Pregnancy, Yoga & The Core

I like to embrace any changes that come my way (once I have gotten over the initial shock!) from a place of curiosity and to try to look for an opportunity to learn. It was this kind of attitude that got me interested and learning more about anatomy in yoga postures, and that got me onto my Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training. It’s also the attitude that gave me a deep dive into understanding the role of the core during pregnancy and its importance in postnatal healing.

What is the Core?

Don’t roll your eyes at me Susan. A lot of people think they know what the core is, but they are only really touching on the surface! The core is sooooo much more than your abs (six-pack muscles); it’s a three dimensional framework for the trunk of your body and is made up of, predominantly, the diaphragm, the transverse abdominis, the multifidus and the pelvic floor.

What does the core do for us?

If you look at that image the first thing you might notice is that there are almost no bones from the top of the pelvis to the ribs. This is wonderful, because it allows for a dynamic range of movement through this area and is the main reason you can twist and do backbends (before you were pregnant!).

This area also carries all of your internal organs, and now your baby too! That’s a pretty important job, so you really want to make sure you have your best team on it.

As well as containing and protecting all your organs and your growing baby the core muscles also…

1. Keep your head up. Quite literally. Humans have evolved to stand upright solely at the discretion of the core. The core’s day job is to stabilise the spine so that we can stand up straight. If you’ve ever visited an Osteopath or Physiotherapist complaining of back pain it’s likely that they told you to work on strengthening your core!

2. Stabilise your pelvis. Your pelvis is prone to tipping one way or the other, and over time this extreme tip can cause problems in the hips and lower back. Your core muscles ensure that your pelvis is, first of all mobile enough to move and adjust, and that it sits in just the right spot in relation to your lower spine.

So, the important question is, “WHY Is OPTIMUM core function IMPORTANT IN pregnancy”…?

As your baby grows your body becomes heavily reliant on the core to protect, not just your baby, but the rest of your body too as your centre of gravity starts to change, your pelvis begins to tilt and your spine starts to curve.

At this stage I’ve noticed there is a tendency amongst pregnant women to throw in towel and just deal with whatever core related issues come their way, including lower and upper back pain, pelvic pain, SI joint dysfunction, diastasis recti, incontinence and prolapse. But these things do not need to simply be accepted as a “normal side effect” of pregnancy. You can meet a lot of these issues head-on simply by improving and strengthening the core. Women around the world are slowly beginning to realise that building core strength before, during and after their pregnancy is making the world of difference to their experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood.

How Pregnancy Yoga works the Core

One reason I love yoga (I can list the other 76 for you another day) is that it is a practice reliant on a strong and functional core. The core muscles work as one unit, so consciously activating and then stretching/releasing one part of the core works the others too. It’s blooming marvellous! In pregnancy yoga, one of the best ways to access the deep core muscles is through deep, diaphragmatic breathing and controlled core-based strength work.

You can read more about the breath and the core here.

No matter where you are on your journey; postnatal, about to pop, freshly pregnant or even just thinking about getting pregnant, it’s always the right time to learn about how you can improve your core function. You can visit your physiotherapist or osteopath and a pelvic floor physio to better understand your core strength and where you can improve. Knowledge is an excellent foundation on which to build!

Prenatal Yoga Online

My Bump & Flow Prenatal Yoga Classes are 15hrs of intelligently and intentionally designed prenatal yoga classes designed to help you feel strong, mobile and grounded through your pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. You can start today with a 2-week free trial on Moviing.co, and use the code KAT25 for 25% off your membership.