Watch Ashley Graham Float Through Prenatal Yoga In Her Third Trimester (with Twins!) Like It's NBD
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As she prepares to welcome twin boys, model Ashley Graham is taking fans and followers along for the ride through every step of her pregnancy journey. One of the ways the mom of one is embracing her changing body this time around is by staying active, evidenced by the incredible time-lapse video of a prenatal yoga session with Sophie Green, a yoga instructor and art therapy teacher, that she posted on Instagram.
"Preggo yoga sesh with the amazing @sophieellagreen," wrote Graham in the caption of her post, which quickly racked up more than 1.3 million views within hours.
The Knix global brand ambassador also tagged the beloved intimates and activewear brand, as she sported the super supportive Catalyst Front Zip Sports Bra (Buy It, $89, knix.com) and the BlissFit Maternity Legging (Buy It, $50, knix.com), both in black, for her sweat session. (Related: 4 Ways You Need to Change Your Workout When You Get Pregnant)
The two moved through a series of yoga poses, with Graham getting an assist from a pair of yoga blocks to support her wrists through several of the mat-based movements. Slaying stretches and poses alike, both classic, such as a cat-cow and a wide-knee child's pose, and dynamic, moving through warrior poses like it's NBD.
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Graham also did prenatal yoga during her pregnancy with her son Isaac, sharing in a recent vlog episode that this time around, she's focusing more on staying connected with her body than she did during her prior pregnancy.
"I'm making conscious shifts every day to make sure that I'm maintaining a balance that really works for me. I've learned so much, even this time around, about my body and what it takes to keep my mind and my body nourished for myself and for these big 'ol boys inside here," she said with a laugh, cradling her belly. (ICYDK: Graham even made time for prenatal yoga on vacation.)
And while the supermodel is famously a fan of getting her sweat on (she's even tackling the StairMaster during her third trimester), returning to a yoga practice during her second pregnancy is a gentle, low-impact way to boost strength and flexibility, while also offering up tons of surely needed chill vibes as she prepares to become a mom of three any day now.
"Make no mistake: your body needs to be strong for labor," Heidi Kristoffer, a New York-based yoga instructor previously told Shape. "Holding poses for extended periods of time in a yoga class will help you get stronger in all the right places, and practice the endurance required for childbirth." It also helps prevent and relieve common pregnancy aches and pains, particularly in the lower back, neck, and shoulders. (Related: How Much Exercise Should You Do While Pregnant?)
Focusing on breathwork, which many prenatal yoga practices encourage, not only helps squash stress and anxiety, but also helps prep your body for challenges and discomfort throughout pregnancy and delivery. "As your baby grows, so does the pressure and resistance against your diaphragm, impacting your ability to breathe," Allison English, a Chicago-based yoga instructor, previously told Shape. "During yoga practice, many of the physical movements help to open your chest, ribs, and diaphragm so that you can continue to breathe more normally as your pregnancy progresses."
And of course, it also just feels good to release tension, move gently, and take time out of your day that's just for you, something any yoga lover — pregnant or not — knows is the secret sauce to the joy behind the ancient movement practice. It's no wonder why Graham loves yoga so much, particularly during pregnancy. (Want to take cues from her, even if you're not expecting? Check out the essential yoga poses for beginners, according to an instructor.)
