- Child’s Pose
Come into Child’s Pose. Squeeze the muscles that you use when you’re on your third cocktail (or sparkling water!), you’re busting for the loo, and there is a line out the door of the ladies. Hold for five seconds, then release.
Rest for ten seconds and then repeat. Try to do it five times. Then as you progress, increase your sets. Work up to ten, then up to twenty, maybe even thirty after a few months of practice.Not only will it bring your muscles back to pre-pregnancy, but it might even take them to the next level. It’s great for your sex life and will help prevent incontinence down the line.
2. Mountain pose
“This pose tones and stimulates the abdomen, pelvis, torso, and back,” says Pearce. “Keep the muscles in your neck soft, and lift your arms in front of you with palms open facing each other. Raise your arms over your head, and push your shoulder blades down. Extend your palms toward the ceiling, stretch body sides of your body, and suck in your lower belly. Hold for 30 seconds.”
3. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Arms
While feeding, focus on keeping the shoulders away from the ears and the shoulder blades down the back, advises Austin. For a more active approach, try Gomukhasana Arms: Bring the right arm overhead and turn the palm inward. Bring the left arm out to the side and parallel to the floor and turn the palm outward. Bring palms together behind the back, using a strap if they don’t touch. Hold for five breaths, release, and repeat to the other side.
4. Modified Navasana
After you’ve worked your Kegel exercises for a few weeks and you have the ok from your doc, rebuild the abdominal muscles with yoga poses like Modified Navasana. It’s important to take it slow. Most women have large separation between the abdominals after birth — I had a width of four fingers between my abs.
Sit with your knees bent, toes on the mat just beyond your bum. With a flat, straight back, pull in the abs to support the lower back. Take your fingers to your ‘knee pit’ and balance on your Sitz bones, taking most of the weight out of your toes.
5. Bridge pose
“Bridge pose is great for relieving thoracic spine discomfort,” says Minos. “It strengthens the legs while stretching the hip flexors, and opens the shoulders and chest. These are all areas that can become tight after childbirth and while spending many hours sitting or laying with the new little one. It can also help relieve anxiety, which many new mothers feel.”
6. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II Pose)
Austin points out that standing poses like Warrior II build stamina and are highly accessible to most women. “New moms like to feel they are building strength, and with standing poses they can feel it in their body,” she says. Try Warrior II, named after the fierce warrior Virabhadra: with legs four feet apart, turn the right foot in and the left foot out 90 degrees.
7. Warrior I with Shoulder Bind
Many new mamas complain about sore shoulders and neck from constantly looking down at their gorgeous baby while feeding (bottle or breast), or from carrying bubs around all the time. A great way to counteract this is with chest openers.
Start out in Warrior I. This will alleviate tight hips and strengthen the lower body. Then add a shoulder bind. Interlace your fingers, connect the wrists. If this is too mild for you, expand into Humble Warrior with a shoulder bind. Bow forward, chest towards the Earth. Place the same side shoulder inside the forward front knee.
8. Standing forward bend
“With this forward stretch, bend forward at your waist with equal weight [in your feet],” says Pearce. “You can use props and rest your hands on them with legs straight, or bend knees slightly and rest your fingertips on the floor or your shins. Exhale and push your torso closer to your legs, then hold for 30-60 seconds.”
9. Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
When you feel exhausted, your breath becomes more shallow. A restorative pose such as Viparita Karani helps open the chest, encourages you to take deeper breaths, and aids relaxation and rejuvenation. Lay with your right hip against the wall and a pillow under both hips. Then slowly swing your legs up onto the wall, bring your arms out to the sides, and breathe deeply. Hold for two minutes.
10. Locust with Shoulder Bind
To continue releasing the tension that builds up in the upper back, another great pose for post-birth is Locust with a shoulder bind. It rebuilds strength in the spine, bum, and hamstrings, while stretching through the upper chest, back and belly. It also stimulates the digestive system and abdominal organs.
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Sources:www.doyouyoga.com,www.aaptiv.com,www.yogajournal.com
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