At the start of each Om for Mom prenatal yoga session, I like to inquire with my students around specific areas they would like to focus on. A student recently expressed rib pain, and sought prenatal yoga poses that would help alleviate it. The truth is, rib pain in pregnancy is one of those aches that comes with the territory. Your uterus expands, the baby grows, your breasts become heavy, and as a result, more pressure is applied to the ribs. While you may feel short of breath, or like you cannot get a good, deep round of breath in pregnancy, your lungs are actually equipped to take in more breath--about 40 percent more--when you're pregnant.
While there isn't one easy prenatal yoga pose to alleviate rib pain in pregnancy, the act of practicing prenatal yoga itself on a regular basis can help. The anecdote to rib pain is a relaxed and flexible set of muscles and ligaments to take some strain off of your ribs.
You can also take the practice of alleviating rib pain to focus on spinal alignment and relaxation breathing. Practice simply sitting up with a tall posture, using the wall for support along your spine, as you sit in "easy pose." Place hands on the ribs and physically "lift" them a little higher to create an open space. Then, close your eyes, soften the facial muscle, let the tongue rest loosely on the back of the teeth, and simply focus on your inhales and exhales to relax and open.
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While there isn't one easy prenatal yoga pose to alleviate rib pain in pregnancy, the act of practicing prenatal yoga itself on a regular basis can help. The anecdote to rib pain is a relaxed and flexible set of muscles and ligaments to take some strain off of your ribs.
You can also take the practice of alleviating rib pain to focus on spinal alignment and relaxation breathing. Practice simply sitting up with a tall posture, using the wall for support along your spine, as you sit in "easy pose." Place hands on the ribs and physically "lift" them a little higher to create an open space. Then, close your eyes, soften the facial muscle, let the tongue rest loosely on the back of the teeth, and simply focus on your inhales and exhales to relax and open.
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Prenatal yoga poses to relieve round ligament pain
Side lying savasana
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