Hello, loves 💗 If you’ve been following me for a while you know how much I love stretching. It’s one of my favorite ways to move my body. When I got pregnant, I at first was unsure if it was healthy for me and my baby to continue with my usual stretching routine. There are literally a million different opinions out there. Some say you shouldn’t stretch at all whereas others recommend stretching to help with hip and back pain. One thing is for sure, you should never overstretch as your body releases the hormone relaxin during pregnancy causing you to be overly prone to straining yourself.

Listening to my intuition and what feels right to me helped me a lot to have a happy and healthy pregnancy. So, I decided that I would again tune out the outside noise and listen to what my body tells me is the right thing to do This means going really easy into the poses and not pushing myself past my limits. I also stop when something feels uncomfortable. Like in butterfly pose, for example, I always feel a very uncomfortable pull in my vagina. I’ve always been a very pushy person, so this definitely took some adjustment on my side. But I have to admit, stretching my body feels better than ever! Because it’s not about reaching some crazy flexible goal anymore but more about doing something good for myself.

I definitely feel an improvement in my lower back pain. But stretching also helps me to discover and connect with my changing body. Especially now, it is really important that we are very gentle and loving with ourselves. Our body is doing such a wondrous thing and we should be proud of it each and every day.

Starting my day with a few gentle stretches and a meditation has really done wonders for me coping with this very difficult (being in lockdown for almost 4 months now) yet exciting (welcoming my first child) time. So, I thought I share my favorite morning stretches as well as the meditation I do with you. It is safe for all trimesters. Just remember to always modify if something doesn’t feel good. We are all so unique so there is not one size fits all.

Now get into your comfiest clothes, roll out your mat, light some paleo santo or a nice candle, and let’s gently start into the day:

Would love to hear how this made you feel in the comments below or over on the ‘gram! Make sure to tag @champagnewithmadeleine