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| I have recently read that during early pregnancy one shouldn't raise core body temperature above 101 degrees in order to protect the fetus. Does anyone know what the core body temperature gets to when practicing ashtanga? |
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| do not practice Ashtanga (I mean Athletic Part) in pregnancy. Practice more static poses. You can do Ashtanga later. It is NOT only Temperature what you should worry about, you should consider the whoe thing. And, you can clearly see that Athletic movements with fetus in womb is NOT good.
Best Luck
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| There's another thread in the ashtanga forum regarding doing ashtanga during pregnancy which you might find helpful.
Core body temp depends on the individual and the natural rhythms of the body throughout the day. When one ovulates, is menstruating, or ispregnant, that can vary as well. Temperature also depends if the person is sick, well, and the temperature of the environment of the person (for example, body temp can lower in cold climate). It can even change when someone is stressed, relaxed, or thinking hard. Typically, average core body temp when stationary is 98.6° F/37°C, even though some peoples' might be lower higher. I know when doing intense physical activity such as marathon running, body temp can go up to 40°C-41°C (104°F-105°F). I don't know exactly what the average temperature of a body is when doing ashtanga yoga, but hopefully the info I gave helps give you a general idea. |
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| itchytummy is correct.
It's impossible to answer your question because we don't know your practice. Just the proper use of Ujjayi breath makes a huge difference, given the fact that its purpose is to elevate the temperature!
There's a whole lot more to worry about than just your temperature. Twisting, use of your lower back in jump backs, using your body properly in Up dog (if at all), forward bend differences -- plus they all depend upon your trimester.
If you're pregnant find a qualified and trained prenatal yoga teacher. If you're a teacher with a pregnant student? Do the safer thing and try to get them into a prenatal class. Remember: it doesn't matter how they feel because while pregnant, it's not about them. Period. The mother is simply an incubator in many ways.
Do check out the pregnancy thread. Tourist, an Iyengar teacher has some good thoughts.
As far as not doing Ashtanga at all? I wouldn't recommend it, either. However, I have a dear friend who teaches Ashtanga. She is Kripalu trained in pre/post natal. She has taken the Primary Series and modifies it for her pregnant ladies. So it can be done, but it's not throwing yourself through the series until your tummy gets in the way. So see what I mean about trained?
C.
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| Many thanks for your responses. It seems that my post was a little out of context - sorry! I currently practice the primary series but am trying to get pregnant and do not wish to jeopardise my chances and any embryo which might 'catch' by doing ashtanga before I find out! I am aware of the heat created using breath and hence my question. The information 'out there' about doing ashtanga during pregnancy (as the previous thread shows) is limited, incredibly subjective and often poles apart so it is difficult to know which questions to ask! It seems that, given the fact that my intuition will only take me so far and the information available is conflicting - it is best that I err on the side of caution and practice in other ways. Thanks again for your advice. |
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| Sunny, I may not express myself well in the next paragraph, but please know it comes from a place of admiration and respect.
The fact that you're willing to adjust your practice and voice the fact that you acknowledge and reognize "intuition may only take you so far" is huge.
I teach at an Ashtanga studio and it is AMAZING how many pregnant women become blatently egocentric about their practice. "I feel fine." [snort] Or perhaps they're already egocentric and it's just coming out. It is so not about them once they're pregnant! However, that point seems to be consciously ignored when it comes to the immediate gratification of working up a sweat or getting a good workout. Come ON!
Doing no harm (ahimsa) is not just about external situations. We effect harm on ourselves far too often by ignoring our body or not even having the consciousness to hear our body. During the case of pregnancy, far too often harm is done to a baby. All in the name of "I feel fine."
If you're in the Washington, DC area, I would seek out Margaret Townsend, who is a Kripalu-tranined Ashtanga teacher. She knows the hows and whys of practicing while pregnant and is extremely careful of and with her students. She has modified the Primary Series to work with each trimester of pregnancy. She sometimes recommends, however, that someone set it aside for awhile.
Too many forget that "awhile" is not forever. What is 9 months in the course of a healthy baby's life? And if a mom does herself damage because she needs that "workout" (insert grimace here), isn't it rather short sighted? It's not about immediate gratification, but can teach us how to look to the future while living in the now.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you I really respect what you said and I hope it works out to be the way you can practice. Yoga can help with delivery (pranayama, of course) and with a quicker recovery. Do mula bandha rather than Kegels. Kegels are showing to cause urinary tract issues.
Anyway, congrats on the baby and the wisdom of the baby's mom. |
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| YogaDancer - thanks for such a positive reply! Unfortunately I live in the UK so can't get to train with Margaret Townsend...does she have any books/videos etc I could reference (I am also going to find a relevant teacher here...however as much info as possible is going to help!). Namaste |
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| No, although Margaret is well-respected locally, she hasn't published or videoed. She'd be a good subject.  She was trained as a classical ballerina and has done TV commercials. She's beautifully photogenic, let alone a lovely yogini.
I have two thoughts. Although Margaret is a technophobe (and proud of it), she does teach at a couple of studios in the DC area and can be contacted through them, since they will print out email for her if asked by the sender. I doubt she can answer the core body question, given the variables, but she answer what to/not to do, what to modify, at different points, etc. The answers might be slow in coming, but it could be worth a shot. She teaches at Georgetown Yoga and Moska.
Another thought is that Louise Ellis, a certified Ashtanga teacher, who is an online friend of mine (I set her up with her website), taught through-out England last year. I'm willing to bet she might be able to offer people/suggestions if you tell her you're hoping to find someone similar to the way I described Margaret. Her site is .
So those might be some human references that can either hook you up or refer you better.
I hope it helps!
C. |
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| Many many thanks for all the info/leads!! I hope to follow them ALL up and get some great advice! Thank you again. Namaste YogaDancer x |
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Core Body Temp Pregnancy
