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It is a very joyous occasion to welcome a new baby into your world, but growing a whole new life into your body might sometimes bring stress. This stress might result due to pains in different parts of the body. Therefore it is important to stay active while being pregnant to have all kinds of benefits for your baby and you.

Unless your doctor has asked said no to some exercises doing basic bodyweight moves, jogging, etc., are healthy for you. If you want a combination of strengthening and stretching then yoga particularly can be a great option. With the help of yoga, you not only get pain relief but a sense of mindfulness and awareness about your body. We’ve listed down below some of the soothing stretches to help you relieve some of the common pregnancy symptoms:

For sciatica pain

Table stretch

Keep your feet wider and stand facing the table
With straight arms and a flat back, slowly lean forward on the table with your hands
Until you feel a nice stretch in your lower back, pull your hips away from the table
To increase the stretch in your lower back and hips, move your hips side to side and hold the position for 30-60 seconds

Pigeon pose

Keep your hands and knees on the floor and gently slide your right knee between your hands
And slide your left leg backward without moving your foot from the floor
To make the stretch easy you can use a rolled towel under your right hip
Now lean forward on your right leg and lower yourself towards the ground with a pillow under your head and arms
Hold the position for a minute and repeat on the other side

For back pain

Ankle-to-Knee pose

Sit on the floor with your shoulders relaxed and your knees bent
Keep the right knee below the left knee, just like half of the regular crossed leg position
Rest your palms on your knees and foot
You can switch your leg placement after some time and repeat

Seated side bend

Sit in a comfortable upright position
Keep your legs folded
Allow your left hand to rest on the floor
Stretch your right arm slowly and bend onto the left side
As you bend on the left side, use your left arm as a support
After holding for few seconds, repeat on the other side as well

For tight hips

Squat variation with a block

Sit with both legs straight in front of you
With one leg at a time, bend your knees and place your feet closer to your seat
Put some weight onto your feet and slowly try to lift off the seat to do a wide squat
Keep your back straight and your hands together between knees in prayer position with your elbows pressing into your inner thighs

Low lunge twist pose

You start on all fours
Keep the left foot on the floor first such that your knee is on your ankle, and then bent slowly 90 degrees
Then keeping your palms gently on the floor, extend your right foot from behind and come into a low lunge twist pose with your right leg straight
Swiftly shift your weight onto the right hand and keep the left hand up towards the ceiling
After few seconds, repeat on the other side

For all-over relief

Fish pose

Sit in a comfortable seated position
Take two yoga blocks. Place one block behind you to support your mid-back
Place the other block a few inches away to support your neck and head
Now fold your legs into a butterfly position such that your feet are touching and knees are comfortable
Gently lower yourself such that your mid-back and upper neck and head are able to rest on the blocks
Set the blocks according to your comfort and lay down your arms at rest

Legs up the wall pose

Sit near to a wall
Lie down with your face up and legs raised on the wall facing towards the ceiling
Move a bit towards the wall until you rest against the wall well
Let your hands rest on your belly or your heart where you feel comfortable

In a survey, it was found that a yoga program during pregnancy can help you be more optimistic and provide better well-being. Yoga helps you to become more conscious about your body. Just be sure to avoid stretches that put a strain on your stomach and the stretches that require you to lay back for a longer period of time as it may reduce blood flow to the uterus. Stretching provides great benefits while pregnant and even helps you prepare for labour, the only concern is to not overdo them.