Today, we are going to show you a few poses for relaxing key muscles to create space for a baby to turn when they are ready and if they want to. It is your job to relax and baby’s job to turn, so try not to stress out about it if it doesn’t happen right away. You are not in control of turning your baby. There is no evidence that shows your own position makes any difference in baby’s positions, but these positions work to relax the abdominal muscles, giving baby the space and leaving the decision up to them.
If you have a breech baby, it is important not to squat, because this encourages baby to sink deeper into the pelvis and can make it harder for them to turn. If baby is already in an optimal position with head down, these poses can feel really good for your back but don’t stay in them very long. And as with any pose, if you are uncomfortable or get light-headed or dizzy, safely and slowly come out of the pose.
First, lets start with anahatasana. From your hands and knees, gently stretch the arms forward, pressing the palms into the mat. To come out, just walk the hands back under the shoulder.
Tuck the toes under, press the hips up, straightening the legs for Downward Facing Dog – adho mukha svanasana. You can slightly bend the knees here to get an extra stretch in the legs.
A lot of women experience carpal tunnel during pregnancy, so if this hurts the wrists, you can lower down to the forearms for Dolphin stretch. Bend the knees and lower them back to the mat to release the pose.
(Explain) Come onto your back, bending the knees. Lift the hips and pull the bolster under them for supported Bridge. Here you can put one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly and watch your breath.
From here, you have the option of lifting one or both legs into the air. You can also choose to this this pose supported with your legs up the wall. Stay here as long as you are comfortable or up to 5 minutes. To come out of this pose, bend the knees and lower the feet back to the floor and roll to one side off the bolster.
Enjoy!
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