I'm 24 wks pregnant and have been going to a regular yoga class once a week. The instructor will tell me how to modify moves if necessary (any abs/back/twisting that's not good for me to do), and I use a bolster pillow for laying down on my back. I feel like I'm still getting a good workout in the regular class, but i was just wondering if I'm missing anything "special" that happens in a prenatal class that I'm not getting in the regular class. I'd rather just continue with the regular class since I know the routine there, but if there is something super beneficial about the prenatal I'm not getting now, I'm guessing I should switch soon since I'm at the end of my 2 nd tri.
Re: Regular yoga vs prenatal yoga
I do both prenatal and regular yoga and to me, the main difference is prenatal focuses A LOT on hip opening and back stretching, which both feel amazing in the 3rd trimester. They also do a lot more breathing techniques and "bonding with baby" moments. I don't think you're missing out on anything, though, and it's not nearly as good of a work out if you're trying to actually strength train/burn calories.
Married 8/27/2011
BFP #1 9/28/2011 DS born 5/22/2012
BFP #2 4/24/2013 m/c 4/25/2013 at 4w
BFP #3 1/31/2014 DD born 10/14/2014
BFP #4 1/20/2016 m/c 2/12/2014 at 7w2d
BFP #5 8/19/2016 DS2 born 4/29/2017
BFP #6 3/7/2018 EDD 11/18/2018
I have done both and I agree that prenatal yoga isn't as intense. It is good, however, for getting your hips to open which in my case made DD decend into the birth canal in the right position from quite early on which is a hupe plus IMO. I also found the stretching to be a really nice way to balance out my elliptical/weight lifting routine.
I am 29 weeks pregnant and just started trying to do prenatal yoga at home 1-2 times per week. I also use that time to meditate on the labour/delivery going well. I realize that's not really part of the workout, but mental prep was huge for me the first time around.