I would definitely recommend Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea. She breaks up the workout into 3 sections approximately 15 minutes each, so you can do what you have time for. I feel great after doing the stretches. There are 3 woman who do the routine on tape, one for each trimester of pregnancy, so you always have someone to follow. The tape has gentle music in the background and a visually appealing backdrop for the class. While this may not sound important, it makes a huge difference when you are watching it 3 or more times a week.
The tape is run like a class, so you can just put it in and go. You don’t have to wait while someone explains the pose and then forms the pose.
My only criticism is that some poses are not explained that well. So if you are a beginner or have never done a pose, you may need some additional explanation that is not available on the tape.
I was new to yoga when I started this tape. A former runner and elliptical-trainer enthusiast, I am used to a workout that makes you sweat buckets and finish feeling spent. This was a very new experience for me.
Yoga was recommended to me by my doula. I was interested because I’ve never been a flexible person and I wanted desperately to exercise throughout my pregnancy. Yoga is ideal because it can be modified as your progress and it teaches you to relax, breathe, and move deliberately with control. Every morning, when I’ve finished this workout, I feel so loose and relaxed, like I could “slip down the drain.” I also feel more confident as my due date approaches that I will successfully birth my baby without any medication. I am learning how to open up my pelvis, strengthen my pelvic floor, and RELAX AND BREATHE. While pregnant you have 40 weeks (give or take a few) to prepare for the hardest (and most rewarding) work you’ll ever do. Make the most of it!
This video was designed with your choice of three people to follow–one for each trimester. Many modifications are suggested and modeled so no matter what your current state of fitness, you will find stretches and poses to do.
You will be plagued by aches and pains and restless nights if you don’t take care of your body while you’re pregnant. So many of my friends try to comiserate with me, “Oh, you poor thing! I hated being pregnant! It’s so uncomfortable!” I just smile and say, “I feel great!” becuase I really do.
The best thing about this prenatal yoga program is that there is a model for each trimester. Instructor Shiva Rea demonstrates each of the stretches and exercises for the first trimester, and two pregnant women show modifications for the second and third trimesters (they’re even dressed in different colors for easy reference). This removes the self-doubt home-exercisers often have about the safety of certain moves–especially in that cumbersome final stage of pregnancy. Using gentle voice-over instruction, Rea and her assistants take viewers through a half hour of meditational stretches using blocks and chairs for support. She follows that up with 16 minutes of floor work: lunge pose, bridge pose, child’s pose, plank pose–all with the necessary adjustments. She winds things up with a four-minute guided relaxation on her back–the traditional position–with the second-trimester woman on her side and the third on her side with one leg up on a chair. By including the different adaptations, Rea has made a program with the flexibility to carry an expectant mom through her entire pregnancy–and beyond, if she wishes. –Kimberly Heinrichs
