Relaxin: a hormone that works in your body exactly as it reads.
How I modified my yoga practice to manage increased laxity in my joints.
On one occasion, I got ambitious with my yoga practice. It was a beautiful morning in my third trimester. I laid out my yoga mat, threw caution to the wind and WENT. FOR. IT. (I’m laughing out loud writing this.) I spent an hour that morning working on opening my lower back with longer, more aggressive, holds where my pelvis meets my spine at the sacrum. I REALLY wanted more space and blood flow there. Two hours later, my body was aching and in pain; it took me a day to recover.
This brings me to my third principle: Increases in certain hormones, mainly relaxin, have increased the laxity of my joints in preparation for childbirth. With increased laxity, I will stop practicing deep and long stretches to protect my joints and increase dynamic, strength building sequences.
Here’s the thing: Ligaments connect bones to bones; tendons connect muscles to bones. If the ligaments are lax, then the muscles have to work harder to keep my body together. If I’m 30% heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight (see previous blog post), then my muscles have to work even harder. And, as you know, I’m not laying around all day in restorative yoga postures. (Even though I DO practice them frequently). I’m running, spinning, walking and working on my feet. That means my muscles have to work EVEN HARDER. It’s worth it to me to adapt my yoga program to meet these new special needs.
(Yep, I’m also a massage therapist. And, yes, I performed full-body, deep tissue sports massages into week 36 of pregnancy...in the August heat.)
Here are a couple of ways I modified my practice to manage for ligament laxity:
First, I stopped my yin yoga practice. For example, holding postures like Lizard/Utthan Pristhasana and Pigeon/Kapotasana for extended periods of time creates too much mobility in my body. What I truly need now is to maintain my strength. Instead of yin, I practice long, restorative yoga postures that don’t put as much stretch on my joints. To get the hip opening I crave, I just hold the postures for about 10-15 seconds with deep breaths. I also increased both dynamic and functional stretching. Dynamic stretching (where you move gently in and out of a stretch) + functional stretching (where you position your stretch based on the biomechanics of your desired activity) works to help the muscle and joint move back to its original starting position and prevents hypermobility. Think of repeating Flying Warrior to Warrior Two. This also involves muscle activation and improved joint proprioception.
Second, I’ve purposely decreased my range of motion practicing asana. Some of those postures include Virabhadrasana I+II/Warrior I+II, Parsvakonasana/Side Angle and High Lunge variations. I’ve decreased my stance and decreased how low I drop my pelvis in each of them. In addition, as always, I ensure I’ve activated my posterior chain (that’s where my hamstrings and glutes are) as well as my adductors (the inner thigh).
Has it become easier for you to stretch your body since becoming pregnant? Are you experiencing increased muscle tightness and muscle spasms? Tell me about your experience. We’re in this together!
