Phase 3 · Breathing You Can Take With You

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

30 Minute Prenatal Yoga Sequence for Breath and Calm

Weeks five and six. Shorter standing, longer breathing, and the practice you take with you.

The last two weeks shift the balance. Less standing, more breathing, and a longer guided rest. The reason is specific: in the trial with the clearest stress result, the deep relaxation was where the measurable change in the nervous system happened, and it grew larger between week twenty and week thirty-six. What you practise now is what will be available later.

30 min · Level 1

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When it helps

For weeks five and six, twice a week, and afterwards for as long as it suits. Thirty minutes. A chair, a bolster, cushions 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.

Stress

In the trial with an active control group, perceived stress fell by around a third in the yoga group while it rose in the comparison group.

Breath

Two part breathing and alternate nostril breathing, practised long enough to be usable rather than remembered.

Pelvis

The supported squat and wide kneeling, kept in because they stay comfortable as the weeks go on.

A little standing

Ten minutes upright, feet wide, chair in reach.

Tadasana

3 min

Mountain Pose

Feet hip width or wider. Two part breathing, slowly. Notice how much has changed since week one.

The same opening. By now the breathing should happen without being told.

Learn more about Tadasana

Parshva Tadasana

1 min each side

Mountain Pose with Side Bend

Up and over, feet wide, plenty of length at the front.

Room for the ribs, which matters more with every week.

Learn more about Parshva Tadasana

Virabhadrasana II

1 min each side

Warrior II

Wide stance, front knee over the ankle, hand on the chair if you want it.

One standing pose that keeps the legs carrying the weight.

Learn more about Virabhadrasana II

Trikonasana

1 min each side

Triangle Pose

Hand on the shin or chair seat, chest open.

A long side, and the last thing standing.

Learn more about Trikonasana

Malasana

2 min

Garland Pose

Supported squat on a block or the edge of a chair, heels on a rolled blanket.

Two minutes in the shape the pelvis likes. Support underneath is what makes it restful.

Learn more about Malasana

On the floor

Eight minutes on hands and knees or sitting.

Vajrasana

2 min

Thunderbolt Pose

Kneeling with the knees wide on a blanket.

The way down.

Learn more about Vajrasana

Marjaryasana

3 min

Cat Pose

Hands and knees, knees wide, rounding on the out breath, slowly.

The movement to keep for the rest of the pregnancy. Three minutes of it, every session.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath, small, without dropping the lower back.

The counter movement, kept small.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Balasana

2 min

Child's Pose

Knees very wide with a bolster lengthways underneath, head turned to one side.

Resting forward over something, which is easier than resting backwards from here on.

Learn more about Balasana

Breath and rest

Twelve minutes, the longest of the program. This is the part that showed the measurable change in the research.

Baddha Konasana

4 min

Butterfly Pose

Sitting, soles together, knees supported. Alternate nostril breathing for two minutes, then two part breathing for two more. No holding at any point.

Long enough that the breathing becomes something you have rather than something you were shown.

Learn more about Baddha Konasana

Savasana

8 min

Corpse Pose

Left side, cushion between the knees, one under the head, covered. Eight minutes of guided rest. Never flat on your back.

In the trial with the strongest stress result, the change measured during guided relaxation was larger at thirty-six weeks than at twenty. It grows with practice, which is the argument for doing eight minutes now.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 3 · Weeks 5 to 6

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Breathing You Can Take With You, the third 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.

See the whole program →

Integration

Twice a week for weeks five and six, then keep whichever parts still fit as the pregnancy goes on. The hands and knees work and the side-lying rest tend to be the last two standing at thirty-six weeks.

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

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