A Guide To Pregnancy Yoga

Pregnancy is a time of beautiful change and it’s so important that we find time during this transition to nourish, strengthen and support our bodies, minds, breath and most importantly our connection to our baby, and pregnancy yoga is a wonderful way to do this. 

The below lists the key precautions and areas to be mindful of as you practice yoga during your pregnancy. As it’s such a time of change within a women’s body, it’s so important that we respect and nurture that change, rather than resisting it. 

1. Be mindful as you practice, tuning into how you feel both physically and emotionally. Many women feel very different from day to day during their pregnancy, and these classes are here to support you no matter how you feel. The more you’re able to share with the teacher before class, the more they will be able to support you.

2. Let your teacher know about any specific pains or injuries. It’s not uncommon to suffer with issues such as heartburn, pelvic girdle pain and carpal tunnel and each class can be adapted to suit you.

3. Avoid moving too fast or rushing your practice, instead move slowly and gently, resting whenever you need to and never jumping from pose to pose.

4. Let the movements be fluid and not forceful, avoiding holding any pose for longer than five breaths.

5. If you’re practising sun salutations come up and down slower than normal and be aware that this may make you feel dizzy and is therefore unadvisable if you are suffering from low or high blood pressure. 

6. Avoid core work, crunching into the baby, inversions (these put a lot of pressure on your lower back) and closed twists. If forward folds feel awkward then avoid those too.

7. If lying on your front doesn’t feel right, then avoid this. Likewise, many women find lying on their back after 30 weeks feels uncomfortable too, instead you can lie on your side.

8. Let the breath be full and steady, when you’re pregnant your heart is already working much harder than normal so don’t overly control the breath or hold it in. During this precious time we don’t need to link each movement with a specific breath – just do what feels right in your body and ensure that no matter what asana (yoga posture) we’re in you can breathe deeply and fully.

9. During your pregnancy you will have more of the hormone relaxin in your body, which means you may be more flexible than normal. Please be conscious of this and don’t continue pushing into the deepest possible expression of a stretch. This is especially relevant if you’re practising while pregnant in a regular yoga class.

10. Use the props provided to support you and your baby, especially during savasana and other periods of rest. Always supporting your knees with bolsters or blocks in baddha konasana (butterfly pose).

11. Use your practise as a time to relax, connect with yourself and most importantly to connect with your baby.

To help get you started, here are our favourite nourishing pregnancy yoga classes:

Pregnancy Flow
Yoga
15 mins

Pregnancy Flow

with Natasha Wood

In just 15 minutes, this yoga flow aims to help you feel relaxed and restored, perfect for any time or place during your pregnancy.

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Pregnancy Vinyasa Flow
Yoga
20 mins

Pregnancy Vinyasa Flow

with Ella Mills

This flow is designed for people who have been practising yoga for a while before pregnancy, and are keen to still continue their practice throughout their pregnancy. In this flow, you'll see how you can adapt a classic vinyasa flow for pregnancy, giving you the knowledge and insights to adapt your other practices to pregnancy.

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Active Pregnancy Warrior Flow
Yoga
15 mins

Active Pregnancy Warrior Flow

with Ella Mills

This 15-minute short flow is the perfect way to feel more energised, no matter what stage of pregnancy you are in. Ella guides you through this full body dynamic flow leaving you feeling energised and ready to face the rest of your day.

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Feel Good Pregnancy Flow For Shoulders & Hips
Yoga
30 mins

Feel Good Pregnancy Flow For Shoulders & Hips

with Lisa Hood

A calming, grounding flow to release tension and create space in the shoulders, hips and hamstrings with lots of lovely options depending on how you feel. A modified flow with high lunges, warrior two, goddess pose, open twists and standing side body stretches.

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Chilled Pregnancy Flow
Yoga
20 mins

Chilled Pregnancy Flow

with Ella Mills

This is a lovely chilled pregnancy flow for anyone who has been practising yoga before their pregnancy and wants to continue their practice as part of a fit and healthy pregnancy. Listen to your body, and only do what feels right.

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Grounding Pregnancy Flow
Yoga
20 mins

Grounding Pregnancy Flow

with Ella Mills

This is a lovely, grounding and chilled flow for anyone who is pregnant. As always only do what feels good, and if you are having a normal, fit & healthy pregnancy.

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Pregnancy Hip Opening
Yoga
15 mins

Pregnancy Hip Opening

with Ella Mills

This 15-minute flow really focuses on helping you work into your hips and stretching out your body as you feel that bit tighter during your pregnancy.

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Strong Pregnancy Vinyasa
Yoga
30 mins

Strong Pregnancy Vinyasa

with Ella Mills

This 30-minute flow is all about moving to feel good. Ella guides you through a full body flow that gets your heart pumping and feeling promising to lift your mood.

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Hip Opening Pregnancy Flow
Yoga
20 mins

Hip Opening Pregnancy Flow

with Ella Mills

This flow helps work on hip flexibility & mobility, as well as building a bit of strength in just 15 minutes to help you feel great. While this is a gentle class, it's important to take this class at your own pace when pregnant, so only do what feels good.

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