Pre-Natal Sun Salutation

My question is relating to the Sun Salutation. I have started teaching it to my students, and I can clearly see that they really enjoy practicing it in the beginning of each session. However, there is a new student who has just started coming and she is entering her second trimester of her pregnancy. I think that some of the postures in the Surya Namaskar might be straining for her, .i.e. the cobra, maybe the downward dog. Is there perhaps a posture routine replacement that I can suggest for her to do while the other students are practicing the Sun Salutation? I want the others to continue their enjoyment w/ the Surya Namaskar, but I don't want her to feel neglected or left out because she shouldn't do it.

Any suggestions?

ANSWERS:

From Lisa Powers:

There are chair variations of Surya Namaskar that might work for her as long as the activity of the flow isn't to strenuous. Have a chair with a back - the back facing you, front of chair against a wall so it doesn't slide away. or try doing it with hands against the wall. Try it yourself and see what works. You'll be stepping back from the wall or walking hands up and down, depending on the pose.

From Patti Milliron:

I teach at a local college and most of the students have "mature" bodies: they are older, and they are well aware of where their bodies are tight or achy, or have had injuries and surgeries. Occasionally, there will be a pregnant student.

I learned a modification of Surya Namaskar in cardiac yoga teacher training at Ananda with Nischala Joy Devi in March 2000. It has been invaluable for all of the aforementioned conditions. It utilizes the front of a chair seat in place of the floor. So instead of the forward fold coming down to the floor, the students bring their hands down to the chair and step back from there into a high lunge. Depending on their shoulder strength, the plank, knees/chest/chin, and the cobra could all be modified with the hands on the front of the chair, just like downward facing dog can be. Both cobra and downward facing dog are contraindicative for pregnancy. I have found my AYTT manual most helpful regarding postures for pregnancy.

I hope you find this helpful. Many blessings to you for the work, the Light, Love, Peace and Truth you bring into your community.
Patti

From Bliss Wood, grad. 1999:

Hello Rosa- I think your pregnant student will be able to be included in Surya Namaskar with some variations to the routine.......here's an idea: Have her do a Cat/Cow stretch in place of Cobra (and possibly Downward Dog if her belly is getting to big otherwise, let her try Down Dog to see how she feels in the pose). In Downward Dog, let her spread her feet wider than her hips. This will give her a better balance. She may not be able to do the full Sun Salutation, but she can participate in most of the poses. It is not good, however, to lie on her stomach.

Good luck and Namaste
Bliss Wood

From Patricia Streit, grad. 2000:

I had the same situation a few times in my Yoga class (one pregnant woman). I asked her to come earlier one time and talked to her about the precautions during pregnancy in certain poses to prepare her that she won't be able to do everything, but that it is still great to have her. Also going over some variations of the poses which are safe for her is very helpful. Talking about it in the beginning can help the person feel save and cared for and I think it helps the whole group in learning about compassion for each other. We can still practice as a group together even though our needs are so different.

In regards to Surya Namaskar, there is a great book by Jeannine Parvati Baker called Prenatal Yoga and Natural Birth. On page 47 is a flow practice called the camel. What it is, is a flow forward into child's pose (knees wide to leave room for the baby) and than back into an easy version of camel. I loved it when I was pregnant, it gives so much relief in the tension around the belly as it gets bigger. All my happy expectant mothers in class loved it as well and they practiced that while the others did Surya Namaskar. It worked great for my class. Nobody was left out, everybody could practice what they loved to do.

I hope that helps
Love and Namaste,
Patricia

From Jodi Boone, Seattle, grad. 2002:

Dear Rosa,

I just completed a pre-and postnatal teacher training with Colette Crawford at Seattle Holistic Center. The flowing sequence of Surya Namaskar is inappropriate for the pregnant woman for the following reasons:

Pregnant women should not lay down on their bellies, especially after the first trimester, this compresses the baby and can cause complications with the baby and the mother's internal organs. So, lowering from Plank, to Chataranga and transitioning into Bujangasana is not recommended.
The lunging done in Surya Namaskar will be quite limited in the 2nd and 3rd trimester's due to the size of the mother's belly. It becomes more and more difficult to step into the lunge because the mother's belly is in the way. Balance becomes an issue for pregnant women, so transition from the lunge to Bahnarasana can be unsafe.
Pregnant women need to keep their heartrates level and their body temperature from becoming too elevated. Surya Namaskar is heat building and can be very intense, elevating the heart rate and raising the mother's body temperature.

In general, use caution with the following positions:

Light, versus deep, twists can be done with caution during the first trimester, but should be avoided during the 2nd and 3rd.
Lying on the belly should be avoided
Lying on the back should be avoided due to compression of the vena cava
Limited inversions, Viparita Karani and supported Salamba Sarvangasana are okay, but none of the others
No balancing poses, because balance is compromised in the pregnant women. The one exception is Ardha Chandrasana against the wall with a block or if an advanced student, away from the wall, but still with a block.

Finally, if it's possible in your town or city, you could recommend that she take a prenatal yoga class. There are so many considerations. A woman's body completely transforms during pregnancy, and a general yoga class isn't appropriate for expectant mothers, especially beyond eight weeks.

Also something that may be helpful is borrowing from the library, renting or purchasing is Colette Crawford's prenatal yoga video. It's excellent. I'm sure there are other's as well.

Sincerely,
Jodi

From Gerry Swan:

I've not had this specific challenge in my classes. But here's my thoughts. Wouldn't the cobra (pressure on the baby) be contraindicated for the second trimester. Downward dog too? The forward bend might be putting pressure on the fetus at this stage of development. Does your student have balance issues with the lunge or back issues with the plank. There is always value in simply observing others. Yet it is often difficult to convince students that listening to and respecting their body, each day, is the primary goal of our Yoga work. I would outline for the student the potential risks of Surya Namaskar during this very special and precious time for her body, and for the baby.

Would this work as a possible alternate? The movement is done with the breath, inhale on each opening movement and exhale on each "closing" movement. So, as always, the breath work is very important. Could you suggest repeating SLOWLY step one (namaste and exhale) and step two (circling the body and inhale). This would be repeated six times while your other students completed the entire Surya Namaskar. Perhaps, so that your pregnant student wouldn't feel isolated, you could do the modified pattern with her. I've been to classes (and given a few) where a simply version of an asana is done first, with all joining in that version, and then a second or third go-round with each person choosing the variation that works best for them. It's often surprising who chooses to use the "simpler" version on any give day.

Possible Alternate 2 Step 3, the forward bend, could be modified by allowing her to reach for the back of a chair, or a wall. This would mean a four step Surya Namasakar - step one (namaste and exhale) step two circling the body with arms and inhale, step 3 exhale with straight back reaching arms to back of chair, step 4 arms up and in breath. Return to Step 1. (This would be repeated 3 times to the other students one complete cycle.) (This would not be good if the student is experiencing any back problems!!!!)

From Lisa Macy:

Hi Rosa - I've never taught Sun Salutation to pregnant women (you know I'm still new at this teaching) but sometimes my students substitute cat/cow (also called cat/dog) from the tabletop position instead of downdog. While people in downdog are taking 4 or 5 breaths, there is time for a couple rounds of cat/cow.

Or, instead of downdog they do child's pose. Or sit in vajrasana (perhaps visualizing themselves in downdog). Usually they are making these substitutions because they are tired, or don't want to do inversions due to menstruation or high blood pressure.

Your pregnant woman could do updog instead of cobra, if she has the strength, but I think you'd have to watch out for too much abdominal weight causing her to go into swayback. Plus, updog is a more advanced pose than most beginners can handle.

Love,
Lisa Macy

From Becca Pronchick, Napa, California:

Trained at Ananda three years ago now, I think. I would suggest asking our dear teachers at Ananda for the Moon Salutation, which might be better for your student who is pregnant.

Blessings,
Becca

From Susan Hayes, grad. 1999:

Rosa: I urge you to teach a special prenatal class for expectant mothers. There might be a small turnout, but think of it as karma yoga. Also, post signs at pediatricians' and ob-gyn's offices. Pregnant women (especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters)really change the nature of a yoga class, and the other students are hampered by what the pregnant ones can't do (i.e., floor postures lying on their backs, backbends lying on their stomachs, inversions, etc).

I had two, then three, then four, now back to three (one delivered) pregnant moms coming to various classes, and I was basically forced to teach two separate classes in the same class: one prenatal, one normal. It was easier ON ME when I carved out a special class just for prenatal yoga. No more schizophrenia. We do pranayama with visualizations involving their babies; warm-ups; asanas that emphasize the hips and pelvic openers; and restorative postures from the 'Pea in the Pod' chapter in Judith Lasiter's Relax and Renew book.

The pregnant women LOVE IT, having their own time and place just to be pregnant. (Remember, pregnant women don't really socialize alot with other pregnant women, unless it's in the waiting room of their ob-gyn's office, or at their LaMaze class.) In their own prenatal yoga class, they end up feeling much free-er to complain about aches and pains, compare notes about kick-counts and ultrasounds, talk about their fears and worries about their upcoming deliveries, etc. They love it so much, they've begged for a 2nd prenatal class per week (which I'm only too happy to do for these goddesses).

From Johanna Siskar, grad. 1999: I do agree with Susan and Mary when it comes to beginner Yoga students, they need a special class. On the other hand, when it comes to more advance Yoga students, I welcome them to my regular classes. My only request for these students is to come to a private yoga session where we can go over the modified versions of the postures (then again this are the few exceptions) . Yoga during pregnancy give you a special connection to your baby, nobody should miss out on that.

Namaste
Johanna Siskar