Yoga During Pregnancy in the First Trimester: The Dos, Don't and Benefits

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Did you know that yoga can be a great way to stay healthy during your pregnancy? In this blog post, we will teach you all about yoga during pregnancy in the first trimester.

We will go over the many benefits of prenatal yoga and explain if and how to modify your yoga routine to make it safe for you in the first trimester. We will also give you a list of 7 great yoga poses for the first trimester and explain why they are beneficial.

Finally, we will provide links to 5 great first-trimester yoga routines on youtube. We hope that this information helps keep you healthy and happy during your pregnancy!

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Yoga During Pregnancy in the First Trimester

Prenatal yoga is a great way to stay healthy during your pregnancy. It can help you improve your flexibility, strength, and balance. Yoga also helps to relieve stress and tension.

In the first trimester of pregnancy, yoga can benefit you on so many levels! The first trimester of pregnancy can be a trying time on your mind and body.

You might be overwhelmed (with joy, fear, regret, anticipation, excitement) by any number of emotions. Positive or negative, they are still pretty overwhelming!

You are probably exhausted, nauseous, and more, and yoga can help you through it.

Pregnancy yoga is a great way to connect with your body and your growing baby.

Practicing yoga during pregnancy in the first trimester can benefit:

Your strength
Your flexibility
Your comfort
Your mindset
Your breathing
Your sleeping
Some poses can even help nausea

How to Modify Your Yoga Routine during the First Trimester of Pregnancy

There are a few modifications you will need to make to your yoga routine in the first trimester of pregnancy. But as with most exercise during pregnancy, not much changes in the first trimester of pregnancy.

If you have been working out, you are usually ok to work out in the same manner. Just be extra careful to listen to your body! Learn how to exercise safely during pregnancy from a Certified Personal Trainer.

When doing yoga in the first trimester of pregnancy, you are still very small. Your baby is still very small in the first trimester as well and though your body is making huge changes on the inside, not much will change on the outside.

If you were practicing yoga prior to conception, with your doctors’ clearance you can continue in the same manner.

As your pregnancy progresses past the first trimester, it is important to avoid poses that put pressure on your uterus and you should also avoid any type of yoga that involves lying on your back. But you don’t need to pay much attention to these limitations until right around mid-pregnancy.

It is important to note that right from the beginning of pregnancy both your balance and endurance begin to decline. This is more from hormonal changes than anything else at this point. Later on in your pregnancy, these symptoms are of course exacerbated by the growing size and weight of your baby and yourself.

That’s what I love about the yoga in The Perfect Pregnancy Fitness Plan. I mean, the entire course is designed to address all the physical struggles a pregnant woman will face throughout her pregnancy before they become a huge issue. Like addressing balance in the first trimester yoga routine of the Perfect Pregnancy Fitness Plan.

You should avoid Bikram yoga and most hot yoga all throughout your pregnancy. Bikram yoga takes place at 105 degrees. But you can check with your hot yoga facilities to see what temperature they set the thermostat for their classes. Some are kept as low as 80 degrees, which would be fine, that’s like doing yoga on a summer’s day. But they can range up to 100 degrees, which you should avoid.

Also, you may need to modify balance moves in your yoga practice even in the first trimester of pregnancy. There is nothing wrong with lightly holding or touching the wall or a chair for balance during your prenatal yoga practice.

This is also the perfect time to learn about how to practice yoga in the second trimester of pregnancy and if you want to look a bit ahead you can read or bookmark everything you need to know about yoga in the third trimester of pregnancy.

What kind of yoga is in the Perfect Pregnancy Fitness Plan?

The PPP is the most revolutionary two-part prenatal diet and nutrition plan on the market. It is the only nutrition plan based on the most recent finding regarding epigenetics during pregnancy and includes a nutrition plan that will literally help you grow a healthier baby by essentially turning on the good genes and turning off the bad.

The PPP is also is the only 40-week prenatal fitness plan that addresses the needs of a mothers’ changing body through the course of pregnancy before encountering discomforts.

Where you will strengthen your balance through yoga in the first trimester before you are too big.
Where you will learn to strengthen your core and pelvic floor safely from the first trimester throughout your entire pregnancy, not only making you more comfortable while pregnant but also making labor and postpartum recovery easier.
Where you will learn to strengthen your back before your belly is pulling it out of alignment.
And so much more!

I love that the Perfect Pregnancy Plan has a yoga routine for each trimester. In fact, you can try out the third trimester “prepping for labor” yoga right here! This routine is safe for any trimester too.

Yoga Poses for Your First Trimester Yoga During Pregnancy Practice

The following poses are great for prenatal yoga during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Cat/Cow pose for the first trimester:

Cat/Cow image from Every Day Yoga

This is a great pose to help relieve lower back pain. It also helps to open up your chest and improve spinal flexibility.

To do Cat/Cow Pose: Come onto all fours with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Inhale as you drop your belly button to the floor and look up, arching your spine. Exhale as you tuck your chin to your chest, rounding your spine. Repeat this sequence for five breaths.

Downward Dog for the first trimester:

This pose is great for improving circulation, relieving stress, and stretching your hamstrings and calves.

To do Downward Dog: Start in a kneeling position with your hands flat on the floor in front of you. Place your palms together if this is comfortable for you. Step both feet back so that you are in an inverted V-shape with your heels pressed into the ground and your head hanging down. Hold for five breaths.

Warrior I pose for the first trimester:

This pose is great for strengthening your legs and improving balance.

To do Warrior I: Step your left foot forward about three feet, keeping your heel down. Turn your left foot so that the toes are pointing to the right and raise your arms overhead, locking your fingers together. Bend your right knee until it is directly over your ankle. Hold for five breaths and switch sides.

Chair pose for your first trimester prenatal yoga routine:

This pose is great for strengthening your thighs, buttocks, and hips.

To do Chair Pose: Start standing with your feet together. Bend down at the waist as if you are sitting in a chair, keeping your back straight. Hold for five breaths.

Upward Dog pose for the 1st trimester:

This pose is great for increasing energy, strengthening your arms and wrists, and stretching your chest. Enjoy this amazing stretch of a pose now because it will be off the table soon!

To do Upward Dog Pose: Lay face down on your mat, toes pointed out behind you, and place your hands palm down at your sides. Inhale as you push upward and lift your head, shoulders, and chest up while keeping your hands firmly placed at your sides on the floor. Continue to raise upward by lifting your hips and legs off the floor, supported only by your hands and the tops of your feet.

Hold for five breaths.

Bridge pose is great for the first trimester:

This pose is great for relieving lower back pain and stretching your chest, neck, and hips.

To do Bridge Pose: Lie flat on your back with feet flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart, legs bent to 90 degrees. Place your arms by your sides, palms down. On an inhalation, press your feet and palms into the floor, and lift your torso and upper legs into the air, extending your hips until your thighs and torso are in line with each other, like a bridge. Keep your head on the floor. Hold for five breaths. This is a great pose to practice your kegels in.

Fish pose for the 1st trimester of pregnancy:

This pose is great for increasing energy, stretching your chest and neck, and relieving stress.

To do Fish Pose: Start by lying on your back on the mat with your legs stretched out in front of you. Place your hands on the floor beside you and press down to lift your torso and upper legs off the floor, so that your hips are elevated and your head and shoulders are resting on the floor. Hold for five breaths.

Prenatal Yoga Routines to do During the First Trimester (Videos)

Wrapping Up Yoga During the First Trimester of Pregnancy

There are many benefits to prenatal yoga, which is why it has become so popular in recent years and is incorporated into every trimester of the 40-week Perfect Pregnancy Fitness Plan.

Prenatal yoga can help improve sleep, relieve stress and anxiety, improve circulation and digestion, build strength and endurance, and prepare you for childbirth.

Prenatal yoga is a great way to stay active and healthy during your pregnancy. It can be safely practiced by most pregnant women, regardless of their stage of pregnancy. Prenatal yoga classes usually include a variety of poses that are modified to meet the needs of pregnant women.

If you’re new to yoga, it’s best to start with a prenatal yoga class. However, if you’re experienced in yoga and are comfortable practicing poses on your own, there are only a few modifications you need to make in the first trimester.

Yoga during Pregnancy in the First Trimester: The Benefits and How-To

Yoga During Pregnancy in the First Trimester

How to Modify Your Yoga Routine during the First Trimester of Pregnancy

What kind of yoga is in the Perfect Pregnancy Fitness Plan?