I love taking yoga at Power Life. I love teaching yoga at Power Life even more. But a few weeks ago (9 weeks, to be exact) — I found out that I was pregnant. And let me tell you, the emotions were immediate, from excitement to overwhelm and pretty much everything in between.

After I finally processed those feelings, I started to think about my yoga practice. I wondered if I could still teach or be a student of yoga. The answer is of course, with some adjustments. 

If you just found out you’re pregnant and are wondering what comes next, read on to hear more about my experience!

Talk To Your Doctor

This is number one on the importance level. Every body is different (you should know this by now if you listen to your teachers’ themes with open ears and an open heart) and there’s really no blanket response for what is good for a pregnant woman.

For example, after talking to my doctor she recommended that I not only stop taking hot yoga, I stop teaching it as well. If you’ve read my other blog posts, you know that I have other medical issues that are a concern, so adding heat to my practice just wasn’t a safe move. 

The good news? We offer more than just heated classes! Our Power 1 classes are set to 85 degrees and Restore is completely unheated. During the summer, you can sneak into a Power Barre or Power Sculpt class at X degrees as well! 

I’m also still taking online classes, where I can be in charge of my own heat and take breaks when and if I need them. It’s a huge blessing that this is still a part of the Power Life experience in my opinion.

But there are plenty of teachers and students at Power Life that stay in the heat throughout their pregnancy. Because of this: Your doctor should be your first stop. Everything else comes secondary to that opinion.

Listen To Your Body

The only person with an opinion as important to your doctor is yourself. Your body is going to tell you what feels good and what feels bad when it comes to physical practice. 

It’s important that you take it easy at the start until you understand your capabilities—and it’s crucial to understand that you might not be able to do what you did when you weren’t pregnant, and that’s OK! In fact, that’s the beauty of it. 

When you come to your first class as a pregnant woman, take time to be gentle to yourself and explore your practice as if it was your first time. You might find yourself in a child’s pose more or realize that maybe an extra moment in Wide Legged Forward Fold just feels right. 

Whatever your new practice is, embrace it.

Tell Your Teacher

If you do go to a class at Power Life when you are pregnant, make sure you tell your teacher beforehand! 

Just like you’d tell them if you recently had knee surgery, it’s important that they’re aware of your medical conditions so they can help provide the safest practice for you and your babe. 

He or she will offer alternative poses for things that might not feel good or be safe in your new body. For example, instead of Low Cobra pose, they might recommend another heart opener, like Cow Pose, that doesn’t involve laying on your stomach. 

If you’re new in your pregnancy and not yet announcing to the world yet, you can ask for those alternative poses at the beginning of class. If you’re clearly showing, a teacher will likely just provide it verbally in the moment as needed.

Take it from me: It’s just nice having another person worried about your wellbeing, even if it’s just for an hour in a studio. Don’t be afraid to ask for their support in class.

Find Ways To Love Yourself

Your body is going through a massive transformation. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. Taking care of yourself should be your number-one priority during this time.

Here are a few of the ways I’m (trying) to do that for myself:

• Move your body. Even if hot yoga isn’t the exercise for me, I can still practice Restore or take my pup on a walk. Now that I’m past that terrible first trimester morning sickness, moving my body makes me feel more “normal” and awake.
• Rest when you need it. Before being pregnant, naps were pretty much non-existent. Now, I’m trying to give myself the grace to take it easy when my body requests it. Sundays have become true nap days for me!
• Write down how you feel. I could fill five notebooks with all the feelings I feel right now–and maybe I will! I’m trying to record my feelings so that I can free myself of the weight that those emotions carry in the moment. I’m also excited to look back on it when my new babe is born!
• Unplug if possible. My rest and relaxation has turned into a lot of Netflix and chill (hello all eight seasons of Vampire Diaries!) I recently restarted my subscription to Book of the Month and have been trying to take more online Power Life classes to help give me a break from the TV and phone.
• Get a prenatal massage. I’ll admit, this feels pretty fancy, but I started seeing a massage therapist once a month before I was pregnant and now I can’t WAIT to continue it through my pregnancy with a prenatal massage. It’s such a treat to do something so wholly for yourself.

(I’d love to hear how you, or someone you loved, took care of themselves when pregnant! I’m looking for all the recommendations I can get.)

At the end of the day, it can feel really weird to change your entire routine and stop doing some of the things you loved doing before pregnancy, like drinking wine while watching the Bachelorette. But, it’s only for nine months! 

So make sure you do everything possible to make yourself feel comfortable, supportive, and successful during your pregnancy. 

I promise: The studio will be waiting for you when you’re a new mom.