Say Yes to Chair Yoga During Pregnancy

In the last five years or so, I have seen considerable increase in the number of women turning to yoga during pregnancy. That is a sign of encouragement for facilitators like me 🙂 While there are many ways in which a pregnant woman can experience the practice but here I will briefly talk about chair yoga during pregnancy. 

Let me first state top three benefits of chair yoga during pregnancy.

1.  Chair yoga can be practiced anytime anywhere by an expectant mom if she has been guided well by her yoga teacher on how to practice the postures and their variations on a chair. This yoga type works like a boon for working women who continue going to work during their pregnancy time (which is a very wise choice :)) but may feel fatigued and anxious many times during the day due to the weight and other conditions such as back pain, muscle stiffness, muscle cramping etc.  1-2 quick Chair Yoga breaks can ease out the physical and emotional state of an expectant mother any time and she particularly does not have to wait for her yoga session to get relief from her day’s stresses. 

2. It provides a cushion comfort to the pregnant woman. At times, a chair can give the same feeling as a yoga teacher can bring to a lady carrying a child – that of being her support!  In certain conditions, it may become difficult for an expecting mother to practice asana on the mat or her movements may be restricted. In such a case she can easily fall back on the chair to give her that cushion comfort and faith to practice yoga.

3. Brings variety in a yoga session. Personally, I am not a big fan of using supports and accessories during yoga however a chair makes an exception for me. It is easily available anywhere, is a daily furniture item and needs minimum care. On top of these, using a chair during a session brings a change and breaks the predictive schedules. 

(Demonstration of chair yoga postures by Yogini Sonika who is in her third trimester of #pregnancy) 

All you beautiful pregnant women out there – remember to always count your rainbows and not the thunderstorms. If you cannot go to a yoga class or sit on a mat, opt for chair yoga instead and reap the bliss of yoga during pregnancy and afterwards!

Namaste,

Varuna

Yoga with V