Prenatal Yoga Poses During Pregnancy: A Complete Guide

Hey, mom-to-be! Congratulations on your exciting journey into motherhood! Pregnancy is a rollercoaster of emotions—joy, anticipation, and maybe a touch of "what on earth is happening to my body?" With all the physical and emotional changes, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.

Here is the good news: prenatal yoga can be your best friend during these times. Apart from keeping you active and fit, it makes you find your moments of serenity in chaos. And when talking about yoga, do you know that the 21st of June is observed as International Yoga Day? What a great reminder of how it nourishes both the mind and body.

So, if you’re ready to embrace the magic of yoga and stay healthy through every trimester, keep reading. Let’s explore the best prenatal yoga poses to make your pregnancy a little smoother and a lot more serene!

Introduction To Prenatal Yoga Poses

Prenatal yoga is a great activity among expectant moms, which plays a significant role in women’s wellness. More or less, every mom-to-be is nervous about her delivery and its procedure. And practicing prenatal yoga poses helps prepare you for labor while promoting your baby’s health. 

So, if you’re expecting, you can either enroll in a prenatal yoga class or can simply search for the basic yoga asanas during pregnancy online. Yoga sessions (online or offline) usually focus on simple breathing techniques, gentle stretching, and easy yoga postures that can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and relieve pain while providing strength and flexibility to the muscles.^{1, 2, 3} 

Here are some safe and simple yoga postures for each trimester of pregnancy.

Yoga Postures For The First Trimester

1. Butterfly Pose 

This pregnancy yoga pose is also known as “Poorna Titali Asana - full butterfly”. You can safely include this yoga asana in your routine exercise during the first trimester of pregnancy. It helps build strength, boosts circulation in your pelvic floor muscles, and physically prepares your body for a smooth delivery. ^{4, 5}

How To Do This Asana?

Stretch your legs first while sitting comfortably. Now bend your knees bringing the soles of the feet together. Keep the heels as close to the body as you can. Now, hold your feet with both your hands and start bouncing your knees up and down (just like a butterfly bounces their wings while flying). Sit straight and stay in the pose for 5 minutes. Extend your legs gently to release the posture.  ^{4, 5}

Benefits: ^{4, 5}

• Reduces anxiety
• Relieves lower back pain
• Improves flexibility in hips and pelvis
• Helps to reduce constipation

2. Cat Stretch (Marjari Asana)

‘Marjari’ means ‘cat’ and ‘asana’ means ‘yoga’. This cat-inspired prenatal yoga pose has many advantages during the first trimester of pregnancy. ^{4, 6, 7}

How To Do This Asana? 

Form a table using your hands and legs such that your back forms the tabletop. Keeping your hands perpendicular to the floor, you need to rest in a position like that of a cat. While you inhale, raise your chin, and gently push your head backward and navel downwards. This will automatically raise your tailbone while compressing your buttocks. Hold this posture for a few seconds. Take long, deep breaths before you release your body out of this posture. ^{6, 7}

Benefits: ^{6, 7}

• Makes the spine more flexible 
• Improves digestion 
• Tones the abdomen muscles
• Relaxes the mind
• Improves blood circulation
• Decreases lower back pain

3. Alternate Nostril Breathing- Nadi Shodhana 

Nadi Shodhana is a powerful breathing technique for pregnancy and postpartum, which helps you to feel relaxed, energized, and emotionally balanced. This prenatal yoga posture can be practiced throughout your pregnancy journey (i.e. in all trimesters). ^{8, 9, 10}

How To Do This Asana?

Sit comfortably on a folded blanket with your back straight. While leaving your ring and pinky fingers pointing upwards, curl your index and middle fingers towards the palm, and your thumb stretched out to the side. Gently press your right nostril with your thumb and inhale (long, deep breath). And now, release your thumb and press your left nostril with the ring and pinky finger, and exhale from the right nostril. Repeat it 2-3 times. ^{8, 9, 10}

Benefits: ^{8, 9, 10}

• Regulates the nervous system
• Lowers blood pressure
• Improves breathing
• Reduces stress and anxiety

Yoga Postures For The Second Trimester

1. Balasana (Shishu Asana)

Balasana, also known as the child pose, is one of the most relieving pregnancy yoga poses. It helps take the pressure off your belly by shifting the weight of your growing baby away from your hip bones during the advanced stages of pregnancy. ^{11, 12}

How To Do This Asana? 

Kneel on a yoga mat and sit on your heels. Try to keep your thighs and knees separate and maintain a comfortable distance between the two. Now gently place your forehead on the floor. If you cannot touch the floor, you can also keep a cushion in front of you and slightly rest your head on the same. While extending your arms forward, press your palms on the floor. Relax, rest, and breathe slowly. Your head and chest should be completely comfortable and supported by the pillows, leaving ample room for your belly.  ^{11, 12}

As you do this, you will be able to feel the weight shifting from your hip bones, relieving them of the pressure. If you feel comfortable, you can extend your hands above your head and relax. ^{11, 12}

Benefits:  ^{11, 12}

• Helps relieve constipation
• Reduces stiffness in the lower back & hips
• Strengthens muscles
• Reduces the pressure on the spine

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)

Adho mukha svanasana is a downward-facing dog position that mimics a dog bending forward. This asana is suitable for pregnant women in the 2^nd trimester.^{11, 13}

How To Do This Asana?

Form a table using your hands and legs such that your back forms the tabletop. Now, lift your hips while exhaling. Form an inverted V with your body by straightening your knees and elbows. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart, and your feet at hip-width apart and parallel. Maintain a small bend in your knees. Hold the pose. Take slow, deep breaths. Exhale. Return to the table pose by bending the knees. Then, relax into the child's position.^{11, 13}

Benefits:^{11, 13}

• Strengthen legs, arms, and shoulders
• Tones muscles
• Calms the mind and relieves fatigue and headache

3. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt or Hero’s Pose)

The Sanskrit word 'vajra' referred to a weapon that meant diamond or thunderbolt. As a result, Vajrasana is also known as Diamond Pose or Thunderbolt Pose. ^{11, 14}

How To Do This Asana?

Kneel on the ground. Bring your big toes together and your heels apart. Lower your buttocks onto the inside of your feet, heels brushing the side of your hips. Place your palms down on your knees. Straighten your spine, and breathe in and out slowly. Stay in the posture as long as you want. To release the posture, uncross your toes and return to the standing position. ^{11, 14}

Benefits: ^{11, 14}

• Strengthens thigh and pelvic muscles
• Aids digestion 
• Helps relieve acid reflux

Yoga Postures For The Third Trimester 

1. Kantha and Skandha Sanchalana (Gentle Neck and Shoulder Rolls)

Practicing prenatal yoga poses may become difficult as the 3rd trimester progresses. This simple and easy yoga posture will help you keep active, relieve fatigue, and beat insomnia.¹⁵

How To Do This Asana?

With calm, gentle breaths, roll your head back and forth, right and left, and then in circular motions. Similarly, move your shoulder blades up and down, clockwise and anticlockwise. Repeat each movement three times.¹⁵

Benefits:¹⁵

• Releases tension from the head, neck, and shoulders
• Relieves tiredness

2. Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

‘Setu’ means ‘bridge’. Since this pose resembles the form of a bridge, therefore, it’s called a bridge pose. Like Nadi Shodhana, this asana can also be practiced in all three trimesters.^{16, 17}

How To Do This Asana?

First, lie on your back and bend your knees. Now, place your feet on the floor and keep your palms down on the floor. While inhaling, push your hips in an upward direction (towards the ceiling). Hold the position for a minute and release it gently while exhaling.^{16, 17}

Benefits:^{16, 17}

• Supports the back muscles
• Eases the tired back instantaneously
• Provides a fine stretch to the chest, neck, and spine
• Helps reduce stress and anxiety

3. Baddha Konasana (Cobbler's Pose)

This asana is a special treat for all pregnant women who’re wishing for easy and fast labor.¹⁶

How To Do This Asana?

Stretch your legs while sitting on a mat. Bring your feet to the center and fold your knees. After that, straighten your back. Hold your feet for a few seconds with your palms. And then release. Repeat this process four times.¹⁶

Benefits:¹⁶

• Improves reproductive health
• Enhances blood circulation

Yoga Poses To Avoid While Pregnant

Yoga can be a beneficial practice during pregnancy, but certain poses can be risky to you and your baby. According to research, here are some yoga poses you should avoid during pregnancy:

High-Intensity Movements

Avoid poses that involve excessive strain or effort, especially after 12 weeks. Moderate activity is beneficial, but intense arm balances or resistance poses need caution.¹⁸

High-Impact Poses

High-impact yoga sequences with repetitive bouncing (under supervision), are believed to improve muscle tone and reduce postpartum complications. However, excessive or uncontrolled movements that risk joint strain should be avoided to prevent injuries and reduce stress on the pelvic floor.¹⁸

Deep Twists and Core Strain

Core exercises, such as gentle abdominal strengthening poses, can reduce pregnancy pain and improve the likelihood of vaginal birth. However, deep twists, crunch-based movements, or positions that heavily compress the abdomen should be avoided, especially in the later trimesters, to prevent undue pressure on the uterus.¹⁸

Poses with Fall Risks

Any asanas that could result in falls—such as inversion, headstands, or unsupported balancing poses should be avoided. Falls during pregnancy have been reported to cause significant complications, such as preterm birth and placental abruption.¹⁸

Supine & Prone Positions

• Supine Poses: Lying on your back for extended periods can result in transient fetal heart rate changes and reduced blood flow, especially in late pregnancy. While acute instances may not harm birth outcomes, prolonged supine poses should be avoided or modified with props.¹⁸
• Prone Poses: Poses that require lying on the belly should be avoided unless supported with a pregnancy pillow to ensure comfort and safety.¹⁸

Hot Yoga

Practicing yoga in a heated environment can increase the risk of neural tube defects and other potential malformations in the fetus. It’s safer to opt for regular or prenatal yoga in a cool, well-ventilated environment. ¹⁹

Always reach out to a prenatal yoga instructor or a healthcare provider for customizing your practice according to the trimester and your physical condition. 

The Final Note!

It’s a medically proven fact that yoga plays an important role in preventing the majority of ailments. Research suggests that there are several benefits of prenatal and postnatal yoga for pregnant women and their newborn babies. It cultivates stamina and strength and prepares your body to go through physical, emotional, and hormonal changes. ³ In this blog, we’ve talked about the significant advantages of many pregnancy yoga poses. We hope this blog has been helpful and informative. 

Hope to see you all in good health. Take care!

Disclaimer: Before you practice any prenatal yoga pose or exercise, make sure to always consult your doctor.