Phase 1 · Two Weeks to Settle In

Part of the 6 Week Prenatal Yoga Program for the Second Trimester

10 Minute Prenatal Yoga and Breathing Sequence

Ten minutes, seated and on hands and knees, ending on your side.

The short one, for the days between. Ten minutes of the two things worth doing often: moving the lower back out from under the load for a few minutes, and practising the breathing so it is available when it matters. It works on a bed as well as a floor.

10 min · Level 1

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When it helps

On the days between the main sessions, and any evening the lower back has had enough. Ten minutes, a cushion and a blanket. For the second trimester of an uncomplicated pregnancy, from about week 14 to week 28, with your midwife or doctor knowing you are doing it. No lying flat on your back, no closed twists, no poses on your front, no inversions and no breath holding: those are the standard modifications and this program is built around them rather than adding them afterwards. Stop and call your midwife for bleeding, contractions, fluid loss, severe headache or visual changes, dizziness beyond the usual, reduced movements, or a painful swollen calf.

Lower back

A few minutes on hands and knees takes the weight off in a way that sitting or lying down does not.

Breath

Alternate nostril breathing without holding. The component the research says carries the effect.

Availability

Ten minutes, no standing, no props beyond a cushion.

Ten minutes

Sit, move on hands and knees, breathe, and rest on your side.

Sukhasana

2 min

Easy Pose

Sitting on a cushion so the hips are above the knees. Two part breathing: into the belly, into the ribs, long breath out. No holding.

Sitting up on something makes the breath easier and the lower back happier. It is a small change with a large return.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Marjaryasana

3 min

Cat Pose

On hands and knees, knees wide, rounding the back on the out breath, slowly.

Three minutes with the bump hanging rather than being carried. It is the most direct relief available.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath, keeping the lower back from sagging. Small.

The other direction, kept small on purpose.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Baddha Konasana

2 min

Butterfly Pose

Sitting, soles together, knees supported on cushions. Alternate nostril breathing, gently, no holding.

The breathing practice, in the shortest form that still counts as practice.

Learn more about Baddha Konasana

Savasana

2 min

Corpse Pose

On your left side, cushion between the knees. Never flat on your back.

Two minutes on your side. The same ending as every session in this program, for the same reason.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 1 · Weeks 1 to 2

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Two Weeks to Settle In, the first phase of the 6 Week Prenatal Yoga Program for the Second Trimester. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

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Integration

Whenever it is needed, throughout the six weeks and for the rest of the pregnancy. The hands and knees part is worth keeping into the third trimester.

The teacher behind this sequence

Gründer & Autor

Manish Rana

Gründer von Asanaverse.de. Manish schreibt über Yoga, Ayurveda und Meditation und verdankt seine tiefe Verbindung zum Yoga seinen indischen Wurzeln. Mit über 1000 Stunden Yoga Alliance Teacher Training gibt er sein Wissen an die Community weiter.

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Go deeper into the poses

Every asana in this practice has a page of its own. You will find alignment cues, what the shape actually works on, and the energetics behind it.

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