PREGNANT IN A REGULAR YOGA CLASS?

~ The Benefits & Drawbacks of Staying with Your Usual Practice ~

by Kira Cook, MayaPrenatal 28 June 2025

Pregnancy brings transformation — not just to the body, but to the way we relate to our world. For those who practiced yoga regularly before becoming pregnant, the question often arises:
Should I stay in my usual class… or try something new?

The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Some women feel empowered staying with their regular yoga class, while others find deeper support in a dedicated prenatal space. Here’s a look at both sides — the benefits and drawbacks — of choosing to attend a general (non-prenatal) yoga class during pregnancy.

🌿 Why You Might Choose to Stay in a Regular Class

Physically:
You’re still early in your pregnancy — you feel good, mobile, and not yet “visibly” pregnant.
You’re an intermediate or advanced yogi, and you feel confident in modifying what no longer serves you.
You’re used to a more dynamic pace, and prenatal classes feel too slow for your current energy levels.
You want to maintain your pre-pregnancy strength and stamina, and the open class format supports this.
Emotionally:
You’re not quite ready to be in a “pregnancy space” — especially in the early weeks when it’s still a secret.
You love your regular teacher and classmates — they’ve become part of your support system.
The tone of a regular class feels more neutral, less emotionally charged — and that’s what you need right now.
You don’t yet feel “pregnant enough” to join a prenatal circle. That’s okay too.

🌙 But There Are Some Real Considerations Too…

Physically:
The teacher may not be trained in prenatal yoga — and can’t always advise you on what to skip or adapt.
Not all postures are safe — especially deep twists, core work, strong backbends, or long holds.
You’ll need to self-regulate and modify frequently, which can feel exhausting or isolating.
Environments may not be ideal — warm or stuffy rooms, strong incense, loud music — these can make you feel uncomfortable, nauseous and too hot.
Emotionally:
Constant reminders of what not to do can make you feel like an inconvenience.
You may start to feel out of place in a room where no one else is going through what you are.
Without shared experience, you might miss the chance to talk, connect, and feel seen in your journey.

✨ A Gentle Reminder

There’s no wrong choice — just the one that honors you, your body, and your emotional world.

If you do choose to stay in your regular class:

✔Let your teacher know you’re pregnant (even if it’s early)
✔Avoid practices that compress the belly, overwork the core, exhaust you, or increase strain on your lower back and pelvic floor muscles
✔Take breaks without guilt
✔Breathe — deeply, consciously — and let that be your anchor

You’re not there to prove anything. You’re there to feel, to move, to connect.
And whether you're on your usual mat or stepping into a new space, your practice is still yours.
It just might be growing — just like you.

with love, Kira

kneelingpregnant 1

IMAGE DURING PREGNANCY

~ Expanding with Grace ~

by Kira Cook, MayaPrenatal 25 June 2025

Your body is not betraying you.
It is blooming.

Even when it feels unfamiliar. Even when old clothes no longer fit and the mirror reflects someone new.
You are expanding — not just in size, but in strength, in soul, in spirit.

Pregnancy transforms you. This is not a return to anything — it’s a becoming.
And some days, that becoming feels radiant. Other days, it feels raw.

In MayaPrenatal, I invite you to meet your changing body with celebration instead of scrutiny. To remember: this isn’t just growth — it’s grace in motion.

🌿Yoga to Celebrate Your Body

Let your practice become a joyful reclaiming. Move in a way that feels alive, energizing, and reverent. You are not broken — you are powerful

🌸Try this energizing, heart-opening mini-sequence

Modified Sun Salutations – Flow slowly, bend knees generously, raise your arms like an offering
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) – Feet grounded wide, arms strong, heart open
Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana) – Feel your hips widen, your breath deepen, your presence expand
Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) – Invite release into the hips, let go of what you no longer need
Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana – A gentle twist and stretch to make space for breath and baby

Let these movements not be a way to fix or shape the body — but a way to come home to it.

🌙Affirmation for Embodied Grace

"I meet each change with strength.
I celebrate each curve as a mark of creation.
My body is a sacred unfolding."

💫Reflections on Self-Love

Body image in pregnancy is not about loving every inch, every day.
It’s about choosing respect, even when you don’t feel adoration.
It’s about choosing to stay present, even when the changes feel overwhelming.
It’s about remembering: this body is not in the way — it is the way.

✨Final Thought

Let go of the idea that beauty must be small, controlled, or the same as before.
You are not meant to shrink to be loved.
You are meant to grow, to take up space, to shine from within.

This is your season of expansion.
And you are breathtaking.

with love, Kira

sukhasanaundertree

PREGNANCY & THE PELVIC FLOOR

~ A New Relationship Begins ~

by Kira Cook, MayaPrenatal 26 June 2025

There is a quiet intelligence at the base of your body — a layered hammock of muscles that holds, supports, and responds. During pregnancy, your pelvic floor becomes more than anatomy. It becomes a relationship.

This isn’t just about “strength” or “core.” It’s about awareness. About learning to both hold and let go.

🌿 The Shifting Landscape

The pelvic floor is made up of three muscle layers — from the superficial outer ring, to the mid-layer that forms a sling, to the deepest layer that cradles your organs and helps hold your baby’s weight. As your pregnancy progresses, the demands on this space increase: your uterus expands, hormones like Relaxin soften the tissues, and your center of gravity shifts.

This is not a reason to brace. It’s a reason to listen more closely.

🌙 Toning and Softening

I teach that pelvic floor awareness is not only about strength — it’s about rhythm. The capacity to tone, release, pulse, and soften. This dynamic connection is what prepares you for birth — and supports your body’s healing after.

Try this simple awareness practice:

Sit in Sukhasana on a bolster or blanket.
Close your eyes.
Inhale gently and feel the pelvic floor expand downward like a flower blooming.
Exhale softly and allow a natural drawing inward and upward — not forced, but subtle.
Repeat for a few cycles. Then let go of control. Just feel.

This breath-guided awareness is the beginning of an embodied relationship.

💫 Invitation to Reflect

During pregnancy, many of us feel disconnected from this part of our body — especially if we’ve experienced trauma, shame, or cultural silence around the pelvis and sexuality.
Begin by bringing love into this space.

Ask yourself:

What stories do I carry in my pelvic bowl?
Do I trust this space to open, release, and be supported?
What kind of birth would feel safe to my body?

These few questions are not just in your mind. They are energetic. Let them land in your tissues.

🌸 A Few Yoga Tools to Support the Pelvic Floor

Malasana (Yogi Squat): Encourages openness through the pelvic outlet, grounding, and natural release. Use support under the heels or sit on a block if needed.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Gently tones the pelvic floor when lifting, and invites release when lowering. Only practice this if it feels comfortable in your body.
Cat–Cow (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana): Mobilizes the pelvis and brings fluid awareness to the spine and pelvic floor.
Sukhasana with visualization: Imagine a lotus opening and closing at the pelvic floor with breath.
Sound: Low notes or humming on the exhale can support pelvic floor tone and relaxation.

✨ Final Note

Your pelvic floor is not a part of you to fix. It is a part of you to befriend. As you grow into motherhood, this relationship becomes a doorway — into trust, surrender, and deep embodied knowing.

Love Kira

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