Written by Rebecca Brunette, E-RYT 200, RPYT, prenatal yoga teacher at kāer. Reviewed by Jamie Kalynuik, Founder, kāer.
The first trimester is often the quietest part of pregnancy from the outside, and one of the most demanding on the inside. Energy dips, nausea comes and goes, and your body is already beginning to change.
Prenatal yoga can offer a steady place to land. These six poses build gentle strength, ease tension in the back and hips, and give you a few minutes to breathe and notice how you feel. You don’t need any yoga experience to begin.
Before you begin
Check with your doctor or midwife before starting or continuing exercise in pregnancy, especially if you have a complication or have been advised to limit activity. Avoid hot yoga and overheating, keep water nearby, and move at a pace that lets you breathe easily. Stop and contact your healthcare provider if you notice bleeding, leaking fluid, dizziness or faintness that doesn’t pass with rest, chest pain, or regular painful contractions.
1. Easy Pose
Begin in a comfortable seat. Rest one hand on your heart and the other on your belly, and let your spine grow tall. As you inhale, let the breath widen your ribs and belly. As you exhale, gently draw your lower belly in and up. Stay for 5 to 10 breaths, and let this be a moment to arrive.
Tip: Sitting on a bolster, block or folded blanket gives your hips more room and makes the pose easier to hold.
2. Cat and Cow
A gentle warm-up for the spine that also wakes up the deep core. Start on hands and knees, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Exhale to round your back into Cat, drawing your belly in and letting your gaze fall toward your navel. Inhale to return to a long, neutral spine. Continue for 5 to 10 breaths.
Tip: Keep the Cow shape small. Many people start to feel lower back ache in pregnancy, so aim for a long, neutral spine rather than a deep arch.
3. Open Twist
Gentle twists ease stiffness through the upper back, especially after a restless night. From hands and knees, extend your right leg along the mat. Inhale to sweep your right arm up and open your chest to the right. Exhale to lower the arm and thread it under your left arm. Continue for 3 to 5 breaths, then switch sides.
Tip: In pregnancy, choose open twists that turn away from your front leg rather than closed twists that press across your belly. They give your abdomen more space.
4. Low Lunge
Low Lunge opens the front of the hips and stretches the thighs, which often feel tight as posture begins to shift. From hands and knees, step your left foot forward beside your left hand. Inhale to sweep your arms up. Exhale to lengthen through the crown of your head and soften your shoulders down your back. Keep a gentle lift in your lower belly so your lower back doesn’t arch. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, then switch sides.
Tip: Place a folded blanket under your back knee for comfort. To build strength instead, lift the back knee into High Lunge.
5. Downward Dog
A familiar pose that stretches the backs of the legs and strengthens the arms and shoulders. From hands and knees, spread your fingers wide and tuck your toes. Exhale to lift your knees and send your hips up and back. Keep your knees soft if your hamstrings feel tight. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths.
Tip: If having your head below your heart brings on nausea or light-headedness, skip it. Sit in Staff Pose instead: legs straight out in front of you, hands beside your hips, spine tall.
6. Dolphin Push-Ups
Prenatal practice often focuses on hips and legs, but upper-body strength matters too, especially for the months of lifting and carrying ahead. From hands and knees, lower onto your forearms and lift your knees, as in Downward Dog. Inhale to shift forward until your chin is over your hands. Exhale to press back. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
Tip: Keep your knees down if the full version feels like too much for your core. The effort should feel steady, never strained.
To finish
End with a few minutes of rest in whatever position feels best: on your back with knees bent, or on your side with a pillow between your knees. Notice how your body feels now compared with when you started.
Common questions
Is it safe to do yoga in the first trimester?
For most healthy pregnancies, yes. Canada’s physical activity guidelines for pregnancy encourage regular movement throughout pregnancy, and gentle yoga is a common way to stay active. Check with your healthcare provider first, especially if you have any complications.
Which yoga poses should I avoid in the first trimester?
Avoid hot yoga, closed twists, deep backbends and anything that makes you hold your breath or strain. Skip any pose that causes pain, and adjust anything that brings on nausea.
Can I start yoga if I’ve never done it before?
Yes. Many people take their first yoga class during pregnancy. A prenatal class is a good place to start, because the whole class is designed around pregnancy and your instructor offers options throughout.
When can I start prenatal yoga classes?
At any point in pregnancy. At kāer, classes are booked one at a time, so there’s no series to wait for.
Keep going
- 6 Yoga Poses for Your Second Trimester
- 6 Prenatal Yoga Poses for Your Third Trimester
- A Guide to Yoga Poses in Pregnancy
Practise with us
Prenatal Yoga at kāer is designed for every trimester, at our studio in Leslieville, Toronto. Try the 3 Class Intro: three classes for $69.
