Fitness Health

Postpartum yoga: how to start practicing it?

Postpartum yoga is an option to accompany the process of adaptation and rearrangement of the body and mind. Attention that here we explain how to do it.

Postpartum yoga: how to start practicing it?

The ideal thing to start practicing postpartum yoga is to wait for 8 weeks and focus on deep breaths that will optimize the oxygenation of the body. These initial exercises are called “asanas.”

Asanas are different body postures that will prepare the body and mind so that a month later, others of greater difficulty can be gradually included.

Once you are used to doing yoga, incorporating it into your postpartum routine should not lead to any complications. However, if you are going to debut in this discipline, you should know that it is considered the only method for the physical, mental and spiritual development of the human being. This is how Indra Devi explains it in his book: Yoga, forever young, forever healthy.

Therefore, its benefits at this stage redound as they restore tonicity to the muscles and, in turn, breathing and relaxation provide a state of emotional balance. All of this is as refreshing for mothers as taking a long nap.

In addition, the practice of yoga becomes for many women an ally to reduce stress or depression that usually appears in what is known as quarantine.

Considerations before starting

Postpartum yoga: how to start practicing it?

Meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and mindfulness are techniques that help to relax the brain’s tonsil.

To start doing postpartum yoga, it is essential to consult a specialist if you are already allowed to exercise. Times may vary according to the type of delivery; that is, if it has been natural delivery or cesarean section. This requires a few more weeks of rest, around 12 to 16.

On the other hand, you should take into consideration that you will probably have to make a pass through the mall, since you will need a series of basic accessories for your practice. Among them, the following:

Comfortable clothing, preferably cotton

If it is made of lycra, it should not be too tight because it can cause you discomfort with some movements. The ideal thing would be to wear postpartum outfits that are tight-fitting. but they give mobility.

A mat, mat, or yoga mat

It is placed on the floor so you can work on it. This will prevent you from slipping when supporting your hands, knees or feet and, most importantly, it will offer you stability when performing the postures, in addition to protecting you from the temperature that the floor may have.

If you don’t have it yet and want to buy it, the recommendation is that you select one made with ecological materials such as natural rubber. Those made of organic cotton or microfiber, ecological polyurethane or cork also work.

Yoga blocks

They are usually made from materials like cork or foam. The least common are the wooden ones that used to be used before. They are very practical to use as an extension of the body when you have not reached enough flexibility in a certain position.

Elastic bands

Elastic bands are very practical when it comes to maintaining correct alignment in the posture or asana you are doing. They are not elementary, but they are a good complement to exercises that correct the position of the back.

What should you avoid when practicing postpartum yoga?

In the postpartum period, you should avoid orienting the practice towards positions that require high levels of flexibility because the body is still in the process of recovery and adaptation. As you should not force it, it is not advisable to perform sit-ups that exert a level of pressure in the area that can exacerbate pelvic problems.

In the same way, it is advisable not to do exercises that, when working on the tone in the muscles, trigger discomfort that may have remained after the delivery. For example, in which you must remain squatting, especially if you had problems with hemorrhoids or if you had a tear that deserved stitches.

Recommended exercises

Postpartum yoga: how to start practicing it?

The weekly yoga practice will help you feel good not only physically but also emotionally.

We suggest you attend a nearby site for weekly yoga practice, so you can share your experiences with other moms and have expert assistance.

Go with your baby, either in a stroller or incorporating it into certain positions that help to consolidate the bond between the two. Look him in the eye and smile at him, his participation is recommended until approximately seven months.

Another alternative is to do it at home if it is what best suits your possibilities, either with a remote guide or because you are already used to the discipline. One or two sessions a week for 30 to 60 minutes will be enough to get started.

Preheat calmly. Remember that the increase in activity should be gradual, hydrate well and wear a firm bra. Of course, if there is pain, you must stop.

With postpartum yoga it is possible to tone the pelvic floor, the abdominal girdle, the rearrangement of the internal organs and the womb. It also helps to align the spine and return to the natural shape of the posture. Below you can discover some of the exercises:

Pelvic tilt

With this exercise the abdominal muscles are strengthened. The technique consists of lying on your back with your legs bent. The back fully supported on the floor. Contract your abdominal muscles without shrinking your buttocks and tilt your pelvis back, keeping your waist close to the floor. Hold the position for about 10 seconds and repeat it 5 times.

Kegel exercise in postpartum yoga

With these you tone the muscles of the pelvic floor which support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. They will help you in the control of urinary and anal incontinence.

Contract your abdominal muscles as if you want to stop urinating, keep them contracted for 10 seconds and then release them. Relax for 10 seconds between each contraction and do the sets about three times a day with ten reps each time.

Ananda Balasana or Happy Baby Yoga Pose

Lie on your back and bring your knees up to your chest, then spread them slightly wider than the width of your hips. Keep your arms on the inside of your knees while using your hands to support your feet or ankles.

Now bend your knees until the soles of your feet are facing up and gently pull your feet down to lower them. Focus on relaxing your pelvic muscles in this pose for about 90 seconds.

This asana works great for warming up and elongating the hip, lower back, and leg region. At the end of the day it will help you fall asleep.

Shoulder realignment

Sitting or standing, head and spine straight, ears in line with shoulders. Bring your shoulder blades back as if trying to join them. Hold them like this for a second, release and repeat 15 times, three times a day.

Benefits of practicing yoga after childbirth

Among the main benefits, it is worth highlighting the emotional support that yoga provides to mothers in the postpartum through conscious work of deep breathing when understanding “consciousness” from the Eastern definition that links it with a spiritual action and not as a mere operation of the mind.

For this reason, just when feelings are mixed between joy, fatigue, optimism, exhaustion, hope, uncertainty and so many others, yoga offers balance. It is considered a very useful tool to cope with postpartum depression, a reality that today is assumed and made visible as a way of giving support and accompaniment to mothers.

Another of its advantages is that it accelerates the process to return to the optimal physical conditions prior to pregnancy. Likewise, it becomes an ally to correct bad postures adopted in the back and neck. It allows you to regain stability, balance and well-being in a comprehensive way.

Final recommendations for exercising with yoga postpartum

If you still do not have the specific items to do postpartum yoga, you can find home-made options on the internet to replace the blocks or the mat.

You also have through this means multiple scientific and multimedia resources that serve as a guide to undertake this journey with specialized guidance.

Remember that you are not facing a regimen to lose weight and look for the figure you had before pregnancy, but rather a method that with breathing techniques invites you to a reunion with your interior and communion with yourself and your baby. A space where you can relax and meditate until you return with recharged energies, ready to continue on the new path of motherhood.