Ompractice classes during pregnancy
Obligatory legal note: before starting any new exercise habit (during pregnancy or otherwise), please do confirm with your doctor that it's okay for YOUR personal health!
Looking to stay active during pregnancy?
Look no further – at Ompractice, we have online fitness and mindfulness classes designed to support your healthy pregnancy and beyond.
The current American Medical Association and ACOG general recommendations for pregnant folks is to stay active during pregnancy unless otherwise instructed by your doctor. Generally speaking most of our classes on Ompractice are suitable for pregnancy, with teachers able to provide modifications as needed!
We do ask that if you are pregnant, you keep your health note updated with a note about your pregnancy so we can support you safely.
In this FAQ, we'll dive into some of the specific questions we hear from our students and community, go over the classes that support pre-pregnancy, pre-natal, and post-partum needs, and answer some general FAQs you might be having about this time of life!
Our goal is to help you feel comfortable and confident staying active during every step of your pregnancy, and if you have any questions you'd like us to answer that we've missed here, feel free to ask us and we'll update this page regularly!
Ompractice Classes during Pregnancy:
Prenatal Classes: We currently have weekend prenatal classes on Sunday mornings with Devon Wilson-Hill. These small group classes are designed for the needs of pregnancy, focusing on gentle movements, relaxation, and breathing techniques, as well as providing time of life specific community support.
Pelvic Floor Strength and Mobility: we currently have several days a week of pelvic floor strength and mobility, which is a standing class (gentle bootcamp style) that helps directly improve pelvic floor function. (So important!) This class is for all women prenatal and postpartum as well as pre-pregnancy (someone wanting to get pregnant but not pregnant yet) through post-menopause who are looking to treat and prevent pelvic floor symptoms and improve pelvic floor function.
Gentle and Low-Impact Classes: Many of our gentle and low-impact classes are also suitable for pregnancy. These classes emphasize safe, low-intensity exercises that help maintain flexibility and strength.
Mindfulness Classes: for your general support, and for days you don't feel up to a physical practice – we have a range of non-movement based mindfulness classes including meditation and sound bowls that are a great addition to this time of life.
If you currently have an active practice, you can feel free to take any class on the schedule (other than breathwork). We do ask that you include a health note about your pregnancy, so the teacher can offer modifications appropriately.
Classes you should not take while pregnant:
The one Ompractice class type which is not appropriate for pregnancy specifically is Breathwork which frequently includes forceful breathing practices like 'bhastrika' and 'kapalabhati', which are contra-indicated during pregnancy. General yogic breathing is okay!
Additionally, we recommend that you do not take our intermediate power yoga class, which typically includes inversions.
Preparing for Class:
Update Your General Health Note: Make your general health note in your Ompractice profile is updated to reflect your pregnancy. This helps our teachers be aware before every class. (Here's how to update your health note.)
Class-Specific Health Notes: Before each class, optionally update the class-specific health notes to notify your teacher about current pregnancy challenges if applicable (Specific pains of the week, mobility challenges, etc.? we want to help! Each pregnancy is different, and we want to be able to support you where you are.) An estimated month for a due date can help your teacher with general recommendations.
Privacy: Your teacher can provide pregnancy modifications without calling you out specifically. They'll typically offer general guidance that applies to everyone, allowing you to follow along discreetly. (We do this for any medical concern!)
Safety Tips:
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how you feel during the class and avoid any movements that cause added discomfort or strain. Feeling pain specifically? Stop the movement. (Don't hesitate to let your teacher know if you are needing in-class support.)
Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your class to stay hydrated.
Avoid Overexertion: Pregnancy is not the time to push your limits. Focus on maintaining your fitness rather than increasing it!
Warming up and cooling down is important! A few minutes of gentle motion before and after class (like a light walk) helps your body transition into and out of exercise safely.
Some Typical Modifications for Pregnancy:
Avoid poses that put pressure on the abdomen. This includes poses like supine twists, long-held forward bends, and inversions. In the second trimester you also want to avoid extended periods lying on your back.
Modify poses to support your growing belly. Props are your friend! You might find that you need a little extra support to bend into a shape, or stability to support changing balance.
Avoid over-stretching, especially later in pregnancy: As we like to say, "just because you can, doesn't mean you should!" Relaxin hormones during pregnancy will often make muscles, joints, and ligaments more stretchy. If you are finding new-found flexibility during pregnancy (or are generally hyper-mobile), it's extra important to not push limits of flexibility! Our teachers will support you in making sure you aren't going too far in a pose.
Common Concerns:
If I didn't take yoga or do fitness before pregnancy, can I start during pregnancy? You've probably heard to not start anything new during pregnancy you haven't been doing before. While this isn't totally debunked, it's widely been shown that starting gentle and moderate exercise even if you've been sedentary previously is safe and healthy during pregnancy. (We wouldn't recommend starting a couch to long distance running program, or a new high intensity exercise program – but the majority of classes on Ompractice are low to moderate impact, and all can be modified! So even if you are new to these classes, provided your doctor is okay with gentle movement, that should be okay!)
General expectations of fitness during pregnancy:
We know that each pregnancy is different, and sometimes managing and adapting to your situation day to day (or hour to hour) is like playing a game of whack-a-mole. Our teachers are here to support you, community to encourage you, and the team is always here to answer questions you may have!
We want to support you in any way you can during this time of life!