Is yoga safe during pregnancy at all?

Gentle, adapted yoga is widely considered safe once your doctor or midwife has cleared you to exercise, and public health bodies such as the NHS and ACOG list it among suitable activities. The key words are adapted and cleared. Every prenatal session we teach starts with that confirmation.

Which trimester has the most restrictions?

The first trimester, when we stay especially cautious and keep everything gentle, and then from the second trimester onward the specific pose restrictions above apply, mainly around lying on your back, twisting and loading the abdomen. Your teacher adapts week by week rather than by a fixed list.

What if I feel dizzy, breathless, or have any pain or bleeding?

Stop, and contact your doctor or midwife straight away. Tell your teacher so the session can be adapted or paused. Your safety always comes first, and nobody will ever push you to continue.

Can I keep doing the yoga I did before pregnancy?

Mostly, with the poses above taken out and the intensity turned down. If you had a strong practice you may be able to keep more of it, but the rules on your back, your belly and your breath apply to everyone. A teacher who can see you is the safest way to work out what stays.

When can I start again after the birth?

After your postnatal check and your doctor's clearance, often around six weeks, and longer after a caesarean. We rebuild gently, with particular care for the core and the pelvic floor.

Prenatal yoga guide

Prenatal yoga poses to avoid, and what to do instead.

The short list every pregnant student should know, the reason behind each one, and how a 1:1 session adapts around it. Read it alongside your midwife's or doctor's advice, not instead of it.

Published 2026-10-10.

Pregnancy does not mean stopping yoga. It means changing it. Most of what makes a practice feel good, slow movement, steady breathing, proper rest, is exactly what pregnancy asks for. A small number of poses and techniques, though, work against a changing body, and they are worth knowing by name so you can skip them in any class, ours or anyone else's.

One rule above all the others: get your doctor's or midwife's clearance before you practise, and tell them if anything about your pregnancy is complicated. Everything below assumes a pregnancy they have cleared for gentle exercise.

The list.

1
Lying flat on your back, after early pregnancy
Why: From around the second trimester the weight of the uterus can press on the large vein that returns blood to the heart, which can leave you dizzy or breathless. Supine poses and final relaxation are the usual culprits.
Instead: Rest on your left side, or recline on a bolster set at an incline so your upper body stays raised. Side-lying relaxation replaces the usual flat finish.
2
Deep twists
Why: Closed twists compress the abdomen. Even gentle ones should stay open and away from the belly rather than wringing through it.
Instead: Open, upper-back twists that turn the chest away from the bent knee, kept small and comfortable.
3
Deep backbends
Why: Full wheel, camel and similar poses load an abdomen that is already stretching, and can strain the lower back as your centre of gravity moves forward.
Instead: A gentle supported bridge, cat-cow, and chest openers against a wall, all within a comfortable range.
4
Strong abdominal and core work
Why: Crunches, boat pose and planks held for strength can increase the separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis recti) that pregnancy already encourages.
Instead: Gentle pelvic-floor awareness and breathing that engages the deep core softly, which also prepares you for recovery after birth.
5
Lying on your belly
Why: Cobra, locust and bow put direct pressure on the abdomen. They are simply uncomfortable once there is a bump, and unnecessary before.
Instead: Cat-cow on hands and knees, and standing chest openers.
6
Strong inversions
Why: Headstand, shoulderstand and handstand carry a fall risk as your balance changes, and raise blood pressure in the head. Not worth it, at any stage.
Instead: Legs up the wall in early pregnancy if it feels good, a gentle downward dog with hands raised on blocks, or nothing inverted at all.
7
Breath-holding and strong, heating breath
Why: Holding the breath, and fast or forceful techniques like kapalbhati and bhastrika, change oxygen and blood pressure in ways nobody wants during pregnancy.
Instead: Soft, even breathing, gentle alternate-nostril breathing and humming breath, with no holds and no force.
8
Hot yoga, and anything that leaves you breathless
Why: Overheating and over-exertion are the two things every pregnancy exercise guideline warns against. If you cannot hold a conversation, it is too much.
Instead: A cool room, water nearby, and a pace at which you can always talk.

What a prenatal session looks like instead.

Taking poses out is the easy half. The harder half is building a practice that still does something for you: eases the back and hips, settles the breath, and gives you real rest. In a live 1:1 session the teacher can see you, so the session changes week to week as your body does.

Confirmation your doctor or midwife has cleared you to practise
Wall, chair, or bolster support for balance and comfort
Gentle movement within a stable, comfortable range, not deepening stretch
No deep twists, deep backbends, strong abdominal or core work, lying flat on the belly or (after early pregnancy) flat on the back, or strong inversions
Calm, natural breathing without straining, finishing with restful relaxation

The poses we lean on, grouped by what they do, are on the prenatal and postnatal yoga page.

Book a prenatal 1:1

Questions people ask first.

This is general guidance, not antenatal care

Every pregnancy is different. This page describes how we adapt a general yoga practice; it is not medical advice and cannot account for your history. Your doctor or midwife has the final say on what is safe for you, and we ask for their clearance before your first session.

Prenatal sessions here are taught by Dr Sangeeta, Yoga and Naturopathy Doctor.

Further reading, from public health bodies

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Prenatal yoga poses to avoid, and what to do instead.

The list.

Lying flat on your back, after early pregnancy

Deep twists

Deep backbends

Strong abdominal and core work

Lying on your belly

Strong inversions

Breath-holding and strong, heating breath

Hot yoga, and anything that leaves you breathless