Can a person practice Yin Yoga safely during pregnancy and early parenthood? This would have to be one of the most commonly asked questions we field here currently at at Bliss Baby Yoga.
There are numerous discussions about it on social media with no small amount of confusion. As director of Bliss Baby Yoga, a long-time Pre and Postnatal Yoga teacher/trainer with additional training in Yin Yoga, I thought I’d help clarify things.
My thoughts are that it’s not a blanket ‘no’ to Yin Yoga classes or practice but we do need to change what Yin Yoga looks like for the pregnant or postpartum student.
Let’s Begin With the Facts
What we know about pregnancy and postpartum (and what we cover in depth in our Bliss Baby Yoga Teacher Training Courses ):
- The body has increased amounts of relaxin hormone during pregnancy making the joints, ligaments and muscles more flexible to accommodate a growing baby. However, this may lead to instability in the joints.¹
- Weight of an ever-growing baby can also contribute to the stress on joints.
- Relaxin levels can stay high during postpartum for up to 12 months so this also needs to be given consideration postnatally.²
- Lying on the back is not safe, especially in the second half of pregnancy, due to pressure on the vena cava that brings all-important blood flow to the baby.³
- There is no specific issue with sitting or lying in one position for some time while pregnant as long as it is not on your back and it feels comfortable.
What we know about Yin Yoga:
It’s a practice that focuses on static postures held for considerably long periods of time that ‘apply moderate stress to the connective tissues of the body—the tendons, fasciae, and ligaments—with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility.’⁴
So what does this mean for practising Yin Yoga in pregnancy and postnatally?
My answer is that this can depend on the pose and the student. Following are some general guidelines for adapting Yin Yoga safely for your pregnant and postpartum students.
Prop Up!
As a general rule, using yoga props to lessen the intensity of a Yin practice is recommended. Rather than looking for a deep and challenging stretch of the ligaments, tendons and fasciae, we aim to support the body in a kind of ‘relaxed ease’. We are not looking for intense sensations and going to the thresholds of discomfort, that may sometimes characterise a general non-antenatal Yin class. Poses should feel comfortable from the beginning and invite a feeling of gentle surrender.
Make Sure It Feels Good
Holding seated or lying Yin poses for some length of time is not an issue, provided they are not on the back and practitioners feel comfortable. Intuition is key—if it doesn’t feel good, use more props.
The body tends to be more sensitive in pregnancy, so for long-held poses, extra padding between the body and the floor can be helpful. Place additional folded blankets underneath the student for seated or side-lying poses.
For seated poses, it’s also recommended the student sit on the front edge of a folded blanket (we show ways to fold blankets as props in our Bliss Baby Yoga courses), creating an anterior tilt of the pelvis, which can be helpful to take pressure off the SI (sacroliac) joint.
Most Yin poses tend to be seated but do exercise extra caution for standing poses where a long hold is contraindicated during pregnancy (hold for maximum one minute). Also make sure the pregnant practitioner has support available to remain steady and balanced (e.g., chair or wall). If high or low blood pressure is present, a common occurrence in pregnancy, be particularly mindful.
Pelvis & Hips: Balance is Key
It’s important during pregnancy to maintain stability within the pelvis and hips to support the changing weight and position of the baby. At the same time, we also want to encourage an opening and release in this area in preparation for birth.
There is a risk of overstretching in all the joints during pregnancy, but particularly those in the hips and pelvis. Therefore it’s about a balanced approach. Take great care when practising/teaching Yin poses that target this (hyper)moveable area. Use bolsters, blocks or folded/rolled blankets to support the hips, knees and pelvis thus avoiding overstretching of the groin, pelvis and surrounding areas. Favour poses such as Saddle Pose for stability balanced and Butterfly Pose for opening. Go carefully in Frog pose where it may be easy to overstretch or collapse into the lower back.
A common outcome of overstretching in this area is Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) in which the symphysis pubis of the pelvic girdle becomes unstable and inflamed, causing significant pain and discomfort when moving and walking. Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain can also occur if care is not taken. If your student suffers from SPD then they will need to avoid ALL wide-legged poses, supported or not.
**Note, that working safely to support/ avoid the pelvic conditions of SPD and SIJ are key considerations when working with any type of yoga with your pregnant and postpartum student and it’s a topic we cover in-depth in our Bliss Baby Yoga Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training Courses . You can also read more about these conditions in this resource.
Supine and Prone Poses – Just Say No
As mentioned, lying on your back during pregnancy is not deemed safe for the baby and is one of the “golden rules’ of Prenatal Yoga. Although this applies largely to the second half of pregnancy, due to the length of time in the pose that is usually encouraged in Yin Yoga, I would apply this to the whole pregnancy.
So, what to offer instead of supine poses? I suggest following our Prenatal Yoga suggestions shared in this blog by BBY founder Ana Davis, where she explains how to prop the body on an incline. This may however be difficult to apply to supine Yin poses such as Bananasana where you may need to take a different pose altogether.
For obvious reasons, any prone (front lying) poses should not be practised to avoid placing undue pressure on the uterus. Due to the prolonged nature of the hold in a Yin Yoga practice, I would suggest avoiding prone poses at any time in pregnancy. Even in postpartum, these poses may need to be avoided due to pressure on full (tender) breasts.
Awareness for All Trimesters
The above suggestions apply to all trimesters, as relaxin starts increasing from early on in pregnancy. By late third trimester, it may be that yoga students will need even more props to help make a pose comfortable. Remember, we are moving a step back from the discomfort of a Yin Practice and more toward the delicious “Aaaahh…” factor of a Restorative Yoga practice. As a teacher in a class situation, try to be available to help late-term students move props between poses to make it easier for them to transition.
There will be some poses that just need to be avoided completely, as they are just too difficult to modify. For example, Snail Pose or Seal Pose.
To recap: it’s not an overriding ‘no’ to Yin Yoga during this pivotal time but it is important to know how to safely modify a Yin practice. I see this as adapting Yin Yoga to be more like Restorative Yoga practice during pregnancy and postpartum. That is, taking a few steps back from the normal depth of a Yin practice.
As a Yin Yoga teacher, make sure you know how to adapt postures in your class for pregnant and postpartum students, just as you would in any yoga class, and don’t be afraid to use lots of props. And always check in with your students as to their comfort.
As the practitioner, use your intuition and let go of the need to go deep into your Yin practice. Now is the time to soften and allow your body to be supported. As we say here at Bliss Baby Yoga: you’re now practising yoga for two!
For yoga teachers of any yoga style, ensure you know how to adapt a general yoga class safely for pregnant or postnatal students. Enrol in one of our online CPD mini-courses for our all-important tips on integrating a pregnant or postpartum student within your general yoga classes.
If you’d like to learn more about Restorative Yoga and how you can guide your students in the softer versions of Yin poses (mentioned above), we offer two levels of online teacher trainings you can find here.
References
¹ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4282454/
² https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24305-relaxin
³ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5309362/
⁴ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_Yoga
Further Reading
Releasing the Psoas During Pregnancy
Let’s Twist Again – Twisting Safely in Pregnancy
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