The Best Postpartum Yoga Routine

Looking to reclaim, reconnect with, and energize your body after childbirth? Learn five poses for a calming routine and discover the benefits of postpartum yoga. 

Baby Sitting on Mother Working Out Abs Flutter Yoga
Africa Studio/Shutterstock

Yoga is a form of exercise that can have both physical and mental benefits. Even better, it can be an ideal activity to try during the postpartum period as it's gentle on the body and can help support your entire core, including your pelvic floor as well as your back, hips, and buttocks. The core work can also help strengthen your lower back to reduce back pain and improve your stamina and strength.

You can start a postpartum yoga practice with just a few poses and progress from there. "This program is based on an approach to yoga that I call 'prana flow,'" says Shiva Rea, founder of Prana Vinyasa and the Samudra Global School for Living Yoga. Try some of the moves on their own below or work through them to create your own flow.

Read on to learn how to start postpartum yoga, some of the benefits of a postpartum yoga practice, and five beginner postpartum yoga poses to try. Of course, be sure to check with a health care provider before you resume exercise after giving birth.

01 of 05

Plank Vinyasa

Postpartum Plank Vinyasa

Get down on all fours with your wrists under your shoulders. Place a folded blanket under your wrists if you need support, or lower onto your forearms. To get into the plank position, straighten one leg at a time behind you, balancing on the balls of your feet, abs pulled up and in, and head in line with your spine (i.e., neither straining up nor hanging down).

Elongate your spine and press into the balls of your feet. Inhale, then exhale as you draw your right knee in toward your chest, contracting the muscles in your lower belly (shown). Return to the plank position, then switch legs. Alternate knee tucks for 8 to 20 reps.

Benefits: Increases stamina and strength, especially in your deep abdominal and back muscles

02 of 05

Locust Pose

Postpartum Locust Pose

Lie flat on your belly with your legs hip-width apart on the floor. Rest your head on your hands (A). Clasp your hands behind your lower back to open through your chest and shoulders. Keep your spine long and squeeze your buttocks, pressing your hips into the floor as you lift your head, shoulders, and legs off the mat, keeping your neck in line with your spine.

As you lift your legs up and out, tuck your tailbone under and keep your belly contracted and pulled away from the floor (B). Hold for three to five breaths, then lower to the starting position. Repeat for two to three reps.

Benefits: Strengthens the deep back muscles of the core and opens your chest and shoulders, improving posture and relieving lower-back and upper-body strain

03 of 05

Pelvic Tilts

Postpartum Pelvic Tilts

For this gentle postpartum yoga position, lie on your back with your feet hip-width apart, your arms straight at your sides, and palms down. Curl your tailbone under slightly, feeling your spine settle into the floor, which relieves pressure in the low back.

Inhale, then exhale as you lift your hips up slowly, tilting your pelvis as you tuck your tailbone under and scoop your lower belly in (shown). Hold for one to two breaths, then lower to the starting position. Repeat for five to 10 reps.

Benefits: Strengthens the upper and lower back, hips, and legs and brings awareness and strength to the pelvic floor and lower belly

04 of 05

Legs Wide Pose

Postpartum Legs Wide Pose

Lie on your back and lift your legs so your body forms a capital letter "L." Lace your hands behind your head as you squeeze your ab muscles. Exhale as you lift your shoulders off the floor. Separate your legs a few inches, reaching one arm forward and between your legs.

Contract your lower belly as you reach (shown). Keep your upper body lifted as you bring your legs together and place your hands back behind your head. Switch sides and repeat for eight to 10 reps.

Benefits: Strengthens the deep abdominal muscles and stretches the hamstrings

05 of 05

Scissors

Postpartum Scissors Pose

Lie on your back with your legs and arms straight up above you and reaching to the ceiling. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor, keeping your neck and head relaxed. Move your right arm and leg down at the same time you lift your left arm and leg up, making a scissors motion with both arms and legs.

Breathe deeply as you scissor. To modify, place your hands behind your head for neck support, and bend your knees slightly. Repeat for 16 to 20 reps.

Benefits: Strengthens the deep abdominals of the core and improves hip and spine flexibility

Benefits of Postpartum Yoga

Thinking of trying postpartum yoga after a vaginal or Cesarean delivery? Here are four key benefits.

Body knowledge

Yoga is a wonderful tool for becoming better acquainted with your body, says Jyothi Larson, author of Yoga Mom, Buddha Baby. The poses and breathing exercises help you tune in to what you are feeling inside and out, expand your assumptions about what your body can do, and connect you with being in your body in the present moment. Plus, practicing diaphragmatic breathing common with yoga can help with diastasis recti after pregnancy as well.

Mood moderation

Yoga's emphasis on breathing and moving simultaneously helps you breathe more deeply, says Larson. For many people, this focused breathing triggers feelings of deep relaxation and well-being. There is also evidence that yoga can help relieve some symptoms of postpartum anxiety and depression.

Better posture

Pregnancy can cause even the straightest arrow to slouch. Then you start nursing, pushing a stroller, and lifting a baby and your posture may really suffer, says Larson. Some of the best benefits of yoga are increased back and shoulder strength, which improves posture. Yoga also opens up your chest, making it easier to stand up tall.

Moral support

Joining others in a postpartum yoga class can be a great way to make new friends, all of whom are facing the same challenges you are. Even if you prefer to practice at home, an occasional class at a studio lets you tap into this network.

The Basics of Yoga Breathing

The most important element in postpartum yoga is your breathing. Something that separates yoga from other kinds of exercise is the fact that each posture is linked to your inhale and exhale:

  • Inhale through your nose; fill your belly, ribs, and upper chest with air so that they puff out in front of you.
  • Exhale through your nose and tuck in your belly button as the air is being released.

Why so much heavy breathing?

Breathing and moving together sets the pace of your practice. It also helps you move more deeply into postures, says Larson. Deep breathing—long, full inhales and exhales—also brings oxygen to the entire body, which energizes your system and can have other health benefits like reduced stress and anxiety. 

Updated by Teri Hanson
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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Yoga: What you need to know. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. 2023. 

  2. The benefits of yoga. American Osteopathic Association. 2023.

  3. Postpartum Exercise Intervention Targeting Diastasis Recti AbdominisInternational Journal of Exercise Science. 2021.

  4. Efficacy of yoga for depressed postpartum women: A randomized controlled trialComplement Ther Clin Pract. 2015.

  5. Health Impacts of Yoga and Pranayama: A State-of-the-Art ReviewInt J Prev Med. 2012.

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