Postnatal Yoga, not just a poor cousin of Prenatal Yoga
Prenatal yoga classes are often full, but postnatal yoga classes, even when offered, tend to have fewer participants. Of course, with a baby, it can be difficult to get out and about, and the benefits may seem less obvious. However, the postpartum period is one of the most physically and emotionally demanding stretches of a person’s life. And still, it’s often treated as an afterthought! This blog post will provide evidence as to why it is worth investing in postnatal yoga.
Postnatal Yoga eases symptoms of postpartum depression
Postpartum depression affects roughly 1 in 7 new mothers (Wisner et al., 2013), and yoga has emerged as one of the better-studied complementary approaches for easing it.
A 2025 meta-analysis pooled data from six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 443 postpartum women. It found that yoga significantly reduced postnatal depression scores compared with control groups (Ruan, Zhang, Ma, & Ke, 2025).
A 2024 systematic review covering six studies and 377 women across the US, Northern Ireland, Taiwan, and Turkey, found that every study measuring depressive symptoms reported significant improvements after yoga, with the largest gains seen in women who started with higher baseline depression scores (Munns, Spark, Crossland, & Preston, 2024).
Postnatal Yoga lowers stress and improves coping
Beyond clinical depression scores, postnatal yoga appears to shift how new mothers process everyday stress. One of the trials in that review, a small Northern Irish study of 32 first-time mothers, found that, compared with a control group, women in the yoga group showed reduced stress, negative affect, and dysfunctional coping, alongside an increase in problem-focused coping strategies (Timlin & Simpson, 2017).
A related RCT in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research found that yoga improved both post-traumatic growth and quality-of-life scores in first-time mothers relative to a control group (Ünver & Timur Taşhan, 2021).
Postnatal Yoga supports breastfeeding confidence and mother-infant bonding
Postnatal yoga is increasingly practiced with the baby present, and research suggests this has benefits beyond the mother’s own wellbeing. A quasi-experimental study of 124 first-time mothers found that eight weeks of postpartum yoga (60 minutes, twice weekly) produced a statistically significant increase in breastfeeding self-efficacy and maternal attachment scores compared with a control group (Boybay Koyuncu & Yayan, 2022).
A small 2025 RCT of mother-baby yoga with 40 mothers whose babies had spent time in neonatal intensive care found improvements in mothers’ depression, anxiety, and stress levels, along with a reduced perception of the infant as “fragile” and stronger self-reported maternal bonding, compared with a non-yoga control group (Koç Özkan et al., 2025).
Postnatal Yoga supports physical recovery
Yoga is often recommended for rebuilding core and pelvic floor strength, easing back pain, and generally helping the body recover from pregnancy and birth. The quality-of-life and physical wellbeing data above (Ünver & Timur Taşhan, 2021) support a general physical recovery benefit, and yoga’s gentle, controlled movement patterns make it a reasonable complement to dedicated pelvic floor and diastasis recti rehabilitation. That said, postnatal yoga is best framed as a valuable complement to, not a replacement for, pelvic floor physiotherapy when that’s needed.
Getting started safely
A few practical points worth building into a postnatal yoga routine:
- Get clearance from your midwife, GP, or gynaecologist before starting, especially after a caesarean, tearing, or other complications.
- Look for a teacher specifically trained in postnatal yoga (like me!), as the sequencing and modifications differ meaningfully from a general or prenatal class.
- Start gently. Early postnatal yoga typically emphasizes breathwork, pelvic floor awareness, and restorative poses before progressing to more active sequences.
- If you experience pelvic pressure, leaking, or abdominal doming/coning during a pose, that’s a sign to modify or check in with a pelvic floor physiotherapist.
Note: This article is for general informational purposes and isn’t a substitute for personalized medical advice. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program postpartum.
Where to go from here. If you’d like to read the peer-reviewed research behind postnatal yoga, each study is summarised – with a link to the original paper – in the Postnatal yoga section of my Evidence page. To practise with guidance, you’re welcome to explore individual sessions, which include prenatal and postnatal yoga, or the studio classes, or simply get in touch with a question.