Expecting 411 - Dr. Ari Brown introduces Tracey Liberman from Kula Yoga. Tracey works with Miranda and they demonstrate several yoga positions for moms-to-be. Prenatal yoga can help reduce common problems of pregnancy like sciatic nerve pain and lower back pain. Episode #858 - Prenatal Yoga Positions

Ari Brown:  I'm Dr. Ari Brown, with the 411 on prenatal yoga. With me today I have Miranda, who's a mom to be, and I have Tracy Lieberman who's a certified prenatal yoga instructor at Kuma Yoga in Austin, Texas. Tracy, can you tell me some of the aches and pains that moms‑to‑be commonly have, and how prenatal yoga can help?
Tracy Lieberman:  Sure! Typically what I hear about in classes from beginning to the end of pregnancy is sciatic nerve pain, and low back pain. I can show a couple postures today that will help from the beginning, even through laboring processes to help take a little bit of the weight out of the low back and give us a little bit of relief.
Ari:  Terrific!
Tracy:  Thanks.
[sound effect]
Tracy:  OK, so Miranda, we're first going to start in cat cow to relieve some of the low back, so just roll your shoulders down and back, get nice and tall. Then as you're ready, crossing at the ankles here, go ahead and bring the palms out in front.
We're going to build the foundation up first, so widen the thighs, roll the shoulders down, stack them directly on the wrist. Knees directly under hips, tops of feet pressed, and with an inhale we're going to glide the heart through as we lift the tail and the brow. Exhale, we're going to hug little one in into a nice deep arch, into cat. Inhale, glide the heart through, lengthen. Exhale, soften, hug a little and in.
You might even take a little time, kind of over exaggerate these, really massage out the spine. And even in cat, maybe once we stay here a bit, we can just shake the head a little, letting go of any neck tension. When you're ready, go ahead and slide back through cow. Exhale, back into cat. We'll just follow our breath.
So from here, we're going to go ahead and take this into pigeon. This one's going to help with that sciatic nerve and kind of help open up the hip joint. We're going to start on the right side. When you're ready, just bring it back to all‑fours. Again widen the thighs.
This time, slide your right knee up towards that right palm. We're going to slowly soften the right foot in a bit, at the same time softening the right hip down. Just take your time finding that space. We can feel back to to make sure that our sacrum's not too wonky over here. When you're ready, get nice and tall.
Exhale, soften over. Make a little pillow with stacked fist, and just let the head release. Again, find your breath.
[long breath]
You can let a nice heavy exhale through parted lips.
[long breath]
Continue softening the right hip.
[long breath]
We'll take our last round here, and slowly when you're ready, just walk it up, one vertebra at a time, bring the palms back underneath the shoulders. Now we'll go ahead and release that right knee, bring it right back to cat cow.
Find your foundation again, wide thighs, shoulders rolled down, stack on the wrist, knees under hips. Inhale, glide through, lift the heart, the tail. Exhale, soften back. Inhale, glide it through. Exhale, soften back. Last one.
[long breath]
From neutral again this time. Left knee comes in right towards the left palm. Again, we play around with that left foot, finding the best placement as we soften into that left hip. Take your time. Lift, get a little arch here, and then soften over.
And again, you can make a little pillow that feels good to just completely release down, you can even let the head go on the mat. Just find your breath.
[music]
Last round here.
[music]
And again slowly walk it up, one vertebra at a time. Release the knee back out and right back to all fours. One last comfortable pose, you're going to open the knees nice and wide, and soften the hips back, child's pose. Make room for little one and just let the head release to the mat, we can even rock side to side.
[music]
And then when you're ready, slowly again, one vertebra at a time.