Pregnancy Yoga: Strength, Stillness and the Power of Preparation

I’ll never forget a mama who came to my prenatal yoga class around 16 weeks. Afterwards, she pulled me aside and said, kindly but directly, “Honestly, that was too easy.” Still, she returned to class week after week.

At 36 weeks, she pulled me aside again. This time her voice was softer. “I owe you an apology,” she said. “This isn’t about a workout. But I feel stronger than I ever imagined. I feel ready. And I’m not afraid anymore. I’m excited to meet my baby.”

That’s the power and transformation.

Pregnancy Yoga is more than movement. It’s a practice of grounding yourself — emotionally, mentally, physically — during a period that’s exciting and beautifully overwhelming. It offers you a path to connect deeply with your changing body and the life growing within you.

The Wisdom of a Slower Practice

When I began teaching pregnancy yoga in 2007, I was cautious. I worried about women overdoing it — overstretching due to the hormone relaxin, which softens ligaments in preparation for birth. I noticed how energy dipped, especially in the first and third trimesters. I saw how hard it could be to breathe deeply as baby pressed against the diaphragm.

But as the years passed, I realized something powerful:

Pregnant women are fierce.

They are strong. Resilient. Capable. And yoga doesn’t push them beyond their limits — it helps them remember their inner strength while honoring the changes happening in their bodies. Yoga is not only safe; it’s profoundly supportive.

Why Pregnancy Yoga Matters

Pregnancy yoga offers benefits on and off the mat. It:

• Relieves physical tension and common discomforts

• Improves circulation and digestion

• Promotes deeper, more restful sleep

• Supports pelvic mobility and fetal development and positioning

• Strengthens the core and pelvic floor for labor and postpartum recovery

But maybe more importantly — it helps you feel present, calm, and connected. To your body. To your baby. To your breath. To the unfolding of yourself as a mother.

Top Pregnancy-Safe Poses for Strength, Space & Soothing

In yoga, the word asana means “seat.” In pregnancy, we think of the pelvis as your seat — your center of gravity, your foundation. Pregnancy yoga balances the need for stability in the lower back and hips with the mobility needed for birth.

Here are a few top poses I return to again and again:

Top 3 Standing Poses for Strength & Grounding

• Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) – Opens the side body and strengthens the legs

• Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) – Builds stamina and focus. Releives tight hips.

• Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) – Anchors the back while opening the chest and hips. Relieves tightness in the psoas.

Top Seated Pose for Pelvic Space & Breath

• Wide-Legged Straddle with Spinal Rotation (Upivista Konasa) – Encourages space in the pelvis and gently opens the lower back. Promotes digestion

Top Restorative Pose for Soothing and Softening

• Bound Angle Pose (Badha Konasana) – Opens the hips, supports digestion and calms the nervous system. Activates the Relaxation Response.

Stephanie demonstrates poses so you can practice safely, connect to your baby and prepare for birth.

Your Breath: The Bridge Between You and Baby

Perhaps the most transformative part of pregnancy yoga is breath awareness.

Through mindful breathing, you:

• Prepare for labor with calm, rhythmic breathing techniques

• Regulate emotions and reduce anxiety

• Nourish your baby with oxygen-rich breath

• Develop the foundation for bonding and soothing — even after birth

Your breath is a thread that carries you from pregnancy into motherhood. It’s a tool that supports you, long after you leave the yoga mat.

More Than a Class: A Circle of Support

If you’re considering joining a Pregnancy Yoga class, find one led by someone who deeply understands birth — like a doula or childbirth educator. In my classes, I weave in education and tools throughout pregnancy, so mamas don’t feel like they have to “learn it all” in one hospital weekend. They embody it — over time.

Perhaps most powerfully: when you show up week after week, you join a community. You build trust and share stories and information. You laugh and cry together. You may even make lifelong friends. This connection — especially in the tender postpartum months — is a balm.

You Were Made for This

Pregnancy yoga isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about softening into your own strength and cultivating trust in your inner wisdom.

It’s about preparing for birth — not with fear, but with trust.
It’s about creating space — in your body and in your life — for something sacred to enter.
It’s about knowing you’re not alone — and you never have to be.

Whether you're 12 weeks or 32 weeks, the practice of yoga will support you.

You’re ready…

Your breath is waiting.
Your body is calling.
Your baby is listening.

Begin safely practicing today to strengthen, connect to your baby and prepare for birth and motherhood.