Pregnini in the park

At 38 weeks pregnant, I decided to sunburn my bump and pose as a pregnini (pregnant yogini) for yoga photos and videos in the park near our house in Ho Chi Minh City. Half celebration of my completion of YTT and impending second motherhood, and half self-study of my physical yoga practice, here’s what I learnt when I looked back through the footage and stills.

The story

Last week I asked Pete to take some photos and videos of me practising yoga in the park. I wanted to document the end of this pregnancy, as I appear to have nearly reached its grand finale with hardly a bump photo to show for it. I also wanted to have a collection of prenatal yoga shots to use in the future if I ever decide to teach prenatal yoga. While I’m writing this, I’ve also just come up with the great idea of reshooting this post-birth (by several months!) to show before and after shots of the poses.

The heat

It was a boiling hot morning, and we’d forgotten to bring suncream for ourselves or for Monkey. We put her on a picnic blanket under a tree, in semi shade (the damn sun kept moving!) and hoped for the best. We took off her shoes so she could enjoy the grass, but it turns out grass is like kryptonite for this city baby! So she hovered around the edge of the picnic blanket, enacting a very life-like game of the floor is lava. In fact, the original audio on the videos features her shouts to be ‘rescued’ from her picnic blanket prison island.

My yoga mat quickly turned into a furnace and I was having to turn it over between shots so it didn’t blister my feet. I imagined having this nice healthy glow to my face, but when I look back through the stills, it’s more a blotchy, sweaty mess. Perfect time to practise letting go of the old ego.

The lessons

1. Svadhyaya (self study)

One of the Niyamas (positive observances). In terms of self-study on the mat, I would highly recommend filming yourself doing asana. During my YTT with Suzanne Vian, we often took photos of each other in poses, so we could see where our weak areas were (and compare our before and after shots to see our improvement). You can practise Svadhyaya by keeping a strong mind-body connection when you’re on your mat, but add in a camera and this will really allow you to see where your tight spots are. Does the pose look the same as how it feels to you when you’re in it?

Well, I learned a lot from this little self-study practice. And each little lesson I learned forced me to revisit Santosha (contentment) and not get too hung up on imperfections.

2. Shoulders

This has always been a problem area for me, but has got worse towards the end of this pregnancy. My shoulders look so tight and are rounded and up around my ears when I’m doing Chaturanga. It was hard to see that pose, as I usually feel quite proud of it. But I know I need to take the time to engage my rhomboids and melt my shoulders down and away.

3. Twist in Trikonasana (Triangle)

I was looking forward to seeing my Triangle, and felt pleased with how it turned out. I’ve really enjoyed this pose during this pregnancy because it stretches my torso as I find length through the sides of my ribs. However, I would like to work more on twisting from the belly. My twist started way too high up my torso.

4. Excessively curved lower back

My bum is always sticking out at the moment! I noticed it particularly in Vrksasana (Tree) and Tadasana (Mountain) in the video. The lordotic curve of my lumbar spine is really pronounced at the moment, as I’m compensating for the weight of my bump. I need to remember to draw in my navel as much as possible.

I worry that because I’ve been practising pregnant for so long, I’ve become sloppy here and rarely remember to engage my core. This will be a significant focus for me post-pregnancy, particularly as it’s key to protecting the lower back.

5. Neck length

Too much computer time at work means that I jut my chin forward and shorten the back of my neck. I like the cue ‘lift back through the ears’ as a reminder to find length and elegance in my neck. I look at Monkey, who’s 17 months old, and she holds her head so beautifully. I hope she never un-learns that perfect posture.

6. Face and jaw

Again, I’m a repeat offender here. I hold so much tension in my jaw. On my very first day of training, Suzanne mentioned it -it’s that obvious. Pete used to stick his finger into the side of my jaw at night to stop me grinding my teeth. I can see in the photos that even though I was trying to tell myself to relax my face, I still hold tension there.

I suffer from quite bad headaches, and always find that the moment I consciously relax my facial muscles, half the problem goes away. Meditation is a good way to practise this skill of melting away tension from the body.

7. Practise Santosha (contentment)

Ahh, my favourite Niyama. No one likes seeing themselves on film, particularly when their body isn’t its usual self. But, through focusing on Santosha, I found myself softening, both during the shoot and when I looked at the footage later. Practising contentment means letting go of the imperfections and being truly happy with what I’ve got. And I am. I hope that the photos inspire other mums to be proud of their pregnant bodies and the power that their baby bumps and altered figures represent.

Overall reflection

So, there you have it. Seven little lessons gained from a little self-study. I hope that when I return to these poses I can see an improvement in the spots I’ve noticed are weak. But mostly, I hope that I can remember to treat each practice as its own, and not get stressed comparing it to other people’s practices, or previous practices of my own. Santosha, Santosha, Santosha.

See Vrksasana, Sun Salutation A, Warrior II, Trikonasana, Wide-Legged Forward Fold and Lunge Salutations here.

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