Pelvis means base or bowl.  Think of this as where we hold water in the bowel in a neutral position.  In pregnancy we usually move to an Anterior tilt because the weight of the belly moves it forward its gravity.  This shortens the soas muscles at the front.   An anterior tilt increases lumbar lordosis –rectum tips forward toward the vagina. Pregnancy open exacerbates this, shortened iliopsoas.  If we can imagine the water tips backwards in a Posterior tilt.  This give a flattened lumbar lordosis –where the bladder tips backwards towards the vagina. A sign of this is tight and short hamstrings and it impacts on the pelvic floor.  Pelvic floor in neutral is a very sound position for organs within the bony encasement of the pelvis. The cylinder of control and muscles are optimised here like in mountain pose.  Using this visual in class will help relay standing positions to mums to be.  Good alignment will also help bone density, posture, balance and muscular support.

Support structure of spine are listed below.  Be mindful although these offer support they can also be contributing factors to problems within the area too.

• Ligaments-Ligaments are the inflexible structures that connect bone to bone. The SIJ is heavily dependent upon ligaments for stability as is the lumbar spine.  Oestrogen and progesterone hormone levels increase steadily during pregnancy and reach their peak in the third trimester. The changes in progesterone and the presence of the hormone relaxin cause a laxity or loosening of ligaments and joints to prepare the body (especially the pelvis) for labour
• Cartilage-present in all synovial joints.  Smooth white substance that sits at the end of each bone and forms the gliding surface.  Once we damage it we can suffer long term damage.  Poor blood supply which means that it also has a poor healing time. Relies upon slow movement in order for diffusion for nutrient access. Cartilage is usually fine so long as we have joint and ligament support.  Yoga stretches can stretch these  joints so much they loose a little stability.  Then in pregnancy the relaxin softens them so much they can become hyper mobile therefore prone to cartilage damage.  We must be careful on the depth of the asanas in pregnancy which we do inside of classes because of this.
• Muscles offer support to the joints which is protective.  There is lots of reflexive action to help protect joints.  Active stretching is key for muscle support and they need to be switched on to protect joints and ligaments. This is why in postures for example seated forward bends our feet are active and not passive flopping to the side.
• Bones
• Nerve
• Joint Capsule
• Skin