Hi! My name is Kathy Duke. I teach prenatal yoga at the Health Advantage Yoga Center in Herndon, Virginia. Today, we are doing prenatal yoga. I am showing you Sidelying Relaxation.
You will need a few blankets or pillows to help support you. You may want one or two cushions below your head, a cushion between your knees and your ankles and a folded blanket or small pillow that will support underneath your belly. You can also allow your top arm to rest on this cushion.
Make sure that you are lying on your left side and that you are in a position that allows you to relax comfortably. Feel free to close your eyes and let your awareness draw inward to your breath.
Follow the flow of your breathing. Allowing the breath to wash down through your legs, into your feet and toes, feel the muscles relaxing as you breathe into the lower body. Relax any tension from your hips, your lower belly and your spine.
Soften your shoulders and allow the breath to move outward into your arms, your hands. Relaxing the muscles of your upper body, imagine the breath moving upwards, relaxing the corners of your eyes, your brow and your scalp. Stay here for as long as you like, ten minutes, fifteen minutes. Relaxation is calming for both your mind and your body. As you are creating a relaxing environment for yourself, this is also the same environment that your baby rests in.
Relaxation helps to reduce the effects of stress and accumulated tension. Breathe easily and gently. That concludes our prenatal yoga video. Hope you have enjoyed our practice together. Namaste.