Pregnancy yoga, trimester by trimester

I adapt pregnancy yoga as your pregnancy progresses, with movement, breathing and rest. Here is how I approach the different stages in my class at HBY Studio in Lymington.

When you can join

I teach pregnancy yoga from 14 weeks onwards and do not take bookings for the first trimester. Speak to your midwife or GP before starting and let me know about your pregnancy when you book.

Second trimester: movement and support

This is usually the strongest window. We build the muscles that carry a growing bump — hips, glutes, mid-back — and open the places that complain first: chest, hip flexors, lower back. Twists become open twists, lying on the front ends, and balance poses gain a wall or a chair, because your centre of gravity moves weekly.

Third trimester: preparing for birth

From around 28 weeks the class quietly becomes birth preparation. Gentle movement and time to practise breathing — the same hypnobirthing breath we use on the course — and deep rest, because sleep is getting harder. I offer more support for postures as you need it.

What we avoid, and why

• Closed twists and strong core work — they compress the middle that is busy doing something else.
• Long spells flat on the back after mid-pregnancy — a bolster tilts you comfortably instead.
• Breath retention — every technique we use keeps the breath moving.
• Overstretching — relaxin makes joints looser than they feel; we work to comfort, not to range.

Every pregnancy is different. Speak to your midwife or GP before starting, especially with any complication and message me so we can discuss whether the class is suitable for you.

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