At the risk of stating the obvious: pregnancy changes your body in more ways than one. Along with a growing bump, increased fatigue and periods of nausea, if you’re anything like me, you might also feel tightness and tension in your joints, all thanks to carrying some extra weight and your body preparing for labor.
In search of something that could help me ease some pregnancy-induced stiffness, I came across instructor Cat Meffan’s favorite five prenatal yoga movements, which she uses herself and in class. “For me, prenatal yoga targets two main groups of women,” the yogi and founder of Soul Sanctuary Retreats, told Tom’s Guide. “The first one would be for someone like me who has years of experience in the practice, learning how to modify their movements, so they can still feel empowered on the mat and connect to the sacred journey of movement whilst growing new life. The other is for those who may not have thought about doing yoga before, but are recommended to try pregnancy yoga because it is more restorative than other forms of movement.”
Meffan says that no matter your reasons for rolling out your yoga mat, both reasons are valid and can help any parent-to-be connect with their body, baby, and spend more time in a ‘mindful flow state’. And, as research has shown, doing so can be advantageous for more reasons than one. According to a 2022 review, published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, pregnancy yoga can have positive effects on “anxiety, depression, perceived stress, mode of birth and duration of labour”. While a second 2019 study found that prenatal yoga could help to increase perceived skills to assist with labour and the birth of a baby.
I was intrigued to see what would happen. Spoiler alert: these poses helped me find space in my spine, freedom in my chest, and offer up some relaxation amid a busy working week. Here are the exercises I got stuck into.
Watch how to do Cat Meffan’s five prenatal-approved yoga moves
1. Hip openers
Tight hips happen to the best of us. Whether we sit down for most of the day behind a desk or run on the regular. But, as I’ve discovered first-hand, tension in your hips can also occur during pregnancy.
“Getting the lower body, hips, and pelvis used to opening, activating, and relaxing, whilst using deep breathing is good birth preparation,” Meffan explains.
I found that adopting the garland pose (AKA a deep yogi squat) helped stretch out my hip flexors and bring some relief to my lower back pain. It’s also a pose that got easier and more comfortable the more times I did it.
Do note: “We need to be mindful of the relaxin hormone as we move through the pregnancy,” Meffan adds. “So [instead of] ‘hanging out’ in these stretches, find ways to incorporate them into strength and mobility movements, like you can see me doing in this video.”
2. Lateral stretches
Lateral stretches like side bends don’t often feature in my exercise routine. But as my bump has gotten bigger, the tighter my mid-body has become, which is where lateral stretches like lateral expansion have been a blessing in disguise. “We want to create space in the ribs and chest, as breathing will naturally become harder,” says Meffan. “Lateral side bending movements are an amazing way to feel a sense of expansion, space and freedom.”
And that they do! Along with feeling like each side of my body was opening, I felt like I could breathe deeper and more easily.
3. Glute exercises
According to Meffan, strengthening your glutes is always a good idea, whether you’re pregnant or not.
“Our glutes are our biggest stabilising muscles, so as the baby and bump grow, the body's centre of gravity may shift,” the expert explains. “We want our glutes to be strong, and knowing how to activate them gently if any pelvic girdle pain or sacroiliac joint pain arises throughout pregnancy will be helpful.”
I found the use of wide squat pulses particularly effective for activating my glutes after a long period of sitting.
4. Spinal Waves
Spinal waves are perhaps the most satisfying and relaxing movement I’ve done for my spine and body, period.
“Fluid movements such as spinal waves help the body stay connected to an energetic mobility, allowing the body to relax and contract through waves and rolls,” Meffan tells me. “Being on all fours, practicing these movements and adding sound/humming (which is great for vagus nerve activation) will help you relax and can also be used through labour as all fours is a brilliant birth position for many women.”
5. Glute and Psoas stretches
“Your glutes and psoas are often the area that starts to ‘feel it’ the most, as the pelvis is shifting and our body is changing,” Meffan highlights. And don’t I know it!
According to Meffan, your psoas muscle, which starts at your lower back and runs through your pelvis to the top of your femur, is known as the ‘muscle of the soul’ because of where it attaches and how it activates the upper and lower body at once.
To help show it some TLC, Meffan says figure 4 poses, low lunges with a side bend and pigeon pose can feel great. And I concur.
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