Can you do yoga in early pregnancy?

If you’ve just found out you’re pregnant, you may well be wondering whether it is safe for you to start, or continue, practising yoga in your first trimester. Pregnancy yoga is a highly recommended form of exercise during pregnancy, and yoga is a very popular form of movement, so this is a question a lot of women will ask themselves.

However, if you are to trust a quick Google or ChatGTP search, or looking into local or online pregnancy yoga classes, it would seem that you shouldn’t really start before you are in your second trimester, or before 14 weeks or 16 weeks for some studios.

Does this mean that yoga isn’t safe during the first trimester? Is yoga in early pregnancy a big no, no? Or, can you continue to practice and exercise like you did before you got pregnant, as long as you feel your growing bump doesn’t get in the way?

There are a lot of myths and misinformation out there, which can make it all very confusing, especially at this vulnerable time of early pregnancy when you might feel everything is new and the last thing you’d want is to do anything ‘risky’ for your pregnancy or baby.

In this blog, I debunk these myths and share my perspective on what I think is good to do and avoid in early pregnancy.

Should I wait for my 12-week scan before doing pregnancy yoga?

The main sad fact we have to consider here is that, unfortunately, approximately 1 out of 4 women will experience a miscarriage, and the vast majority of these miscarriages will happen during the first trimester.
Despite the fact that all but an extremely tiny proportion of these miscarriages will NOT be linked in any shape or form to something that a woman did (or didn’t do) – including any form of exercise or yoga practice - for liability reasons, yoga studios and most yoga teachers do not want to run the risk of their class being associated with a miscarriage, and therefore open their classes to women from their second trimester only (the irony is that insurers won’t place any restrictions on welcoming women in early pregnancy in general classes… it makes no sense!)

What research tells us is that there is actually no evidence that practising yoga in the first trimester can be harmful. Additionally, neither the NHS nor the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) make any mention of the first trimester as a risky period to exercise.
They also recommend that women stay active throughout pregnancy, as long as they listen to their body, adapt and ‘don’t bump the bump’.

So is exercise and yoga in early pregnancy ok?

My personal stance is that, far from being dangerous or unadvisable, practising yoga in early pregnancy can actually be hugely beneficial. It can help you deal with the common exhaustion, sickness/nausea, stress and anxiety of these first few weeks & months, and provide some much-needed grounding and space to process these huge news and transformation to come, at a time when most pregnant women are often offered no real support or standard care until their 12 week scan, whilst being told the first trimester is the most critical time of their pregnancy.

However, because the first trimester - like any other stage of pregnancy - is a very particular, sensitive time for you, your body and your baby, I I believe the first trimester (and pregnancy as a whole) calls for an ADAPTED type of practice, whether this is in a general class (although this can be harder to achieve) or in a pregnancy yoga class. A form of practice that matches your energy and supports your well-being at this often exhausting and uncomfortable time, and respects all the changes that are happening in your body, even if there is no ‘bump’ to show for it as yet.

You can read my thoughts on why I believe a specific pregnancy yoga practice is not the same as - and yields specific benefits compared to a general practice in pregnancy here.

What yoga poses should I avoid in the first trimester of pregnancy?

Because of the research mentioned above, I think it’s important to remember that it’s extremely unlikely that any specific movement or practice will cause direct harm to your baby or pregnancy.

The most common yoga poses that are most often mentioned as needing to be avoided in pregnancy as those that compress the belly: prone poses (lying on your front) like cobra, sphinx and upward facing down, closed twists, forward folds and child’s pose without taking the knees apart. However, in early pregnancy/until your bump emerges, the uterus hasn’t grown out of the pelvic space as yet and so your bab is well-protected inside the pelvis cavity, as well as surrounded and cushioned by amniotic fluid, so it is unlikely to be affected by temporary, low intensity compression.

This said, these poses might actually create discomfort in your body from early pregnancy onwards, such as triggering or worsening heartburn / acid reflux, indigestion or discomforted from bloating/bloatedness, and then obvious, unpleasant feelings of restriction as your pregnancy progresses, in an area we generally want to promote spaciousness around, rather than restriction.

In the same vein, other yoga poses or practices might feel uncomfortable or unsupportive at this specific time, so let yourself be guided by your body, your sensations and energy levels.

For example, you might want to avoid any gentle or stronger inversions, such as puppy pose, downward facing dog, shoulder stand or head/handstand if you are suffering from nausea, morning sickness, heartburn, indigestion, low blood pressure and/or headaches.

Equally, if you are feeling exhausted, wobbly or have had some fainting episodes, you probably want to skip stronger, fast practices such as vinyasa flows and strong/long standing sequences, and prefer slow practices/classes and sequences closer to the ground either sitting, lying or on all fours.

What yoga poses and practices are recommended in early pregnancy?

As a pregnancy yoga teacher, I much prefer focusing on the DOs than the DON’Ts, and thinking about what might feel and be positively beneficial at each stage of pregnancy.

Of course, every woman will be different, and there will be variations depending on whether you are a beginner or an experienced yoga practitioner, and what your energy levels are like. But here are key aspects and yoga practices I think are most beneficial to focus on in the first trimester.

• Foundations of posture / awareness of postural habits and alignment in all positions (standing, all fours, sitting, lying), before your body, spine curves and posture get affected by the changes of your pregnancy, growing bump and shift of your centre of gravity. This will create a supportive base for greater comfort throughout pregnancy and balance in all your tissues, which can contribute to easeful movement and positioning of your baby for birth.

Poses to focus on: Mountain pose, Easy pose, Tabletop, Pelvic tilts

• Breath awareness and breathing practices to calm the mind, gently increase breathing capacity and foster connection with your developing baby. Avoid (or stop) any breath practices that involve any breath holding as your baby and placenta need a continuous supply of oxygen, and practicing ‘keeping your breath flowing no matter what’ is a deeply supportive practice in preparation for birth.

Supportive practices: watching the breath in/out, golden thread breath, heart/womb breath

• Upper body stretches and mobility, to support breath awareness and deep breathing, release tension and help relieve heartburn

Poses to focus on: Seated side bends, Cow arms, mini supported Camel

• Grounding and centring practices, to fostering steadiness and help balance emotions and feelings when hormones are running wild!

Poses to focus on: Mountain pose, Tree pose and other simple balances, Warrior 1, Balancing breath

• Supported rest in restorative poses and guided relaxation: probably the most undervalued and yet most beneficial practice in early pregnancy, and throughout pregnancy! Supporting your nervous system, promoting balance and deep restoration as your body uses tremendous amount of energy embedding and growing a new human being, and setting foundations for deep, comfortable sleep and an increase ability to relax and release, which will prove invaluable both for birth and postpartum.

Poses to focus on: Supported Child’s pose, Reclined Goddess with bolster, Legs up the wall, Yoga Nidra

If you would like to explore these and more progressive, supportive practices with more guidance, have a look at my online pregnancy yoga course and library, the Pregnancy Yoga Collection, or if you are local to me, why not join us for a weekly pregnancy yoga class in Richmond or Kew, which are open from the first trimester all the way to the birth of your baby.

Don’t let your first trimester get in the way of keeping your body moving with ease, creating foundations for a comfortable pregnancy, and getting a chance to start connecting with your baby.