Yoga During Pregnancy: Trimester Adaptations, Cautions, and Safety Tips

For All Pregnant Students

If you’re a pregnant student, especially one uncertain whether yoga and big life changes mix like oil and water, let’s talk about Prenatal Yoga Classes. Seriously, it’s a good place to start. We want to avoid more synchronized gasping than absolutely necessary, so skip breath retention and practices like the “breath of fire” for the, quite frankly, safe and sane territory of gentle Breathing Fundamentals. Stay cool, literally—don’t overheat, and if your heart’s pounding harder than a jackhammer, ease off. Standing poses? Keep those stances short and sweet, stretching to about 80% of your comfort zone. And for those poses that mistakenly think your belly is a pillow? Hands-and-knees variations are your new BFF, with a blanket under the knees for bonus points in comfort. Supine poses flat as a pancake, no thank you. Prop up, and modified Balasana (wide-legged child pose) will be your resting haven.

First Trimester (0-12 weeks)

Hold your horses during the first trimester. Gentle practices are your best friend as your body establishes its new “fetal” project management role. Avoid anything that has you upside down or doing somersaults, not to mention abdominal clenchers and pretzel twists. Your clever twists can make an encore appearance later, in a much gentler form, of course.

Second Trimester (13-27 weeks)

Navigating the second trimester? Bravo, that’s a longer stretch, with a few twists—pun entirely intended. Seriously, keep off your belly or back; compressing the vena cavae won’t win any popularity contests. Backbends and ab-centric maneuvers are out, along with anything that turns your belly into an accidental trampoline. No jumping about in poses, lest you turn this into Cirque du Soleil by mistake.

Third Trimester (28-40 weeks)

Ah, the third trimester, where comfort is elusive but following the rules isn’t. The guidelines for the second trimester still stand, this time with the baby’s position in the mix if you weren’t already Mother Nature’s chiropractic assistant. Long, restorative back poses could encourage a wrong-way-back-seat passenger. Engage in all-fours poses to guide your baby’s orientation away from ill-timed project management down your spine.

Contraindicated Pose List

For a pose to make the “naughty list” during pregnancy, the goal is to understand contraindications rather than cramming like it’s exam week. The big no-nos are Apanasana (Knees to Chest), Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose), Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), and other not-so-five-star choices. The second and third trimesters bring a ban on backbends, forward bends on steroids, and any exercise masquerading as a leap. Approaching the birth, please don’t make Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) a swan song.

For a more exhaustive guide—tell me you want a rule book without saying you want a rule book—on adapting yoga practices during pregnancy, visit this very sensible link.