Yoga For Third Trimester 2024: Poses, Benefits & Precautions

Pregnancy is a time of immense physical and emotional change. The third trimester^[1] may be particularly demanding as your baby’s continued growth increases physical challenges while you prepare for labor and parenthood. 

Being physically active can help you maintain a healthy pregnancy, reducing the risk of health issues^[2] like gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and labor complications^[2], such as pre-term labor and cesarian section. 

Physical activity in pregnancy can help promote a healthy rate of weight gain. It can also reduce stress and alleviate some pregnancy symptoms^[3] like back pain, morning sickness, and constipation. Experts recommend^[4] doing muscle-strengthening exercises like yoga at least two days per week.

A complete yoga practice generally includes stretching exercises and poses combined with deep breathing and meditation^[2]. A starting prenatal yoga class, or yoga during pregnancy^[3], has many mental and physical health benefits.

Once you get the okay from your healthcare provider to practice yoga, you’ll need to find a workout to meet your needs. Prenatal yoga is a good choice since it’s specifically tailored to pregnant people.

Hatha and restorative yoga^[5] generally are also good choices during pregnancy. It’s best to look for a yoga instructor trained in prenatal yoga^[5] who can show you the best yoga poses for your pregnant body. 

You may need to modify some yoga exercises for your practice since the physical changes of pregnancy can make some of them difficult or unsafe. Avoid twisting poses or those requiring you to lie on your belly or back.

Research indicates that yoga is safe in the last trimester of uncomplicated pregnancies. One study^[6] of 20 healthy pregnant women who did moderate-intensity yoga in their last trimester found no concerning heart rate changes in the women or their babies. 

Another study^[7] of 25 healthy pregnant women who did yoga in their final trimester found that they tolerated the 26 poses without adverse effects.

7 Best Third Trimester Yoga Poses

So you’ve been cleared by your healthcare provider to do yoga and are ready to start. But what are the best poses for your 3rd-trimester yoga practice? The following poses are recommended and may offer relief from common pregnancy complaints and help you prepare for labor and delivery. 

Cobbler Pose (also known as Tailor Pose)

Benefits^[8]: This easy pose helps to open up the pelvis.

Technique: Sit straight against the wall with your legs in front of you. Bring your feet toward your pelvis until the soles are touching, with your ankles as close to your groin as is comfortable. Prop pillows or rolled towels under your knees to prevent your hips from stretching too far. 

Goddess Pose

Benefits^[8]: This pose helps to open up the hips and strengthens the legs and thighs.

Technique: Step your feet a few feet apart along the length of your yoga mat, pointing your toes out about 45 degrees. Bend your knees to about 90 degrees, placing your arms on your thighs if desired. After 5-7 deep breaths, straighten your legs and gently step your feet together.

Cat/Cow Pose

Benefits^[8]: This pose can help to reduce back pain and relieve neck and upper back tension.

Technique: On your hands and knees, place your arms shoulder-width apart (straight but not locked) and your knees hip-width apart, directly below your hips. Tuck your bottom under and gently round your back as you take a deep breath. Then relax as you breathe out and bring your bottom back up, flattening your back.

Squat

Benefits^[8]: This pose helps you relax, open up your pelvis, and strengthen the pelvic floor^[9] and upper leg muscles. 

Technique: Holding onto the back of a chair for support, stand with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart with your toes pointed slightly out. Lower your tailbone toward the floor. You can rest your bottom on props such as yoga blocks if desired. Breathe deeply, then use your leg muscles to rise slowly.   

Side-lying Savasana

Benefits^[8]: This restorative pose can release tension and is a calming way to end your yoga practice. 

Note: Traditional Savasana, or corpse pose, is not recommended since it requires lying on your back.

Technique: Lie on your left side, which is best for your blood circulation. Rest your head on a rolled blanket or your arm. Bend your right knee, with your left leg extended, and place a body pillow or blanket between your inner thighs to support your hips comfortably. Relax for 5-10 minutes.

Both shortness of breath and anxiety are common problems in the later stages of pregnancy. Including breathing exercises in prenatal yoga, third-trimester practice has been shown to help with anxiety^[10]. The following poses promote relaxation and deep breathing, which benefits labor^[11] pain and duration.

Hero Pose

Benefits: This upper body stretch opens up the spine, promotes deep breathing and relaxation, and can help with leg discomfort.

Technique: Kneel down, put a block between your ankles and sit with your knees together. Raise your arms and hook your thumbs together. Lengthen the spine while inhaling. Hold for several deep breaths.

Equal Breathing

Benefits: This relaxing breathing exercise can also be helpful during labor.

Technique: While seated comfortably (on a bolster or blanket, if you prefer), inhale and exhale deeply several times.

Health Benefits of Pregnancy Yoga for Third Trimester

Yoga offers many benefits^[5] for pregnancy, including the last trimester. Practicing prenatal yoga can increase strength and flexibility and reduce pregnancy symptoms such as lower back pain, headaches, nausea, and shortness of breath. 

Research has also found that yoga may reduce the risk of pregnancy complications^[2] such as preterm labor and pregnancy-induced hypertension and improve birth outcomes, for example, reducing the risk of Cesarean delivery.

Pregnant women who regularly engaged in physical activity, including yoga, for at least three months had lower weight gain but higher infant weight, less back pain, less pain during labor, and earlier postpartum recovery^[12]. 

A study^[13] of women in weeks 26-40 of their pregnancy found that those who did yoga for 12-14 weeks had less discomfort in the last weeks of their pregnancy and felt more confident about labor.

One study^[14] that looked at labor outcomes for women in their second and 3rd-trimesters of pregnancy found that those who did an hour of yoga three times a week for three months had lower rates of induced labor and Cesarean section, and shorter, less painful labors.

Yoga can also decrease stress^[15] and improve sleep and mental health during pregnancy. Yoga programs focusing on mindfulness may be beneficial for symptoms of depression^[16] in pregnancy. Yoga practice, including breathing exercises and positive affirmations, can improve anxiety^[10] levels in pregnant women.

Sleep difficulties are widespread in pregnancy, especially in the later stages. More than 75% of pregnant women have reported sleep disturbances^[17]. Many common pregnancy symptoms can make it hard to get a good night’s rest, including back pain, frequent urination, heartburn, shortness of breath, and fetal movement.

A study^[18] of women in their third trimester of pregnancy found that the 30 women practicing yoga for 90 minutes twice a week improved their sleep quality over the group not doing yoga. Better quality sleep may reduce stress levels and improve overall health.

Safety Tips For Doing Prenatal Yoga

Due to the physical changes that intensify as your pregnancy progresses, it’s essential to follow your body’s cues to keep your yoga practice safe and comfortable. Avoid hot yoga, as it can cause you to overheat^[3]. Be sure to stay well hydrated^[8] during your practice.

You may need to modify some poses for your pregnancy. You should avoid poses requiring deep forward and backward bends. Your joints become more relaxed during pregnancy, which can increase the risk of injury, so it’s best to avoid yoga sequences with jarring motions.

Use caution with poses that challenge your balance, like one-legged poses, since changes^[3] to your center of gravity can offset your balance and make falls more likely. This is especially true in the later stages of pregnancy as your baby’s growth picks up.

Avoid poses requiring you to lie on your back^[3] as this can cause your uterus to press on the vena cava, the large vein that carries blood to your heart, and the aorta, your heart’s main artery, and potentially disrupt blood flow to you and your baby. One warning sign of this is a sudden feeling of nausea. Lying on your left side is a safer alternative.

When Should You Contact Your Doctor?

You should stop immediately and contact your healthcare provider if you have any concerning symptoms during yoga practice. These include chest pain, nausea, dizziness, faintness, shortness of breath, headache, muscle weakness or pain, leg swelling, vaginal bleeding or leaking of fluid, uterine contractions, and reduced movement of your baby.

Due to heightened pelvic floor changes at this pregnancy stage, urinary incontinence is more common. It’s harmless, but because it can be hard to differentiate from leaking amniotic fluid, you should check in with your healthcare provider if you’re unsure.

The Bottom Line

When safely modified, yoga can provide many benefits during the later stages of pregnancy.

Yoga can improve pregnancy complaints, reduce complications, and help you prepare mentally and physically for labor and delivery. For the best experience, look for a class offered by a teacher trained in prenatal yoga who can suggest beneficial poses and always listen to your body when you practice prenatal yoga. 

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