Is it appropriate time to start practicing yoga in my thirteenth week of pregnancy.

I am in my thirteenth week of pregnancy and would like to know if this is an appropriate time to start practicing yoga.

Now would not be the most appropriate time to start a yoga practice, it would have been better to start before or at the very beginning of pregnancy. If you are in good shape and have stayed active, starting yoga now will probably be okay. I would recommend starting very slow and being very careful.

Avoid all postures where there is pressure against your belly. You can modify some of these poses by spreading the legs wider apart. Do not do postures that require a lot of effort, especially in the abdominal region. Avoid inversions, a good modification is to rest the legs up a wall with the hips on the floor.

Good postures to practice are ones that open the hips (frog, pigeon, standing angle, half circle, seated angle, bound angle) and ones that stretch the low back (seated twist, knee down twist, child pose (with legs apart), half wind relieving) modifying these so there is no pressure against the belly.

Ahimsa, the yogic practice of non violence must be adhered to when engaging in the practice of hatha yoga. Respect your body's limitations and inner wisdom, if something feels wrong or dangerous, please do not do it.

Please consult your health care practitioner before starting a yoga, pranayama or other exercise program.