Discover a safe first trimester yoga routine designed to ease nausea and boost low energy. Connect with your baby and relieve tension today.
7 Gentle First Trimester Yoga Moves to Boost Energy & Stop Nausea
Welcome to Pregnancy and Postpartum TV! If you have recently discovered you are pregnant, congratulations! Navigating the early stages of pregnancy can be a whirlwind of emotions and physical changes. Today, we are focusing specifically on first trimester yoga, a practice designed to support you when you might be feeling tired, a little nauseous, or simply looking for gentle movement to help you feel like yourself again.
While the routine we are covering today is modified to be safe for all trimesters, it is specifically curated with the first trimester yoga student in mind. During these first few months, your body is working overtime to grow the placenta and your baby, often leaving you drained. This sequence requires no equipment other than a mat and an optional pillow, making it the perfect way to find some energy and ease nausea from the comfort of your home.
Note: Even if I am wearing a baby bump for demonstration, please know I put out pregnancy yoga and fitness videos every week to support you on this journey.
Important Safety Guidelines Before We Begin
Before diving into this first trimester yoga routine, safety is our top priority. Please remember:
- Consult Your Doctor: Always get approval from your healthcare provider before starting this or any new exercise routine.
- Listen to Your Body: This is the golden rule of prenatal fitness. Only do movements that feel safe and good for you.
- Modify and Rest: Make this your own practice. Feel free to rest, skip a pose, or modify movements whenever necessary.
Let’s unroll our mats and begin this journey to connect with our bodies and our babies.
Centering and Connecting With Your Baby
We begin our first trimester yoga session standing tall. Bring your feet hip-width distance apart and spread your toes to ground yourself. Place your hands gently on your belly. This is a moment to let the rest of your day go.
Take some time here to connect with your baby. If it helps, close your eyes. We are going to connect our breath with our movement to calm the nervous system.
- Inhale: Bring your arms up, looking up at your thumbs.
- Exhale: Float your arms back down.
- Inhale: Arms sweep up, filling the lungs.
- Exhale: Releasing the arms down.
Do this one more time, inhaling up and fully exhaling down. This simple breathwork is a staple in first trimester yoga to help Oxygenate your blood and reduce stress.
Standing Flow: Building Strength and Stability
Even when you are tired, gentle standing poses can help invigorate the body without overexerting you.
1. Warrior One (Virabhadrasana I)
Turn to the left or the top of your mat. Step your right foot back into Warrior One. Ensure your front knee is bent and your back foot is planted firmly.
- Inhale your arms up.
- Find your steady breath.
- Chest Opener: Bring your hands back down and clasp your elbows behind your back. Do a little mini backbend to open the heart.
2. Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana)
From Warrior One, straighten your front leg. You can bring your stance in just a little bit if that feels more stable. Fold forward over your front leg with a flat back. Keep lots of length in your spine and keep your legs strong. This first trimester yoga stretch is excellent for tight hamstrings.
3. Warrior Two (Virabhadrasana II)
Bring your body back up and turn to face the front. Open your arms out wide for Warrior Two. Ensure your front knee is pushing back towards the back of the room, opening up through your hips and groin. This pose builds stamina, which is crucial for labor preparation.
4. Peaceful Warrior & Triangle Pose
Take your right hand and place it on your belly again—a constant reminder of the life growing inside you. Tip back for Peaceful Warrior, getting a nice stretch through the side body.
Engage your core to come back up and straighten your front leg. We will move into Triangle Pose (Trikonasana):
- Pigeon-toe your back foot in slightly.
- Reach towards the side and drop the back of your hand in front of your leg.
- Reach up with the other hand.
- Ensure shoulders are stacked on top of each other.
Repeat on the other side: Remember to perform Warrior One, Pyramid, Warrior Two, Peaceful Warrior, and Triangle on the left side to maintain balance in your body. This symmetry is vital in first trimester yoga to prevent musculoskeletal imbalances.
Releasing Tension: Forward Folds and Deep Stretches
After our standing flow, we return to the center of the mat. Feet are hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips for a gentle chest opener, then fold all the way forward.
Spinal Release
You can relax at the bottom of the fold. Feel free to keep a micro-bend in your knees. You can clasp your elbows or place hands gently on either side of your head. This allows you to fully stretch out and relax through your spine. Shift your weight slightly into your toes to release the hamstrings further.
IT Band Stretch
To target the outer hips:
- Shift your weight into one foot.
- Cross one leg behind the other.
- Stretch down, placing hands on your legs or the floor.
- Switch sides.
This movement is fantastic for relieving lower back tightness, a common complaint that first trimester yoga aims to address.
Hip Openers: Preparing for Labor
The Yogi Squat (Malasana)
Take your feet wider apart and move down into a Yogi Squat. Bend your knees and shift your hips back, sitting down deep. Bring your hands together at your heart center, using your elbows to press your knees out.
- Modification: If your heels are off the floor, roll up your mat and place it under your heels, or use blocks.
- Benefit: This is one of the best poses for opening up your hips and preparing the pelvic floor for labor. Even in first trimester yoga, we are laying the foundation for birth.
Floor Work: Rabbit Pose and Child’s Pose
Bring your hands to the ground and gently come onto your knees.
Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana)
To stretch out the back of the neck and upper back:
- Bring knees together.
- Place the tops of your hands on the ground and slide them back to reach your heels.
- Place the top of your head on the ground.
- Lift your hips slightly while tucking your chin.
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Ease your way out and bring your knees wide apart. Walk your fingertips forward into Child’s Pose. This is a resting posture you can return to at any time during any first trimester yoga class. It helps ground your energy and calm nausea.
Mobility and Core Stability
Come to hands and knees (Tabletop position), with shoulders over wrists and hips over knees.
Cat and Cow
Inhale to arch your back (Cow) and look up. Exhale to round out your back (Cat). Move back and forth with your own breath. This creates flexibility in the spine. Follow this with some hip circles, moving in both directions to loosen stiff joints.
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana) Legs
From all fours, tuck one leg behind the other and sit back between your feet.
- Sit up nice and tall.
- Twist: Using your core (avoid deep twisting to protect the uterus), gently twist to one side, then the other.
- Repeat on the other side. This opens the outer hips and glutes, areas that often get tight as pregnancy progresses.
Reverse Tabletop
Come to a seated position with hands behind you, fingers pointing toward your feet. Lift your hips up into Reverse Tabletop.
- Engage your core.
- Press into hands and feet.
- Keep length in the spine (don’t drop your head back deeply).
- This strengthens the back body and arms, essential for carrying your baby later.
Seated Stretches for Flexibility
Wide-Legged Forward Fold (Upavistha Konasana)
Take your legs wide apart. Flex your feet so toes point up. Sit tall and stretch to one side, then the other. This dynamic movement helps stretch the inner thighs and side body.
Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
Bring your legs together. If you are further along or your belly is growing, keep legs wider to make room. Inhale to lengthen, and exhale to fold forward. Grab your shins or big toes. This pose calms the mind and stretches the entire back body, a key component of a relaxing first trimester yoga routine.
Reclining Poses: Soothing the Nervous System
Safely make your way onto your back. If lying flat feels uncomfortable due to nausea, you can prop yourself up with pillows.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
- Spread your toes and press into your feet.
- Activate your glutes and lift your hips.
- Roll shoulders underneath you.
- This strengthens the glutes and hamstrings while opening the chest.
Figure Four Stretch
Cross one ankle over the opposite knee. You can hold the leg with your hands. This is a modification of Pigeon Pose and is incredible for preventing or relieving sciatica—a pain many women face. First trimester yoga is proactive in preventing these aches.
Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)
Grab your knees, big toes, or outer feet. Take your knees wide and rock back and forth. This is a playful, relieving pose for the lower back and pelvic floor.
Relaxation: Savasana
Finish by windshield-wiping your knees back and forth to release the lower back. Then, prepare for Savasana.
- First Trimester: You are generally safe to lie on your back.
- Later Pregnancy: Roll onto your left side.
You may want a pillow between your knees. Walk your hands out, palms facing up. Scan your body and relax every muscle. You can place your hands on your belly to connect with your baby again. Send your baby some love.
Affirmation: As you rest here, repeat the affirmation from today’s pregnancy yoga card: “I take time to connect with my baby and send my baby love.”
Conclusion: Nurturing Yourself Through the First Trimester
When you are ready, wiggle your fingers and toes, roll to your left side, and push yourself up to a comfortable seat. Namaste to you, and Namaste to the babies.
Thank you so much for joining me for this first trimester yoga practice. I hope you are feeling a little more energetic and that your nausea has subsided. Consistency is key, so try to return to this video or similar first trimester yoga routines whenever you need a gentle reset.
Tips for Reducing Morning Sickness
As a registered dietitian, I also want to leave you with a few extra tips beyond yoga to help with nausea:
- Acupressure: Pressing on the P6 point (inner wrist) can help relieve nausea.
- Small Meals: Eating frequently prevents your stomach from becoming completely empty, which can trigger sickness.
- Hydration: Sip water throughout the day rather than gulping large amounts at once.
If you enjoyed this gentle routine, please remember to share it with another mom friend who might benefit from first trimester yoga. Taking care of your body now sets the stage for a healthier pregnancy and an easier postpartum recovery.
Are you ready to continue your journey? Check out my complete playlist for more weekly pregnancy yoga and fitness videos to keep you strong and calm from bump to baby.
