Class types · Mansarovar
Pregnancy & Postnatal Yoga Classes in Jaipur
A women-only room, a female instructor, and a practice that changes as your pregnancy does — then changes again to help you rebuild afterwards. Doctor's clearance required before your first session.
What is prenatal yoga, and what is it actually for?
Prenatal yoga is a gentle, heavily supported practice designed around the body you have this month rather than the one you had before conceiving. It is not a fitness class with a few postures removed. The purpose is comfort, breathing, circulation and staying mobile — not progress, not weight, not achievement.
The prenatal batch at Karma Yoga runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:15 AM in the Agarwal Farm studio in Mansarovar, for forty-five minutes, in a women-only room. Ritika Khandelwal teaches it herself. Groups are small — usually four to eight women — because in this class every student needs a different version of every posture.
We cannot accept you into the prenatal or postnatal batch without confirmation from your obstetrician or gynaecologist that you are cleared for gentle physical activity. Bring it, message a photo of it, or have your doctor's advice noted clearly — but do not skip it. If your doctor has advised bed rest, or has flagged placenta praevia, a short cervix, bleeding, high blood pressure in pregnancy or any other complication, this class is not for you right now.
How does the practice change trimester by trimester?
Substantially. What is appropriate at fourteen weeks is not appropriate at thirty-four, and the class is planned that way. Tell Ritika your week at the start of every session — not your trimester, your week.
| Stage | Focus | What we work on |
|---|---|---|
| First trimester (weeks 1–12) | Rest and breathing | Most students do not join yet. Those already practising continue very gently: seated breathing, simple joint mobility, no new postures, and full permission to stop on a nauseous day. |
| Second trimester (weeks 13–27) | Mobility and strength | The most active phase. Supported standing postures against a wall, gentle hip openers, cat-cow for back comfort, side-lying rest, pelvic floor awareness, walking-pace breathing. |
| Third trimester (weeks 28–36) | Comfort and space | More props, wider stances, seated and supported work. Hip and pelvic openers, upper-back release for rib pressure, breathing patterns you can use in labour, plenty of side-lying relaxation. |
| Weeks 37 onwards | Rest and readiness | Almost entirely breathing, supported squats if your doctor approves them, gentle movement, and long side-lying relaxation. Sessions get shorter as you get closer. |
What is avoided in a prenatal class, and why?
A prenatal class is defined as much by what it leaves out as by what it includes. These are excluded for the whole pregnancy, without exception, and each one has a supported alternative you will be given instead.
| Avoided | Why | Done instead |
|---|---|---|
| Lying face-down (prone postures) | Direct pressure on the abdomen | Cat-cow and supported standing backbends |
| Deep closed twists | Compress the abdomen and the growing uterus | Open, seated twists that move only the upper back |
| Inversions and headstands | Balance risk and blood-pressure changes | Legs supported up a wall only if your doctor approves |
| Strong abdominal work | Loads the abdominal wall while it is already stretching | Breath-led pelvic floor and deep core awareness |
| Kapalbhati, bhastrika, breath retention | Forceful abdominal pumping and oxygen fluctuation | Slow anulom vilom without retention, and bhramari |
| Lying flat on the back for long | After the first trimester this can restrict blood flow for some women | Side-lying relaxation with a bolster between the knees |
| Hot, fast or overheating sequences | Raised core temperature is not advised in pregnancy | Slow pacing, breaks whenever you want them, water beside your mat |
| Stretching to your end range because it suddenly feels easy | Pregnancy hormones soften the ligaments, so joints move further than they can safely control — this is how women end up with pelvic and lower-back pain | Postures held well short of your limit, feet no wider than hip-width in hip work, and a stop the moment you feel it in the pubic bone or one side of the pelvis |
You experience bleeding or fluid loss, contractions, dizziness, chest pain, severe headache, calf pain or swelling, or a noticeable drop in your baby's movements. Leave the class, and contact your doctor rather than waiting to see how you feel later.
When is it safe to start postnatal yoga?
After your postnatal check-up, and only when your doctor says so. For an uncomplicated vaginal delivery that is commonly around six weeks. After a caesarean it is usually longer — often eight to twelve weeks — and it depends on how your incision has recovered, not on how you feel. Ask your doctor for a specific answer rather than working from what a friend was told.
Postnatal work is not the prenatal class in reverse. The order matters: breathing first, then pelvic floor, then deep core, and only much later anything that looks like a traditional abdominal exercise. Rushing that order is the single most common mistake new mothers make.
The postnatal sequence we follow
- Weeks 1–6 (or as cleared): diaphragmatic breathing, posture while feeding, gentle neck and shoulder release
- From clearance: pelvic floor awareness — learning to release as well as contract
- Next: breath-led deep core work, side-lying and all-fours movement
- Then: supported standing postures, walking-pace strength, wrist and upper-back care
- Later: a gradual return to the regular ladies-only batch
What we do not do early on
- Crunches, sit-ups and full planks — these can worsen abdominal separation
- Deep backbends before the abdominal wall has knitted back together
- High-impact or jumping work while ligaments are still soft
- Anything that causes doming down the midline of your belly
- Comparing your six-week self to your pre-pregnancy self
If you have been told you have diastasis recti — abdominal separation — have it assessed properly by your doctor or a physiotherapist and tell Ritika what they found. The practice she gives you should match their assessment. Wrist and upper-back pain from carrying and feeding a baby is also extremely common, and gets specific attention in this class because nobody warns you about it.
गर्भावस्था में योग
गर्भावस्था में योग का उद्देश्य फ़िटनेस नहीं, आराम है — साँस, रक्त संचार, पीठ और कूल्हों का आराम, और नींद। हमारा प्रीनेटल बैच मंगलवार, गुरुवार और शनिवार को सुबह 11:15 बजे, केवल महिलाओं के कमरे में चलता है, और इसे रितिका खंडेलवाल जी स्वयं पढ़ाती हैं।
क्लास शुरू करने से पहले अपनी डॉक्टर से लिखित अनुमति ज़रूरी है। ज़्यादातर महिलाएँ पहली तिमाही के बाद जुड़ती हैं। पेट के बल लेटने वाले आसन, गहरे ट्विस्ट, शीर्षासन जैसे उल्टे आसन, पेट की कसरत, कपालभाति और भस्त्रिका, और साँस रोकना — ये सब पूरी गर्भावस्था में नहीं कराए जाते। इनकी जगह सहारे वाले आसन, धीमा अनुलोम-विलोम, भ्रामरी और करवट लेकर विश्राम कराया जाता है।
डिलीवरी के बाद अभ्यास तभी शुरू करें जब आपकी डॉक्टर अनुमति दें — सामान्य डिलीवरी में आमतौर पर लगभग छह हफ़्ते बाद, और सिज़ेरियन के बाद अक्सर आठ से बारह हफ़्ते या उससे भी अधिक। शुरुआत साँस और पेल्विक फ़्लोर से होती है, पेट की कसरत से नहीं। योग चिकित्सा उपचार का विकल्प नहीं है — यह उसके साथ चलने वाला अभ्यास है।
What students notice
What prenatal and postnatal students report
Reported by students over months of steady attendance. Yoga supports general wellbeing and is complementary to medical care — it does not replace your doctor's advice.
Easier back and hips
Lower-back and pelvic discomfort in the second and third trimester is the most common reason women join, and the change they mention first.
Breathing you can use
Slow, long exhalations practised for months become genuinely useful during labour, because they are already automatic.
Better sleep and less swelling
Side-lying relaxation and gentle leg work help with the restlessness and puffiness of late pregnancy.
Pelvic floor awareness
Learning to release the pelvic floor, not only to squeeze it, is worth more after delivery than any abdominal exercise.
A steadier return afterwards
Mothers who rebuild in the right order — breath, pelvic floor, deep core — usually get back to full practice sooner than those who rush it.
Other women in the same week
Four to eight women at similar stages, in one small room. Several students say this mattered as much as the postures.
Timings & fees
When the prenatal and postnatal sessions run
At the studio: 112/187, Thadi Market, Agarwal Farm, Jhalana Chhod, Mansarovar, Jaipur.
| Session | Days | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prenatal yoga | Tue, Thu, Sat | 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Women only · doctor's clearance required |
| Postnatal yoga | Tue, Thu, Sat | 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Same slot, separate sequence · babies welcome |
| One-to-one at home | By arrangement | Flexible | Often preferred late in pregnancy and in the first weeks after delivery — see home & online yoga |
A fair question, and the answer is that it only works because the room is small. Prenatal and postnatal students share the 11:15 AM hour, but they are given different sequences on their own mats — the way a teacher in a batch of eight gives one student a bolster and another a chair. The opening breathing and the closing relaxation are common to everyone. The middle twenty-five minutes are not: expectant mothers work on supported mobility, and new mothers work on pelvic floor and deep core, each at the stage they are at. Ritika sets both sets of props out before you arrive, which is why she asks for your week or your delivery date when you book. If the mix in a particular week means you would get less attention than you need — a first trimester student and a fresh caesarean recovery in the same hour, say — she will say so and offer you a one-to-one slot instead.
Fees are published openly, including the prenatal sessions — you do not have to call to find out what a month costs.
Questions
Prenatal & postnatal yoga FAQs
When can I start prenatal yoga during pregnancy?
Most students join after the first trimester, once their doctor has confirmed the pregnancy is progressing normally and has cleared them for gentle physical activity. If you already had a regular practice before conceiving you may be cleared earlier. Either way, we need your doctor's clearance first — this is not negotiable.
Is yoga safe during pregnancy?
Gentle, well-supervised prenatal yoga is generally considered safe for a low-risk pregnancy that a doctor has cleared, but pregnancy is individual and only your doctor can judge yours. Sessions avoid deep twists, prone postures, inversions, breath retention and strong abdominal work throughout. If your doctor has advised bed rest or flagged any complication, do not join.
Which postures are avoided in prenatal yoga?
Lying face-down, deep closed twists, inversions, strong abdominal work such as boat pose and full crunches, kapalbhati and bhastrika, breath retention, hot or overheating sequences, and after the first trimester, lying flat on the back for long periods. Every one of these has a supported alternative in class.
How soon after delivery can I restart yoga?
Only after your postnatal check-up and only with your doctor's clearance. For an uncomplicated vaginal delivery that is commonly around six weeks; after a caesarean it is usually longer, often eight to twelve weeks, and depends on how the incision has recovered. Gentle breathing and pelvic floor awareness may be permitted earlier — ask your doctor specifically.
Can postnatal yoga help with diastasis recti?
Postnatal sessions include gradual, breath-led deep core work of the kind usually recommended for abdominal separation, and deliberately avoid crunches and planks in the early weeks because those can make separation worse. Please have your separation assessed by your doctor or a physiotherapist, and tell Ritika what they found, so your practice matches their advice rather than guessing.
Can I bring my baby to the postnatal class?
Yes. Babies who are not yet crawling are welcome in the postnatal slot — there is mat space beside you, and nobody minds a pause for feeding. The batch is women-only, so this is genuinely comfortable rather than merely permitted.
This page is general information about yoga practice, not medical advice. Yoga is complementary to medical treatment and does not replace it. Please consult your doctor before starting any new physical practice, especially if you are pregnant, recovering from an injury, or managing an ongoing health condition.
Reviewed by Ritika Khandelwal, CERT_PLACEHOLDER certified yoga instructor, Mansarovar, Jaipur.
Bring your doctor's clearance
Talk to Ritika before you join
Tell her your week, your delivery date or your check-up date, and what your doctor said. She will tell you honestly whether now is the right time to start.