What to expect in hot yoga when you’re expecting
Whether you’re working hard to become pregnant or it’s the biggest surprise of your life, learning you’re expecting brings a wave of questions and considerations, especially regarding your hot yoga and Pilates practice.
To continue practicing or not? That is the question.
Before you answer this question, here are some things to consider:
Rosa at 30 Weeks
For me personally, practicing during my pregnancy was a beautiful way to build connection with my growing baby and also care for my body staying healthy, vibrant, energetic, and physically preparing for birth and recovery post-delivery.
If you’re going to Disneyland would you wear a pair of brand new shoes? Probably not. We also recommend not starting a new hot yoga or hot pilates practice when you’re pregnant.
We recommend students with a consistent practice to start day 1 of trimester 2.
There is a specific Bikram Yoga Pregnancy series designed to strengthen and support changing bodies and, growing a little human! In the pregnancy series certain poses that could be contraindicated during pregnancy are avoided and either you rest or they are replaced with poses that offer more support, health, vitality and wellness during pregnancy, labor and delivery.
It used to be advised to keep your heart rate below 150 bpm. Experts now say you don’t need to stick to any specific heart rate limits while exercising during pregnancy.
Always consult with your physician.
Let’s hear from some of our recent West Coast Sweat Mama’s about their experience practicing while pregnant!
Shannon Luera 39 Weeks
Hi WCS community! My name is Shannon Luera. I’m 41 years old and a new mom to a son, Hendrix. I started coming to West Coast Sweat in 2022 to restart OG hot yoga. I have practiced hot yoga on and off for years and am so glad I found WCS! I was blessed to connect with Rosa, the owner, and realized we had so much in common, including IVF. For my most recent IVF cycle, and with an OK from my doctor, Rosa showed me how I could incorporate the Pregnancy Series into my practice to make it safe and more comfortable for me. I loved being able to continue my practice during my IVF cycle, not only for my physical health but for my mental health as well.
After, my second egg retrieval and third embryo transfer, I was finally pregnant! As soon as I was cleared by my doctor to resume working out I continued the Pregnancy Series throughout my entire pregnancy. I practiced up until a day before I went into labor! Some days were harder than others, but I never regretted coming to class. I think the baby liked it too! I would feel him kick the ground when I would be laying on my side in Savasana.
Once our baby was born I thanked my doctor for letting me continue hot yoga while I was pregnant. She said she always tries to encourage her patients to stay active. I believe it really helped everything go so smoothly. I credit WCS and the Pregnancy Series to staying healthy and flexible throughout my whole 9 months.
Brandi Ngyuen 3 Weeks Postpartum
Hola WCS community! My name is Brandi Nguyen and I’m a fellow student at WCS. I’ve been practicing Bikram yoga for about 15 years and I started including IHP into my practice about 4 years ago during the pandemic. It was important for me to continue exercising in my pregnancy and luckily Rosa showed me modified poses so that I could continue IHP. I practiced IHP and strength classes 3 times a week in pregnancy and it did wonders for me!
Here’s the thing, my pregnancy and birth was far from the magical experience I thought it would be and it was actually filled with struggles and suffering. I couldn’t make sense of it at the time, but what I can see now is that my depression started early in my pregnancy at week 2 right around the time when my hormonal shifts started. With this being my first pregnancy, I didn’t know how vulnerable I was to these shifts and my mental and emotional health suffered tremendously.
I share all of this with you because it’s important for me to share the reality of my pregnancy; I had a fantasized conception of what it would be which made it harder for me to accept what it actually was. I was crying daily and motherhood for me was lacking of any joy; actually, I felt no joy at all in the first 6 months of motherhood. Thankfully I am now on the other side of this! Woven in here is my Inferno Hot Pilates practice and having the right medication to help. I’m super grateful for my IHP practice. Some days when it felt like I was holding on by a string, I’m sure my IHP class that day helped my string be stronger. I feel joy again and I am in love with my beautiful baby girl! And, I know now that having low serotonin in the body due to hormonal shifts is actually a very human experience and thankfully there are medical interventions and wellness interventions (like my practice) that helped me forge a pathway through this and on a happy way forward!!!
My IHP practice definitely helped during the actual birth of my daughter. After 30 hours of labor and 7cm dilated, my birth resulted in an emergency C-Section. I know for a fact that my exercise journey during pregnancy allowed me to recover exceptionally quickly!!!
In the hospital and immediately following surgery I was able to get in and out of bed on my own and I did not need any help from the nurses or my husband. The nurses told me this was not common and as you can see from my photo, I was wearing my daughter 3 weeks post-surgery when I was told it would take 3+ months. My body was exceptionally strong and recovered in no time at all. I now continue my IHP and strength journey and my ‘shelf’ as they call the area on the lower stomach post C-Section is virtually non-existent. My stomach muscles recovered quite nicely and today I am extremely oh so happy and full of appreciation.