Pregnancy Yoga 3rd Trimester Workouts and Safety Guidelines

prenatal exercise prenatal yoga Nov 18, 2025

Pregnancy Yoga 3rd Trimester

As you are now in your third trimester, your focus now is comfort, mobility, birth preparation, rest, and avoiding anything that over-strains the core or pelvic floor.

Your belly is big, the pregnancy hormone relaxin peaks, ligaments are very lax, and the risk of supine hypotension and diastasis aggravation is highest.

This beautiful prenatal yoga will help relieve third trimester aches and help prepare for labor. In this class, we focus on preparing your body for a smoother and less painful labor.

Gentle Poses and Stretches

These gentle poses and stretches are designed to help alleviate common discomforts experienced when pregnant, such as pregnancy back pain, hip pain, and tightness.

By practicing yoga regularly in your third trimester, you can improve your flexibility, strength, and overall well-being, ultimately leading to a more positive birthing experience.

Safety Guidelines

1. Supine (flat on back)
Only 1-2 minutes max or use a wedge/bolster. Most women switch to left side lying or semi-reclined.
Avoid long savasana, bridge, or any pose flat on back greater than 2 minutes.

2. Prone (belly down)
Never - belly is too large.
Avoid cobra, locust, bow pose, etc.

3. Deep forward folds
Only wide-leg or supported (blocks/bolster). No compressing the belly.
Avoid deep seated forward folds.

4. Twists
Gentle open twists only (e.g., hand on opposite knee, twist away from belly).
Avoid all closed twists - even mild ones can feel uncomfortable now.

5. Core work
Functional core only: connection breathing, gentle TA engagement, side-lying or seated pelvic floor lifts, cat-cow.
Avoid planking when pregnant, boat, crunches, leg lowers, hundred (Pilates), any coning.

6. Backbends
Very mild supported only (bridge with block under sacrum, gentle camel with hands on hips).
Avoid wheel, upward dog, full camel, bow - strains linea alba.

7. Inversions
Legs-up-the-wall (best pose of 3rd trimester), supported shoulder-stand with tons of props only if experienced.
Avoid headstand/handstand/forearm stand - fall risk and abdominal pressure.

8. Deep hip openers
Yes, but supported and symmetrical - helps baby into optimal position.

Best: supported malasana (yogi squat on blocks), butterfly with props, frog on back (supta baddha konasana), ankle-to-knee (fire log) with props.

Avoid deep pigeon, full splits, extreme lizard - risk of SI joint pain and over-stretching.

9. Balance
Use wall/chair for everything - center of gravity is way off now.
Avoid free-standing warrior III, half-moon, etc. without support.

10. Breathing
Long exhales, vocal toning ('ahhh' on exhale), golden thread breath - great labor preparation.
Avoid breath of fire, strong retention.

Best 10 Third-Trimester Yoga Poses

1. Legs-up-the-wall
2. Supported Malasana (Yogi Squat)
3. Side-lying Savasana
4. Cat-cow and hip circles on all fours
5. Supported bound angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)
6. Seated wide-leg forward fold (with props)
7. Goddess pose (on blocks or chair)
8. Gentle Side Stretches (seated or standing)
9. Pelvic floor 'Elevator' breathing (seated or side-lying)
10. Supported child's pose (wide knees)

3rd-Trimester Safety Notes

1. Swelling (oedema) - elevate legs several times a day.
2. Pubic symphysis/SI pain - keep knees closer together, avoid asymmetrical poses.
3. Shortness of breath - sit upright or semi-reclined; never push breath.
4. Braxton Hicks - if they increase with movement, stop, hydrate, lie on left side.
5. Optimal fetal positioning - daily forward-leaning inversions (puppy pose, supported child's) or 'miles circuit' moves if baby is posterior.