Gentle, fluid, and slow-moving, In My Own Ocean, is a Hatha class to lengthen the body and create space through rhythmic flows and moving meditation. This class provides plenty of modifications to accommodate yogis of all levels and yogi mamas in their third trimester. Side waist lengthening, hamstring and inner thigh opening, and gentle twists create space and support the low back.

Maintaining a yoga practice while pregnant, injured, or stressed may alleviate the strains and demands on the body that amass when we don’t honor how we feel and find time to come to our yoga mat. Through intentional breath and postures, we create space in our bodies by lengthening muscles to ease the strain on connective tissues, making room for internal organs, and, if you’re pregnant, allowing more room for the baby.

Style: Hatha

Duration: 38-min

Level: Open-levels

Props: 2 Blocks, 2 bolsters

Focus: Gentle Hatha, side waist and hip opening

Location: Semperviva, Vancouver, BC

Come to stand with your legs wide and hands on your lower belly. Breathe down into your hands. How can you surrender to what is, right now? Can you breathe into all that you are? —whatever you feel, honor it. Take this opportunity to connect to your body and all that you feel and your baby.

Moving Meditation

Boa Breath – A Martial Art practice from Chien Lung

• Inhale roll up slowly to stand, take wrists to the chin
• Exhale out the mouth, draw arms wide to the sides and bend the knees
• Inhale arms out in front of you as if you’re holding a beach ball
• Exhale hands slide down to thighs, chin to chest
• Inhale hands up the midline to the chin
• Exhale bow forward and down, hands to ground or thighs

Opening Sequence

Squats to build strength in the legs and glutes

• Hands overhead as you inhale
• Squat with hands in prayer as you exhale

Malasana (yogic squat) with or without blocks to support the seat

• Neck rolls by drawing chin to shoulder: open the sides of the neck
• Chin to chest with hand gently behind head: open the back of the neck
• Arms overhead: open the side waist

Bharmanasana (tabletop) swaying torso from side to side to open the side waist.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog) spread fingers wide and tip tail to the sky.

Bitilasana Marjaryasana (cat/cow) undulations from tabletop to seated.

Slow Flow Sequence

Seated side waist stretching to lengthen the side body and lats.

Come to stand t the back edge of the mat

• Inhale hands wide and up to the sky
• Exhale hands through prayer to the earth

Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog)

• Bend knees and tilt booty to the sky

Anjaneyasana (low lunge) variation with legs wide to make space for the belly

• Walk hands to the top corner of the mat for a wide-legged twist.
• Flow your hand up over your head as you inhale, take your hand to the ground as you exhale.

Hanumanasana (half splits pose)

• Take hands to blocks inside the front leg to make space for your belly.

Vasisthasana (side plank variation)

• Take your top arm overhead or over your ear to express a deeper side waist stretch.

Repeat on the other side.

Cooling Sequence

Malasana (yogic squat) at the back of the mat with or without blocks,

• Take one hand to the ground and the other up towards the sky, spreading the heart and chest towards the arm that’s lifted. This pose lengthens the side waist and opens the inner groins of the arm on the ground.

Supta Virasana (saddle pose) to open the front of the legs

• Use a block under your bum OR
• Seat to the ground with hands behind you, lift the chest to the sky, OR
• Take lizard pose on either side

Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana (bridge pose)

• Supported with a block under the low back OR
• A bolster under the low back OR
• Pelvis on the ground

In bridge pose, extend one leg toward the back edge of your mat to stretch the psoas and release the front of the pelvis.

• Option to take the opposite knee to chest to wrap hands around the hamstring or the shin. Take the leg wide to the side to make space for your belly.

Repeat on the other side.

Knees wide, take legs side to side to gently release the low back and twist the spine.

Savasana

• Place a block on its lowest height at the front of your mat and place your bolster between your shins. Your head will come to the block at the top of your mat as you recline on one side. If you have an extra bolster, use this prop to support your top arm.

If you’re not taking savasana, come to sit in meditation and breathe deep.