa

Yes I believe it is safe to do so. Your body’s systems are being toned to function better. It could actually make conception more likely. I know this has been the case in many women around the world – at least anecdotally as I am unsure as to any clinical trials.

If I can just bring up that it is worth making sure you have the appropriate intake of folic acid and other minerals and vitamins in some kind of supplementation.

I wish you the wonder of a life enriched by being a parent – in whatever form that takes.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi kspeelman

Thank you so much for telling us your experiences. It’s great to get another positive story about doing hot yoga during pregnancy.

I too found a slightly cooler temperature to be better for me. As it was my own studio we kept the temp at or just below body temp (94-98F or 35-37C). I never condone temperatures that are high just for the sake of it, even for the able-bodied, those not pregnant and those without any health issues. We are doing yoga and it’s not a ‘risk’ sport and should never be dangerous. It is a path to mindfulness.

I think that it’s important to acknowledge that everyone is different, that your baby’s position may have had little or nothing to do with your yoga practice and hip openers or other poses may have had little or nothing to do with your resultant C-section.

It is equally possible to consider that your yoga made your delivery better and less risky. We’ll never be able to say!

I don’t want to scare*** anybody or influence them unduly in either direction. It is certainly not my position to give advice on a supremely personal, subjective and critical journey. My pregnancy (as you may have read) culminated with a lovely water birth of a child WAAAAAAY overdue (fifteen days, in fact – but not ‘overcooked’! 😉 ) . I do remember at the 21 week scan her head was firmly lodged in my pelvis and nothing I did, no headstands, or other maneuvers would budge it. I had to wait another week. It ‘was what it was’ and sometimes we just can’t change things.

What you most aptly expressed is the importance of listening to one’s own body. If temperature is too high then do something about it.

The only reason I did no yoga at my studio in the last 2 weeks (ie after the due date) was that I was wanting to escape all the well-meaning and excited commentary about how I was late and what I could do to bring on the birth. I would have kept going to yoga if I didn’t own the business (probably drop it back to 2 times a week). When you’re the one at the front desk and or teaching and your job is to run your business, everyone is going to talk to you! So it was a lovely holiday.

Congratulations on the birth of your healthy little man! 🙂

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

*** I am not suggesting there is any scaremongering going on here, just my part in the process is to inform and hopefully give a balanced message! I really appreciate your post.

Indeed and exactly! The body is amazing and so is this whole ‘miracle’ we are blessed enough to take part in and witness. The chilling out in the last few weeks may or may not include yoga, it depends on one’s definition of ‘chilling.’ It’s not a time for rushing around or rather, it’s not a time you want your body or mind to be unduly stressed as your body is already going through so much. That’s why the yoga actually habituates you to listen to your body. We just have to hear what it’s saying.