Phase 1 · Two Weeks to Settle In

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

30 Minute Prenatal Yoga Sequence for the Second Trimester

Weeks one and two. Pelvis, breath and the standing base, with every modification built in from the start.

The second trimester is usually the window where energy comes back and the bump has not yet rearranged everything. This is the sequence for the start of it: gentle pelvic movement, a standing base that takes load off the lower back, and the two breathing practices that carry through the rest of the program. Nothing here happens on your front, on your back, or in a closed twist.

30 min · Level 1

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When it helps

For the first two weeks of the program, twice a week, from about week 14 of pregnancy. Thirty minutes. A chair, two cushions and a bolster. 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

The best supported outcome in prenatal yoga research, across several independent reviews.

Pelvis and hips

Cat and cow, wide knees and a supported squat. Mobility now, while it is still easy to find.

Breath

Two part breathing and alternate nostril breathing, both without any holding.

Standing

Twelve minutes upright, feet wider than usual. A chair within reach for anything on one leg.

Tadasana

3 min

Mountain Pose

Feet hip width or wider, weight even. Two part breathing here: a slow breath into the belly, then into the ribs, and a long easy breath out. No holding at any point.

The standing base, and the breathing pattern from the trial protocol. Feet wider than normal is the change that most of this trimester asks for.

Learn more about Tadasana

Parshva Tadasana

1 min each side

Mountain Pose with Side Bend

One arm reaching up and over, feet wide. Reach rather than bend, and keep the front of the body long.

The ribs need somewhere to go as everything below them fills up. This is the simplest way to give them room.

Learn more about Parshva Tadasana

Urdhva Hastasana

2 min

Upward Salute

Both arms overhead, breathing into the ribs. Chair nearby.

Length through the whole side body, which the diaphragm appreciates in the weeks ahead.

Learn more about Urdhva Hastasana

Virabhadrasana II

1 min each side

Warrior II

A wide stance, front knee bent over the ankle, arms out. Hand on a chair back if balance is different from what it used to be.

Balance changes as your centre of gravity moves forward. A wide base and a chair are the honest response to that.

Learn more about Virabhadrasana II

Trikonasana

1 min each side

Triangle Pose

Feet wide, hand on the shin or a chair seat rather than the floor. Keep the chest turning open and leave room at the front.

A long side body over a wide base, in the version that leaves the bump alone.

Learn more about Trikonasana

Malasana

2 min

Garland Pose

A supported squat, feet wide and turned out, heels on a rolled blanket, sitting on a block or the edge of a chair. Elbows can press the knees gently wider.

The pelvic outlet opens in this shape, and it is comfortable now in a way it may not be later. Support underneath makes it restful rather than hard work.

Learn more about Malasana

On the floor

Ten minutes down low, all of it on hands and knees or sitting. Nothing on your front and nothing flat on your back.

Vajrasana

2 min

Thunderbolt Pose

Kneeling on a folded blanket with the knees wide, or sitting on a chair.

The way down, taken slowly, with knees wide enough that there is room in front.

Learn more about Vajrasana

Marjaryasana

3 min

Cat Pose

On hands and knees, knees wide, rounding the back on the out breath. Move slowly and keep the movement in the upper and middle back.

The most useful movement of this whole trimester. It takes weight off the lower back for a moment, which almost nothing else in a day does.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

2 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath, without letting the lower back drop. A small movement.

The other direction, kept small. A deep sag in the lower back is the one thing to avoid here.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Breath and rest

Eight minutes of seated breathing and a side-lying rest. This part is not optional: in the research, the programs without it did not work.

Baddha Konasana

3 min

Butterfly Pose

Sitting on a cushion, soles of the feet together, knees supported. Alternate nostril breathing here, gently and without holding the breath at any point.

In the depression analysis, integrated practice with breathing and relaxation had a clear effect and asana alone did not. This is that component.

Learn more about Baddha Konasana

Savasana

5 min

Corpse Pose

Lie on your left side with a cushion between the knees and one under the head. Not flat on your back. Five minutes of guided rest.

From about week twenty, lying flat can compress a major vein and drop your blood pressure. Side-lying is the version of this pose for the rest of your pregnancy.

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.

See the whole program →

Integration

Twice a week for the first two weeks, plus ten minutes on other days. If a pose stops feeling right as the bump grows, take it wider or use the chair. That is not a modification, it is the pose in this 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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