New mom yoga poses to ease the strain of breastfeeding

When Patti Asad from YogaWorks approached us with some ideas for yoga poses for rookie moms, I was hoping she’d help solve the problems I experienced. I asked her, “Is there one particular yoga move that’s that’s great for the neck and shoulder pains associated carrying around a 12 pound lump of a baby or round-the-clock nursing?” (oh and can I do it at home without any special clothes or skills too?)

Today is the third of a three-part series for practical at-home yoga poses. This one is for stretching out the sore muscles in the neck and shoulders.

If a new mom finds herself nursing and hunched over most of the day her upper back and shoulders can become very tight.

A great pose that will help release these areas is cat/cow and spread leg forward bend with arms behind the back.

How to ease breastfeeding back strain with yoga:

1. Start by coming onto hands and knees and on an inhale lift your chest and stretch from your navel to your chin, then on then exhale round the upper back and look toward the navel. Feel how your shoulder blades spread apart and the upper back widens.
2. After about 10 cycles of this come to standing and step your feet about 3 feet apart turning the feet parallel.
3. Then interlace the fingers behind your back as you inhale lift your chest, and then on the exhale fold forward letting the arms come as close to the ground in front of you as possible. If your shoulders feel very tight you may also take this forward bend holding a towel behind your back.

Hold for at least 5 breaths and then leading with the arms inhale to standing and stretch the arms open into a “T” shape and relax them down.

See our first post about easing tension in the face of a screaming child and our second post about getting back energy and focus after sleepless nights.

—-
Thanks to YogaWorks Teacher Trainer and prenatal yoga instructor Patty Asad for sharing these great at-home yoga poses. She has been teaching pre- and post-natal yoga for 11 years.