Many thousands of women have eased their pregnancies through yoga. It not only helps you keep fit, it aids in establishing a profound bond with your unborn child. Yoga means “union.” Most people interpret this as a reference to the union between the individual and the divine, but the term may also refer to union between a new life and the one who brings that life into the world.

Most expectant mothers experience some back problems, as well as various body aches and minor pains (sometimes they are not so minor!). Yoga classes can teach you how to soothe these aches, become more limber, and increase your circulation. Pregnant women who do yoga are more flexible and adaptable, both physically and mentally.

Everyone has heard of the breathing exercises introduced by Dr. Fernand Lamaze. But did you know that these techniques were taken directly from the practices of B.K.S. Iyengar, an Indian who did much to popularize yoga in mid-20th century America? If you want to reduce labor pains, practicing yoga throughout pregnancy can help you during delivery...and afterwards as well. Postnatal yoga will enable you to achieve your “old self” at a much faster rate.

More than that, pregnancy can be a time of enormous fear: fears about the challenges of motherhood, fears about the changes taking place within one’s body, fears for the safety of the child, fears about the pain involved with giving birth. The achievement of psychological equilibrium is one of the great benefits of experiencing the asanas. Even during the most severe labor, yoga can be a guide, a friend, a counselor.

If you are pregnant and you have never attempted yoga before, you should seek out a good instructor. But if you are already somewhat familiar with various asanas, you should look for books and instructional videos which will help you adapt your routine to the new challenges faced by your body.

As with any exercise program, start slowly and consult with your doctor or midwife.

Pay attention to the message you receive from your body: If you feel measurable discomfort, consider that a signal to switch to another exercise. If you feel nausea, stop. If you feel pain, stop. Do not overstretch. Respect your body’s limitations. As a general rule, if something feels wrong, simply go on to the next exercise or cease practicing altogether.

Avoid extensive bending of the back. Obviously, you will not want to do any asanas that require you to lie on your stomach. Do not try to attain any posture that places any sort of stress on your abdominal muscles. Keep the stomach relaxed at all times. Avoid leg raises while lying on the back. If you choose to attempt an inverted posture, use extreme caution.

If you are taking yoga classes during the first trimester, you may prefer to miss a few sessions. Morning sickness is your body’s way of giving you a simple message: Rest, rest, rest.

If you do go to class, tell your instructor that you are pregnant, even if you have broken the news to no one else. If you have plenty of experience with yoga, don’t feel obligated to push yourself or to maintain your previous level of intensity.

Positions you will want to attempt may include the following:

• Utthita Trikonasana, or the Extended Triangle pose
• Virabhadrasana II, or the Warrior II pose.
• Ardha Chandrasana, or the Half Moon pose (You’ll want to do this one with a partner or against a wall and use a chair or block beneath your hand for support.)

You will want to “wean yourself away” from inversions at the 36 week mark.

In the third trimester, concentrate on breathing exercises. Mentally prepare yourself for childbirth by getting into contact with your body. Positions which require you to be on all fours (such as the Cow) are recommended.

Understand that your body is producing a hormone called relaxin which softens your ligaments. This increases your flexibility and helps prepare for childbirth. Although you may feel more limber than ever before, you are actually more vulnerable than at other times. Do not overstretch the ligaments. Do not attempt to take your exercises as far as you once did, even if you feel that you can do so.

You have nothing to prove. This is not the time to push yourself. This is a time for deepening the ties between you and your child.