The 5 Best Prenatal Yoga Poses For Soon-To-Be Mamas (Or Anyone, Really)

Ah, motherhood. Pregnancy is a beautiful time, but it can also come with aches, pains, and downright uncomfortable moments. So what can you do to have a more relaxing nine months? Yoga!

As exhausted as you might be, exercising during pregnancy is important for you, your baby, and your birthing experience. Yoga is a safe and effective practice for pregnant women because in addition to offering relief, research shows that in some cases it can help lead to improvements in pregnancy and labor outcomes1.

Always be sure to listen to the sensations you feel in your body and check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program. This is especially important for those new to the yoga space who are beginning their journey during pregnancy. (Check out mindbodygreen's beginner's guide to yoga if you fall in that category.)

Below are my favorite prenatal yoga poses, perfect for all levels.

If you're experiencing back pain, you may want to rock between cat and cow to get some relief. This basic set of movements stretches the spine and allows your belly to hang, which can help ease tension.

These poses will help you during labor if you experience "back labor," or pain in your lower back while giving birth. To maximize the benefits of these poses, sync your breath with your stretching by breathing in and expanding your abdomen on the cow stretch, and exhaling and contracting your abdomen when you arch into cat.

Child's pose can help to relieve the pressure of a growing belly while widening your hips, easing back pain, and helping to lower feelings of stress. It also targets the back and hips, which can become very tight during pregnancy.

A wide-legged squat can be done with or without the support of a wall for balance. This pose strengthens the legs and pelvic floor and encourages hip-opening—all key components of the birth process!

Bound angle pose, or baddha konasana, is the perfect time to practice good posture and deep breathing. You can even give yourself a foot and calf massage while you're sitting, to improve circulation and ease the strain of added weight. This pose also opens the hips, which, again, is essential for supporting childbirth. 

Getting your pregnant body into this pose requires some less-than-glamorous maneuvering—however, once you're in it, you'll want to hang out all day. Resting with your legs up the wall allows gravity to assist blood flow back to your heart and is known to reduce swelling in the feet and ankles, which is common during pregnancy. Do this daily for 10 to 20 minutes (or longer!) to take the pressure off your feet and focus on your breathing. 

Note: Women in their third trimester (or second trimester, for those who are carrying twins), should avoid this pose "as this can occlude the ascending vena cava and make a woman pass out," says OB/GYN Wendie Trubow, M.D.

Movement is important at any phase in your pregnancy, and while you may be feeling lethargic and uncomfortable, you might find some relief in stretching and engaging your body. Whether you're simply looking to momentarily unload the pressure of your growing belly or aiming to make the birthing process a little smoother, yoga can be an underrated tactic to help ease both stress and discomfort.