Inversions + Pregnancy

September 22, 2021

I often get the question from my pregnant yoga students as to when they should stop doing their inversions ~ by this, they mean their Headstand and Shoulderstand practice. I don’t give the same answer to everyone.

(BTW, Handstand is not a pose I teach to students when they are pregnant. The concern with Handstand is the possibility of falling AND that it is hard on the loose shoulder girdle, which can cause injury. Advanced yoga students can do this pose, I just donâ€™t teach it to pregnant women).

If you have a solid headstand and shoulderstand practice before you are pregnant, then practicing those poses with the modifications specifically for pregnancy can allow you to practice them until the day you give birth. I did that for both of my pregnancies. I was in my 40’s when I gave birth to my daughters, I had no tearing, gave birth naturally and both babies had an Apgar score of 10 Apgar. I can share here too that they were both born at home (that’s for all you home birth mamas, you comprise 1% of women in the U.S., in the Netherlands that number is 30%).

I practiced yoga with the guidance of my very well trained yoga teacher and full support of my midwife and Ob Gyn.Â Not everyone has this experience, but it’s also very doable. I would say that all of my yoga colleagues gave birth similar to me, if they wanted to.

Inversions allow for the weight of the baby (and the pregnancy) to be off your pelvic floor and help to support circulation and digestion. It also calms the nervous system and quiets the mind. (Just to name a few of the benefits).

I know there are a lot of people with different opinions regarding inversions during pregnancy. They can have their opinions as they have their right to them. However, my personal experience (being pregnant) and my professional experience (teaching pregnant women since 2002) has shown me how beneficial the inversions are for mom and baby when mom can do them well and without strain.

I don’t like to have a pregnant mom do something she is afraid to do or tentative about, so I help my students along by letting them know what I know and then supporting them in their choices. There is so much yoga to practice anyway, I am never at a loss for what to teach as an alternative to the inversions.Â

Did you practice your inversions while pregnant? If you were one of my students, how do you feel about your practice now?

A blue circle with a black background