Hips don't lie.

However, I absolutely, 100%, credit Anusara Yoga specifically and its teachings with helping me through this process with relative comfort, power, stamina and ease.  My understanding of the Universal Principles of Alignment have never been more essential to understanding how to heal and soothe my body as it undergoes this process and sustains the life of not one but two little larval humans.  A huge part of this is due to the fact that I had a strong yoga practice for many years in advance, so again, I’m not saying just jump right in to these particular poses and forms…but if you want to start to practice yoga for prenatal purposes, even before you seal the deal so to speak, find an Anusara yoga teacher.  Here’s why:

- Practices that depend on or begin with a very hard, short front body will either be a) uncomfortable b) painful or c) impossible.  You’ve all been to school, you understand the birds and the bees, so if this baby’s gonna make a break for it there’s really only one legit direction for it to go, and if you wall that off you are fighting life.  In fact, I don’t endorse that kind of approach for ANY body, much less a pregnant body, but it becomes more urgent in this situation.  In addition, the tendency of a pregnant woman to externally rotate her hips and flatten her lumbar spine [a.k.a. "the waddle", you've all seen it] will merely be exacerbated by unnecessarily tight and tense abs and butt.

- Resting is great, believe me; I’ve become a master at the 11-hour epic sleep, and since my 3rd trimester I’ve been breaking up active poses with restoratives [see below].  Hauling ass the way you used to is not respectful of your process and the amount of energy you need to build their little body, not to mention your own health and resources.  However, poses that are *only* passive allow any tissues that are becoming overstretched or excessively pliant to continue getting stringy and disengaged, and won’t actually let the tense, hard spots release [because your body, quite cleverly, knows that in order to safely release those spaces something else will have to do that supportive work].  So, active poses whenever possible.  My personal experience as well as the anecdata I’ve been gathering from other pregnant students and friends seems to indicate that yes, certain parts of your body turn to wobbly goo but others go hard as rocks and so [again, as with *all* humans] to try and treat any discomfort with a one-sided approach will not remedy the imbalance.  Balanced action:  sequential application of the principles.  Okay.

First trimester:

Surya Namaskar using Ashtangasana [8 point prone pose] to make space for Ol’ Pudgy, the belly; no jumping [I just didn't feel like it, but then I never feel like all that show-offy stuff, I can never ground my feet if I'm always flailing around].

Crescent pose, “down dog lunge” a la Darren Rhodes.  There was a point at which a full twist [Parvritta Parsva Konasana prep] just stopped feeling right but I knew I’d miss it as I continued to expand so I kept it in there for as long as I could.  I substituted an “open twist” i.e. fingertips out wide to the side of the mat to make space for the front body.

1 minute each Trikonasana, Parsva Konasana, Ardha Chandrasana, Virabhrasana II, 30 sec Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana.  Paying particular attention to the feet as they start getting smooshy and sore; it’s been good therapy for walking around with the extra weight

1 minute each Handstand, Pincha Mayurasana, 2 minute Headstand.  That actually seemed to be the core of everyone’s curiosity:  “Do you do [insert menacing organ riff here] INVERSIONS?!?!?!” like they were chainsaw-juggling or something.  Look, different strokes for different folks, but I quite liked having the weight off of my feet and calves.  Of course I used the wall because I always use the wall.  Again, if you associate inversions with nothing but abdominal strength you’re going to have a rough time, but Anusara teaches the alignment of the entire body and therefore there was plenty of space to play, and it felt great to me.

1 minute each deep lunge, twisted thigh stretch, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, EPRK with a thigh stretch

3 – 5 Urdhva Dhanurasanae

Supine twist

Knees to chest [wide, obv.]

Savasana.  20 minute meditation whenever possible [Sukhasana]

Second trimester and a bit into the third:

Surya Namaskar as above with more Anjaneyasanas in between; psoas opening started to become more critical as the belly got heavier and pulled both femur heads AND T12 to the front plane.  This is when the “waddle” tendency started.  Watch your feet when you walk

*About halfway through the 2T and until the present, as soon as I got breathless or just overwhelmed, I’d stop and do 1 minute Malasana variation with wide feet and then a couple of minutes in a game-changing restorative offered to me by Chantal Russell:  large bolster underneath lumbar curve [NOT under sacrum], small peanut bolster under cervical curve, legs in e.g. a wide Setu Bandha or bridge pose.  Hang out for as long as you can without getting woozy…being on your back can cut off blood supply to your brain, which didn’t kick in for me for a while and this form does mitigate it slightly, but it will still happen so take care.  Lumbar curve!  Lumbar curve!  Lumbar!  Curve!  If the belly wasn’t in the way I’d have used sandbags at the tops of the femurs also.  Little mellow twisting here, like windshield wipers with the legs; if you have a buddy, get them to pick up the bolster from each end squatting over you to protect their back, and then sway you from side to side.  Lumbar Curve™©®!!  Patent pending!

Standing poses as above, omitting Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana as I got bigger and wobblier; Vrksasana if needed to build stamina in leg muscles, but the usual series should do.

Inversions as above, started to break them into shorter sets as I couldn’t easily breathe upside down, but tried my best to stay with the commitment and the stamina…they say labour ain’t easy

Hip and thigh openers as above, and this became really critical:  HANUMANASANA.  Good for opening IT, foot, ankle, lower leg, and of course the psoas, the key to this whole game.  I went slowly, I went graciously, but I did go, and it had a huge therapeutic impact.

Started giving the Urdvhas a miss about a month and a half ago; I miss them, but standing poses and hip openers are really the ticket at this point.  Sometimes I’d throw in some Parvritta Janu Sirsasasana or Upavistha Konasana until the belly got big enough that there was really no ability to fold forward, lol.

Closing as above.  Don’t forget to meditate.

Partway through the third trimester, up to the present

A very little bit of exertion goes a long way when you are carrying another third again of your own body weight.  My practice right now is only about 3 or 4 times a week, and it doesn’t last very long…but it still makes an enormous difference in my digestion, sleep quantity and quality, and ability to walk around under my own steam w/o pain.  If there is the tiniest bit of asymetry in my inner body or foundation, the extra weight demonstrates it immediately.  Every detail counts.

My warmup starts now with a very instinctual flow including a wide-legged Utkatasana, some side stretches emphasizing shoulder and kidney loop [in that order, by God], and being on hands and knees for what feels like forever…the weight of the belly is its own prop, and you’d be surprised at how dense and tight the tissues of the sacroiliac can get just from holding that belly vertical.  If I’m feeling up for it I might do something that is more like traditional Surya Namaskar.  Lots of pelvic circles, that kind of thing.

A low lunge with the back knee down and both arms inside the front shin has been incredibly helpful.  I’ll try to do 2 or 3 sets with some big circular movements in between.

As above, intersperse everything with Malasana variation and the lumbar-enhancing restorative.

Still rocking 1 minute each Trikonasana, Parsva Konasana and Ardha Chandrasana.  Maybe if I had just one fetus I’d still be going upside down but in the last couple of weeks it has just felt instinctively right to phase them out [which is a really key aspect of all of this:  do what you feel*]

EPRK, THIGH STRETCHES, any kind you can manage, and lots of them.

Meditation, focussing on the lower body, because duh.

That usually does it for me.  The asterisk * was to denote that if you don’t actually feel that yoga is therapeutically beneficial for you, that is if it’s some sort of performative or vanity endeavour, or purely creative like dance, then you likely won’t feel like doing it when you weigh 186 pounds when you usually weigh 135 and pee pretty much whenever somebody looks at you funny, so pregnancy [like all "obstacles" and challenges to practice] has been a good opportunity to get very clear about the potency and function of intention in yoga.  And that’s also why the Universal Principles of Alignment are so incredibly key here:  study them with a qualified Anusara teacher and you can have a huge healing opening on all 4s or standing with your arms overhead, then you won’t blow your gasket no matter how pregnant you are, and you don’t have to sweat for 2 hours to get the beneficial effects of practice.  I know I’m coming off kind of fangurlish here but it’s really blown my mind:  how practicing in this way is not just effective for pregnancy, which has been traditionally treated like you’re supposed to automatically go into traction as soon as that little blue line shows up on the pee-stick, but for every. body. and I hope these two feel it…

1.  Finally shelled out for the iPad.  I’m still figuring out how it hooks up with the WordPress app and am so far having minimal luck with my style of blog posting [i.e.:  irregular, dilettantish, and when finally prepared, overcomplicated] but it’s perfect for everything else I want to do…primarily having access to the Internet as close to my frontal lobe as possible.  It’s durable, cuddly, shiny and small.  Definitely looking forward to travelling with it, although I haven’t had as many travel opportunities in ’10 as in ’09.

2.  Christine and I will be teaching an advanced workshop at Yoga For The People on Sunday January 30 2011 from 12:30 to 3:30.  Watch this space for details.

3.  I get to teach at the stunning Inner Space on Thursday nights from 5:30 to 6:45.  It makes me feel so good just being there.  If you’ve never been, check it out.

4.  Yaletown Yoga will be closed for renovations from Dec. 10 through Dec. 20.  Until its new gorgeousness is unveiled, catch me at Inner Space above or Big Rock Friday.

Just one; I am full of babies. Whattaya need?

5a).  Being pregnant with twins is way more awesome than I had been led to believe.  Thank Everything for Anusara yoga, without which I am really not sure how I would cope with this new body in the context of yoga or at least what I previously thought yoga was about.  For front body softness, thigh loop, muscular energy in the legs to alleviate SI pain…but mostly front body softness and trusting the divine…thanks John.  Srsly.  It’s so sweet to be able to continue with an active practice and not be treated like a fragile delicate flower just because OMG THE CORE.  Handstands and forearm balance feel the best, with backbends a close second.  Oh, and eating whatever I want.  [Side rant:  Why is this only permissible when in the ostensibly self-sacrificial mode of gestating humans?  Whoops, I forgot this is supposed to be a non-grumpy post.]

5b) This is why I haven’t posted too much:  because while of course this is a big deal in my world I haven’t wanted to write about it.  It’s like very quiet music that only I can hear, and while I could conceivably gas on and on about the subjective inner experience, it can be alienating and/or tedious.  It’s also a very sensitive topic.  Now that they are getting a bit bigger, and hopefully more stable, and people are getting out of my way when I go to the mall, I suppose it’s more public-domain.  I am terribly pleased, though

6.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  I wish it was snowing more, mostly because I got the first proper winter coat I’ve had since university, and also because I enjoy the State of Emergency snow provides here on the West Coast…or, well, to be perfectly clear, I enjoy not SUCCUMBING to the State of Emergency that seems to prevail because it makes me feel tough, and you all know how much I like to feel tough.  Stay warm, everyone.  Happy Hanukkwanzmas.

Cat/cow…getting a bit anarchic towards the end, side bending and whatnot

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Uttanasana

Parsva Uttanasana

Urdhva Hastasana

Surya Namaska w/low lunges, just flowin’, ya dig?

Adding a simple twist to the lunges, emphasizing the openness in the low waist where I get a little stuck.  Should try forgetting to pay the gravity bill this month.

Standing side bend from Urdhva Hastasana

Parsva Konasana:  Before doing all of my “homework”, I just paused and grooved on it for a while.  Man, that pose is sweet.

Vira II variation w/hands clasped behind back

Utkatasana to Uttanasana w/hands clasped behind back

Parvritta Utkatasana

Abdominal Exercises Vol. 1:  Straight leg raises, nice’n'slow

At the wall:  Adho Mukha Vrksasana, scissoring up, alternating legs and trying to peg the midline right at the top.  Good times.

Abdominal Exercises Vol 2:  From Navasana, right leg & torso lower, then back up, then switch

More AMV, this time longer holds…ButtPower™

Trikonasana – Ardha Chandra Chapasana – Standing split

Visvamitrasana prep

Eka Pada Koundinyasana II [with spotty results, see above]

Balasana

Janu Sirsasana – Parvritta Janu Sirsasana

Paschimottanasana

Savasana

Try this at home! [level 1/2 practice]

• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Uttanasana
• Twisted lunge > Virabhadrasana II > Parsva konasana preparation [with the emphasis on the back thigh back]
• Parvritta Uttanasana
• Virabhadrasana I > Virabhadrasana III > Ardha Chandrasana >Uttanasana, with a bit of old
• Utkatasana in between
• Prasarita Padottanasana > w/a twist, one arm far out in front and grab the opposite ankle
• Trikonasana from that wide stance
• Prasarita again
• Ardha Hanumanasana [crispy PMS hamstrings, ugh]
• Adho Mukha Vrksasana [might as well work something strong with this stiff body; not too bad today!]
• Pincha Mayurasana
• Baddha Parvritta Parsva Konasana [dude...whoa]
• Hanumanasana [THIS was the big shift. This fixes everything. It is truly the Buckley's Mixture of asanas. Tastes awful, and it works]
• Supta Virasana, got M to stand on my hip creases=thighs back
• Supta Padangusthasana, as above [what a great partner adjustment, I can feel my eyes rolling back in my head just thinking about it]
• Urdhva Dhanurasana x 2
• Eka Hasta Urdhva Dhanurasana, hand right on the knee and pulling in
• Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana 1 w/back leg in Ardhha Bhekasana to
• Parvritta Janu Sirsasana
• Paschimottanasana
• Savasana

Now it’s the 49ers/Cardinals and I’m-a make some soup. Please, try this at home! [level 1/2 practice]