Prenatal Yoga: Benefits & Safety During Pregnancy

Regular exercise is a great way to ease common discomforts like back pain, boost your energy levels, and get better sleep. 1 No matter your fitness level or motivation, prenatal yoga makes for an effective—but less strenuous—workout that you can adapt as you discover what works for you.

Let’s dive into all the benefits of prenatal yoga and how to incorporate it into your pregnancy exercise regimen.

Prenatal yoga is a form of yoga that’s designed specifically for pregnant women. Much like regular yoga, it combines gentle poses, breathing techniques, and mindfulness. 2

If you’re struggling to find the right workout routine during pregnancy, prenatal yoga is a good option to ease into, as it’ll not only keep you healthy but will prepare your body and mind for labor and delivery.

How prenatal yoga differs from regular yoga

Prenatal yoga shares its roots with traditional yoga, but it’s adapted to accommodate the physical and physiological changes that pregnant women go through. Prenatal yoga has:

• No uncomfortable poses: Prenatal yoga forgoes deep twists, backbends, and poses that put too much pressure on your abdomen. The remaining poses are adjusted to provide stability and make room for your growing belly.
• More breathing exercises: Prenatal yoga uses techniques like Ujjayi breathing, where you inhale deeply through your nose, then exhale slowly the same way while constricting the back of your throat. These exercises help manage stress and improve oxygen flow to your baby. 3 You can also use this breathing style during labor.
• Poses that strengthen your pelvis: Some poses in prenatal yoga can help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles are important during labor and delivery, as well as your postpartum recovery. 1

As with regular yoga, you can incorporate blocks, bolsters, blankets, and straps into your routine for extra support if you need it.

Is it safe to do prenatal yoga if you’re a beginner?

Yes. Prenatal yoga is specifically designed to be accessible to women at all fitness levels—you don’t need any prior yoga experience to reap the benefits. Just check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen during pregnancy.

When can you start doing prenatal yoga?

Many yoga teachers recommend that you avoid prenatal yoga until you’re past week 14 of your pregnancy. 4 This is mainly because after this time, the initial nausea (morning sickness) and pregnancy fatigue characteristic of your first trimester should have eased up. 5

Of course, you should still chat with your doctor and get the all clear before starting a yoga routine.

Prenatal yoga offers plenty of physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Research shows that the combination of breathwork and mindful movement can lower stress hormones and make you feel more relaxed. 6

Aside from reducing stress and anxiety, prenatal yoga can:

• Offer pain relief: It may help alleviate back pain, sciatica, and joint discomfort caused by pregnancy. 2
• Prepare you for labor: Breathing techniques help manage pain and encourage the release of oxytocin, which can help labor progress more smoothly. 7
• Help manage your weight: Participating in activities like prenatal yoga helps maintain your body’s fitness in a safe, pregnancy-friendly way.

Outside of the physical benefits, prenatal yoga classes also give you a place to connect with other moms-to-be.

You’ll need to avoid or modify certain yoga poses when pregnant. Headstands and shoulder stands, for example, can put you at risk of falling and could make you dizzy.

Moreover, poses with deep twists or forward bends may compress your abdomen and restrict blood flow to your baby or other body parts. 8 The same goes for overly deep backbends and extreme abdominal stretches, which could overstretch your muscles and the ligaments that support your belly. 9

While each instructor will do things slightly differently, here’s what you can generally expect from a prenatal yoga class:

• Introduction: Many prenatal yoga sessions start with a group conversation in which you can share how far along you are and any aches or discomforts you have, then discuss what you’d like to focus on.
• Breathing exercises: You’ll then usually go into some guided breathing exercises to calm your mind, followed by some gentle stretches and movements to loosen up your muscles and joints.
• Postures: Your instructor will then guide you through a series of strength-building standing poses that will improve your posture, along with pregnancy-safe seated and reclining poses that enhance your flexibility and relax you.
• Relaxation: Most classes end with a deep relaxation pose (Savasana). While this is normally done lying on the back, when you’re pregnant, you’ll do it in a side-lying position, often with support from a bolster for added comfort.

Can you do prenatal yoga at home?

If you can’t make it to a class, why not try online prenatal yoga videos? Make sure to follow an instructor certified in prenatal yoga and use props to modify your practice if you need to. Also, it’s generally a good idea to run any at-home workouts by your doctor first.

Here are a few safe poses you can try out at home:

• Cat-cow pose: To relieve back pain and improve spinal flexibility.
• Goddess pose: To strengthen your legs and open your hips.
• Supported squat: To prepare your pelvis for labor.
• Side-lying Savasana: This is a safe relaxation pose, particularly in later pregnancy.
• Low lunge with side lean: To create space around your ribs and relieve tension.
• Cobbler’s pose: To encourage hip flexibility and help you relax.

Some of the best pregnancy tracker apps also include other helpful exercise for you to try once you get the okay from your doctor.

As your pregnancy progresses and your body’s needs change, so will your prenatal yoga routine.

In the first trimester, if you’re dealing with morning sickness, try swapping the downward dog pose for the cat-cow pose, which you may find gentler and easier to do.

Your second trimester is a great time to focus on hip-openers and strength-building poses like squats, which support your muscles while your body adapts to your growing belly.

By the third trimester, you’ll want to prioritize relaxation, meditation, and breathing techniques to help prepare both your body and your mind for labor and delivery.

Note that lying on your back isn’t recommended past the first trimester, as it affects blood flow to the uterus. Substitute safer poses for ones that involve lying flat on the back for the remainder of your pregnancy.

As with any workout during pregnancy, listen to your body when you’re doing prenatal yoga. If you feel pain or experience discomfort, stop immediately. If you get dizzy, short of breath, have contractions, or experience vaginal bleeding, call your doctor. 11

Drink water before, during, and after class to stay hydrated. Skip hot yoga and overly strenuous routines so you don’t get overheated. 9 You can use props like bolsters and blocks to help you stay safe and comfortable in certain poses.

Again, as we just mentioned, avoid any poses that involve lying on your back past the end of the first trimester (week 12 of your pregnancy).

How much prenatal yoga should you do each week?

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), pregnant women should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. 9

While prenatal yoga may not be quite as intense as cardio-based pregnancy workouts like swimming or jogging, you could still work your way up to around 150 minutes a week. You can start off with just 5 minutes a day, then gradually build up until you reach 30 minutes a day, which you could split over 5 days. 9

You don’t have to be a seasoned yogi—or even to have ever done yoga before—to enjoy the benefits of prenatal yoga. Whether it’s in a class or at home, practicing with care and intention will help you feel strong, supported, and ready to meet your baby.