Often at the end of a prenatal yoga class, I’ll walk participants through the most beneficial set up for Left Side Lying Savasana (Corpse Pose). This posture is a wonderful way for a pregnant person to be able to rest deeply and rejuvenate their hard-working body.
The first benefit of Left Side Lying Savasana is deep rest, which allows the pregnant yogi to drop into the rest and relax parasympathetic state. This state of relaxation supports the process of pregnancy in numerous ways including allowing the hormones of pregnancy and labor to be more readily available and accessible since they’re not competing with the hormones of stress.
Left Side Lying Savasana several other other benefits as well. In order to achieve these added benefits, it’s important to take into consideration some specific alignment points. These include:
- Placing some blankets or pillows under the head so that her neck is in good alignment. That means not too much or too little support under her head. Too much support will tilt her neck up and too little will tilt it down. Make sure that it’s just enough to keep the neck straight or parallel to the floor.
- Positioning a pillow or bolster under the yogi’s top arm so that their arm isn’t falling too far down toward the ground and pulling their shoulder forward, which may create torsion in the spine. The pillow under their arm should roughly keep their shoulders stacked. If they didn’t have the support here, their top shoulder could be pulled forward for as long as they’re in this position, which could be hours throughout the night. When the top shoulder is pulled down, as described, it will likely place strain in other regions of the body, like the neck and thoracic spine. A large piece of labor preparation deals with cultivating as much balance in the body as possible, which includes keeping the entire spine as straight as possible while keeping in mind its natural curves.
- Placing a blanket underneath the pregnant belly. This added prop helps to alleviate the tension in the body, including the spine, from the weight of the baby, uterus, & fluids being pulled down by gravity towards one’s bed or floor. Supporting the weight of the pregnant belly while side lying becomes particularly important in the 3rd trimester.
- Tilting the top hip slightly forward so that if one were imagining a flashlight shining from their belly button that it would be slightly angled down towards the floor. This can help with fetal positioning, which I will explain in greater detail in the next section of this article.I encourage you to make any tweaks so that being in this position feels great.
Now that the alignment of Left Side Lying Savasana is set-up, let’s look at the other two major benefits of doing this posture as much as possible when resting and sleeping.
2 Benefits Beyond Relaxation of Left Side Lying Savasana:
- Supports Fetal Positioning for Childbirth – While countless babies have been born just fine in other fetal positions, beginning labor with the fetus either in LOT (left occiput transverse) or OA (occiput anterior) many times may help labor begin and progress more smoothly, and births that begin in fetal positions may also be easier on the baby. The LOT position is when the back of the baby’s head is facing to the left side of the uterus, and the OA position is when the back of the baby’s head is facing opposite of the birther’s back, or towards the belly side of the uterus. OA and LOT both improve the baby’s chances of tucking their chin, which helps the presenting part of the baby’s head to be smaller in diameter and more moldable, as their cranial bones can more easily shift and overlap as they’re making their way through the pelvis in childbirth. When the back of the baby’s head is facing towards the birther’s back (OP, occiput posterior) or towards the right side of the uterus (ROT right occiput transverse), they have a much harder time tucking their chin (flexion). When the baby is not able to flex their spine, it makes the part of their head that enters the pelvis first larger in diameter and less moldable in the cranial bones. There is an asymmetry in most uteruses that creates a situation for the baby that makes it more challenging to tuck their chin on the right side of the uterus versus on the left side. Resting and sleeping on the left side may help babies slide into the left (LOT) side of the uterus to tuck their chin, and they may also continue sliding towards the front of the uterus in OA, both excellent fetal positions to start labor. Making sure the top hip of the birther is slightly tipped forward, making her flashlight angle down towards the floor is an important factor to help the baby slide into one of these positions.
- May Improve Circulation to the Uterus & Support Deeper Rest – Sleeping and resting on the left side may increase blood flow to the uterus by decreasing the pressure on the inferior vena cava (IVC). The inferior vena cava is a large vein that runs along the right side of the body and carries blood from the lower body to the heart. In late pregnancy, the weight of the uterus can compress the IVC to varying degrees, particularly when lying on the back or right side, hindering blood flow. As alarming as this may sound, trust that if you’re sleeping on your right side or back, you’ll wake up if something’s not right and change positions. Your body is smart. Many pregnant people are just fine being on their backs and right sides throughout their entire pregnancies, while others may not feel as well. My suggestion is to begin your rest or sleep comfortably on your left side, and try to be on that side as much as possible, but when you need to turn, do so. The risk of IVC compression is mostly present only towards the end of pregnancy.
Left Side Lying Savasana is a glorious posture in which to enjoy deep and rejuvenating rest and help your baby slide into a birthing position that may help your labor progress more smoothly and quickly. I hope you enjoy it!