The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Pregnancy, Childbirth and beyond › over 40 and pregnant
-
AuthorPosts
-
I am 43 years old and have been practicing Bikram for 2 years 4 months. My first year was typically 4 or 5 times a week, I had my appendix out in 2014 and had to take a couple months off and have since been practicing 3 times a week. I have just found out that I am pregnant(4 weeks and first time) and really don’t want to stop my yoga but am concerned about the heat and of course my age. I have not seen doctor yet and cant get in there for a couple weeks. Do I continue my practice or wait until I hopefully get clearance from doctor? I am worried because most doctors I have talked to in the past about this yoga don’t really understand it and just tell me to do some other form of yoga without the heat. So of course I am worried they are just going to say that now that I am pregnant. I consider myself healthy, I eat well, drink lots of water and restore electrolytes with Himalayan salt with lemon juice, coconut water, or emergen-C. This yoga has been a blessing to me and has healed many problems I had for many years including constant back pain, swollen eye/sinus problem, swollen calf with pain, constipation and not to mention how it makes me feel emotionally, I truly love it! I guess I’m just looking for some encouragement and inspiration. I know people have practiced during their entire pregnancy (including Gabrielle) but were they younger and not considered high risk due to age? I don’t know? Anyway, thanks for giving me a place to vent.. I am so happy to be pregnant but also feel a great loss thinking that my practice is going to change, or worse, stop. Thank you Gabrielle for this website/forum and all the information you provide, it is always a great source of support and a place I visit often 🙂
Hello Debbie-Ann
Thank you for your kind words. You’re welcome. And congratulations. It looks as though you have read some of the pregnancy threads and posts. I wonder if you saw any that mention the words of the then most senior obstetrician in my entire region. He said that there was no reason not to do it. That being said, we never heat/ed our studios at nosebleed high temperatures so I feel very comfortable in including any mother-to-be.
The other ‘barometer’ is really this, and it pertains to just about anything when it comes to pregnancy: If you’ve done it regularly before then you should be able to continue the same thing during.
There are always risks in any pregnancy. I chose to continue yoga right through my pregnancy. Many others do the same. You have to choose what feels fine for you.
I do have to say – even if I am repeating myself! – that continuing to do yoga was a real factor in making me feel comfortable and vibrant during my pregnancy. To be able to breathe deeply despite the lessening space in your thorax is a gift indeed. That in and of itself will help you birth your baby more easily.
None of us has a crystal ball and we get dealt a hand that may not reveal itself all at once with respect to how well we’ll feel, how well we’ll feel in the hot room, whether we get ‘morning sickness’ or any other pregnancy associated condition. Each one of us has decisions to make. Feel strong in your convictions and go from there. Your professionals will unlikely be as open-minded as that aforementioned obstetrician. They will give you an opinion based on their own model of the world (and if they are uninitiated then it’s likely to stem from fear). Ultimately, it’s your body. Do your own thing. Make your own decision.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hello again!
I neglected to say that I was almost 39 when I gave birth. Not quite the same age as you but very close. So I did have the same sorts of worries. Being a first pregnancy I believe that the newness of experience will make you be extra cautious because you’ve never been there before. All these questions are natural and expected. And let’s see them as part of your mindful approach to your body and your life. So, if you look at that way, you’ve been growing and nurturing your inner voice, and you’ve been happy to pay attention to your body before, perhaps now is the time to continue listening to yourself.
I hope that helps!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle! thank you so much for responding and all your wisdom!! I wish I could practice in your studio 🙂 My studio is on the high side at times but I usually try to avoid those teachers because I have come to a place in my practice where I want to relax into the depth of my breath and movement, not just try to “get through it”. I think the teachers that I enjoy usually have the temp at around 105 F (i think thats around 40C) with humidity at typical 40 but I never really looked or asked. I just go by how my body feels, if that makes sense. I also believe that the teachers I trust will open the door for a breeze of fresh air if I asked, or let me leave if I needed to without a problem. I do know in my heart that I need this yoga to help me through this, for my back especially and my emotional state. I was feeling great in the hot room and most times (unless I got stuck in a class with a teacher I was not expecting) I didn’t even feel hot. I was very comfortable. I have not been back for almost 2 weeks and to be honest now I’m scared. Am I still acclimated to the heat? I have also read not to do this yoga in first trimester and to continue it come the second. Did you go in your first trimester? Your support feels like a warm hug and I am very grateful to be inspired by people like you. Thank you again Gabrielle!
Hi Debbie-Ann
You’re welcome. I am happy you feel supported.
I’m just curious as to how you know the temperature is different between teachers. Is there a gauge you can see or is it a perception?
I did actually go right through my pregnancy. There was a week I didn’t go between my first and second trimester. But how can one be completely accurate with one’s timing? You may be accurate with your ‘dates’ but you may not be able to time the actual conception. 😉 An Iyengar teacher (ante-natal pregnancy teacher’s hubby) suggested that there is a particular week one should do yoga. I didn’t go that week and perhaps it was because of that influence and choosing to feel that that was the right decision. We older first time mums are perhaps prone to being more cautious.
I taught right up until just days before the birth. Pranayama breathing meant that I felt very comfortable. I teach by walking around and I’m quite energetic as I scope the room and walk around to see everything and correct everything (don’t need to touch, but it helps me adjust my delivery to suit the students in the room to see tiny nuances of people’s poses – I never use a script) so I definitely would have been unable to do any of that if I hadn’t done yoga. I would have been breathless by walking.
I really want to hear how you’re going if you ever feel inspired to give an update (either to my email or on the forum)
With every good wish for you and your baby
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.