Prenatal yoga is one of the most recommended types of prenatal exercise! It can be gentle and supportive of your pregnancy, and can help reduce anxiety and stress throughout your pregnancy, as well! But did you know that there are yoga poses to open the pelvis?
There are tons of benefits of prenatal yoga, and we can also use prenatal yoga to prepare to open our pelvis for birth!
One of the reasons for labor stalls is limitations in pelvic mobility. If a portion of the pelvis (usually the lower half) has a harder time opening, then it may be more difficult for your baby to navigate through the pelvic space.
So, we can use our prenatal workouts to ensure we have the movement capability to open each pelvic level!
Let’s explore six yoga poses you can do to prepare to open each pelvic level!
6 Yoga Poses to Open the Pelvis for Birth
The pelvis has three main levels: the top, the middle, and the bottom. Each pelvic level opens with different types of movement patterns, as well. There is no one movement that opens the ENTIRE pelvis!
The pelvic levels include:
- Inlet, or top of the pelvis, opens more with external rotation of the femurs or wide knees
- Midpelvis, or middle of the pelvis, has two levels within in
- Upper Midpelvis Level opens more with external rotation on one-side
- Lower Midpelvis Level opens more with internal rotation on one-side
- Outlet, the bottom of the pelvis, opens more with internal rotation of the femurs or knees in, ankles out.
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We can incorporate yoga poses that achieve each of these movement patterns to ensure that we can open each level of the pelvis.
If we find that we have more difficulty in some of these postures, then we may want to spend more time in postures similar to them to support that type of pelvic opening as we prepare for birth.
Watch our YouTube video to learn more on HOW movement opens each pelvic level.
1) Malasana Squat
Open the Top of the Pelvis
The top of the pelvis opens more with external rotation of the femurs, or knees out positions. The malasana squat focuses on a deep squat position to open the top of the pelvis.
In the malasana squat, you can either use a yoga block under the hips, or do it without a yoga block. If you have more ankle or hip mobility restrictions, starting with a yoga block can make this movement more achievable for you. In addition, you could roll up a yoga mat under the heels to help with ankle mobility restrictions.
In addition to the malasana squat, you could do a squat therapy mobility exercise to emphasize the external rotation of the femurs with some thoracic mobility!
We incorporate the squat therapy into our lower body-focused workout days in our prenatal fitness programs.
2) Wide-Legged Forward Fold Twist
Open the Top of the Pelvis and Upper Midpelvis
The upper half of the pelvis opens more with external rotation, and releasing the inner thighs, or adductors, helps us find external rotation more easily!
This wide-legged forward fold with a twist can help us release the inner thighs.
You can use a yoga block to make this pose more accessible, as shown in the picture!
3) Side Lunge, Skandasana
Open the Upper Midpelvis
The upper midpelvis opens more with external rotation of the femur, or an open hip position, on one-side. Side lunges are a great way to open the upper midpelvis!
Using the floor or a yoga block to provide support can be really helpful in this posture.
You can either maintain one side for a period of time or shift side to side in this posture.
4) Revolved Half Lunge
Open the Lower Midpelvis
The lower mid pelvis opens more with internal rotation of the femur or a closed hip position. Postures, where the belly moves toward the thigh, tend to create internal rotation.
Internal rotation is a commonly dismissed aspect of physical birth preparation. A lot of the emphasis is on external rotation and doing lots of squats. But, many labor stalls related to the passage are due to the inability to find internal rotation!
The revolved half lunge is a great internal rotation-focused pose, but you may find that this deep hip flexion makes it hard to find a belly-to-thigh position because your pregnant belly is in the way!
Try widening the stance in these half-lunge positions to make space for your belly. Learn more prenatal yoga modifications here.
5) Revolved Triangle
Open the Lower Midpelvis
Another lower midpelvis opener that focuses on internal rotation is the revolved triangle. This pose focuses more on a hinge position, as opposed to the lunge which is more squat-like.
The revolved triangle can be easier to make space for your belly since there is more space between the belly and the thigh in this posture.
Widen the stance and use a block for support. Focus on belly to thigh and feeling more a stretch in the hamstring and glute in this posture.
If you are not sure HOW to find internal rotation or WHAT to feel for when finding internal rotation, watch this YouTube video for some tips! Internal rotation is one of the ignored aspects of birth preparation!
Many labor stalls related to the passage are due to internal rotation movement restrictions or limitations! So, internal rotation is a really important aspect of birth prep!
6) Hero's Pose
Open the Bottom of the Pelvis
The bottom of the pelvis, or the pelvic outlet, opens more with internal rotation of the femurs, or knees in, ankles out.
Hero’s pose focuses on internal rotation of the femurs. In this pose, you can sit on a yoga block to decrease the intensity or sit to the floor for more sensation.
Option to maintain an upright position or recline back if you want more of a quad stretch with posture.
Open the Pelvis to Prepare for Birth
We can use prenatal yoga to support a mindful pregnancy, but also physically prepare for birth. Different yoga postures emphasize different types of pelvic openings.
The top of the pelvis opens more with external rotation of the femurs, or wide leg positions, such as malasana squat or wide-legged forward fold. Releasing the inner thighs can make external rotation easier to find, as well.
The midpelvis opens more with one-sided external or internal rotation, with poses such as side lunge, half lunge, and triangle poses. Internal rotation tends to be more commonly neglected as a part of birth prep, so ensuring to focus on internal rotation can support easier labor.
The bottom of the pelvis opens more with internal rotation of the femurs, or knees in, ankles out. Heros pose could support preparation to open the bottom of the pelvis!
The more easily we can open each pelvic level, the easier our labor progress may be, as movement limitations could inhibit our labor progress.