ACCOMMODATING PREGNANT WOMEN IN GENERAL CLASSES BY CHRIS SAUDEK AND RACHEL FRAZEE
W
hether a pregnant woman is a brand new beginner or an experienced student, accommodating her in a general class and keeping the class moving along can be a challenge to some teachers. But Iyengar Yoga, with its emphasis on individualized instruction and creativity within an excellent system, is ideal for working with pregnant women in any level class. Of course, it would be most beneficial to have a separate class just for pregnant women, but that is not always possible because of the busy schedules of both the pregnant women and most yoga studios.
It is much easier to accommodate a special need such as pregnancy when the student consistently attends a regular class. The teacher can more easily plan a class and anticipate special poses or setups for a pregnant woman. For example, the first poses that should be learned by pregnant women are Baddha Konasana, Upavistha Konasana, Bharadvajasana I, and Supta Baddha Konasana, which are very beneficial poses for all students, but especially for pregnant women. Pregnant women should be asked to memorize the names of these poses because they will be given as alternatives to certain poses throughout a series of classes. (For example, these asanas will replace the Navasanas and the closed twisting poses such as Marichyasana III and Ardha Matsyendrasana, to name a few). In Yoga: A Gem for Women, Geeta Iyengar states that “those who have conceived may, for the first three months, practice all the asanas and pranayama given in this book except Urdhva Prasarita Padasana, Jathara Parivartanasana, Navasana, and all asanas from Section VII� (the backbending section). However, she also warns that pregnant women must be careful during the first three months because there are chances of miscarriage during this period. Therefore, even though Geeta does not mention modifying for the closed twisting asanas, such as Parivrtta Trikonasana, Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, Marichyasana III, and Ardha Matsyendrasana I, to name a few, we recommend that pregnant women, from the moment they indicate to us that they are expecting, modify for these poses. Hence, they are instructed to do Utthita Trikonasana and Utthita Parsvakonasana (both against the wall for support), a wide Marichyasana I (see photo 1), or Bharadvajasana I instead of the above. Some of the syllabi in the IYNAUS Certification Manual can be explored to better illustrate specific accommodations both for the pregnant student new to Iyengar Yoga as well students who have been regular students for some time.
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Chris Saudek, Uthitta Padmasana, 1985
Introductory I Syllabus A pregnant woman at any stage of pregnancy can practice all of the poses listed on the Introductory I syllabus with small modifications. All of the lateral standing asanas should be performed with the back to the wall (or trestle) with a block for the hand for balance and support (see photo 2). Parsvottanasana and Virabhadrasana I can be done facing the wall with hands on the wall. After the first three or four months, other modifications should be made to ensure more room for the growing baby. Yoga: A Gem for Women and many other books outline common modifications. For poses such as Tadasana, Utkatasana, Malasana, and some of the standing forward bends (Uttanasana, Padangusthasana, and Padahastasana), one will have to take the feet to hip distance apart as the pregnancy progresses past three months.
Yoga Samachar Fall 2015 / Winter 2016
