Pregnancy Yoga Guidelines

Our Pregnancy Yoga classes provide a range of safe and effective movements, postures, breathing practices, relaxation and more. Hannah is a very experienced Pregnancy Yoga teacher and can advise you if you have any specific questions or concerns.

There are some general guidelines to bear in mind when you practice Yoga during pregnancy.

Yoga and Pregnancy – guidelines for safe practice.

Please let your teacher know if anything changes in your pregnancy, for example if you are told you have a low lying placenta, or if you develop SPD (Pelvic Girdle Pain), or if you are carrying twins.

General Guidelines for practice

  • It is advisable to check with your midwife or doctor that there are no complications before you start a course of yoga classes.
  • Most miscarriages occur during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy so if you are new to yoga then it may be best to wait until your pregnancy is firmly established before attending a yoga class.
  • Blood sugar levels can dip more frequently during pregnancy so a light snack before class is fine.
  • Avoid compression of the abdominal region, so avoid postures where you are lying on your front (eg the Cobra pose).
    In Shashankasana (‘Childs pose’) have knees wide so there is space for your abdomen.
  • The abdominals are already challenged by the growing baby, so any asana which involves a lot of effort with the abdominal muscles, such as Naukasana / boat pose, should be avoided.
  • Blood pressure often lowers during pregnancy so if you feel dizzy in any of the standing practices stop and sit on a chair or kneel and lean forwards.

As a general principle, leave out anything that feels uncomfortable and bear in mind that things will change day by day.

Forward bends

  • For the 1st and sometimes into 2nd trimester, if you have nausea then you may not be comfortable bending forwards. You may need to avoid or modify postures such as a standing forward bend or ‘downward dog’ (also called ‘Mountain pose’).

Backward Bends

  • Avoid strong backward bends. This is true for everyone as strong backward bends serve no functional purpose and risk damaging the spine. It is particularly important for pregnancy backward bending postures can compress the lower back and pull uterine ligaments.

Lying Down

  • Do not lie on your back with legs straight. This puts too much pressure on the inferior vena cava artery which returns blood from the legs.
  • Up to 30 weeks, you can lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on floor, with a thin cushion under the right hip.
  • It is best to lie on your left side for relaxation and Yoga Nidra instead of on your back. Have a cushion between your baby and the floor and a cushion or blocks for your upper leg to rest on.
    If you need help with this position please ask.

Side Bends

  • Practice side bends with care. Ligaments are more easily over-stretched during pregnancy.

Squatting

  • Care should be taken in deep squats and in some cases (such as late pregnancy or a breech baby) they should be avoided.

Spinal Twists

  • Take care with spinal twists not to compress the abdominal region.
  • Gentle twists which involve the thoracic (middle) spine are recommended, but you should avoid any feeling of twisting in the lumbar spine.

Inverted Postures

  • Suitability for inversions depends on how a woman feels, the placement of the placenta – and her prexisting experience of Yoga.
  • Gentle inversions such as Downward Dog / Mountain pose may be suitable for pregnant women.
  • Half Shoulderstand might suit some pregnant women (if they are used to it) but not others.
  • Avoid full inversions such as Headstand and Handstand, unless you are already a very experienced practitioner. The preparations for these poses may be beneficial for pregnant women.

Breathing / Pranayama

  • When practising breathing exercises do not hold the breath in or out as this restricts flow of oxygen to baby.
  • Kapalabhati and Bhastrika are not recommended for pregnancy.
  • Avoid over breathing. If you feel dizzy at any point with a breathing practice (for example when practising Humming Bee breath or Ujjayi) you should stop and return to your normal breathing.