
Prenatal Yoga
In this all-levels yoga class, moms will cultivate the flexibility, concentration and strength needed during the transformative time of pregnancy and childbirth. Enjoy the community of other expecting mothers while we practice modified yoga postures, breath work, vocal toning, meditation, and relaxation. No previous yoga experience necessary.
click on class day-time to reveal session dates - prorated registration is available until the halfway point of the series.
Breathing Space requires proof of vaccination for all in-person classes for participants ages 5+ and masks indoors for all participants ages 2+. See our full public health precautions policy.
Weekly Prenatal Yoga Classes

Register for a 4- to 6-week Series - $18 per class
Classes are offered in a progressive series that builds on the previous classes. One class may be carried over into the following series or baby yoga.

Pay by the Class - $24 per class
Simply drop in as your schedule allows. Advanced reservation required – as far as 30 days and as little as 30 min in advance. No payments are taken on site.
* All prenatal classes subject to DC fitness services tax of 6%. Please note that participants of in-person classes must show proof of COVID vaccination and masks are required for participants 2 yrs and older according to DC regulations.


Parents of children's and family class enrollees are welcome to take prenatal yoga as a makeup class – and vice versa – using the makeup scheduler. Log in to your registration account to reserve.
What happens in prenatal yoga?
Yoga practice during pregnancy is designed to help moms build strength and fitness while accessing the inner resources to face the challenges of labor with confidence and calm. A typical prenatal yoga class might involve:

Breathing

Strength and Fitness Work

Stretching

Mindfulness & Mental Focus


Relaxation & Rest
"I want to thank Breathing Space for the amazing prenatal yoga class on Thursday nights. It was very therapeutic and provided a lot of support during my pregnancy. "
Prenatal Yoga Frequently Asked Questions
In Person Classes
- Commit to a series, $18 per class
Our prenatal yoga classes are scheduled in 5-8 week minimesters.
Register for Series
- Pay by the class, $24 per class
ur public prenatal yoga classes welcome drop-in students. Simply drop in as your schedule allows. Advanced reservations are appreciated but not required.
Reserve Drop-in
Online Classes
- Commit to a series, $16 per class
Our prenatal yoga classes are scheduled in 5-8 week minimesters.
Register for Series
- Pay by the class, $24 per class
ur public prenatal yoga classes welcome drop-in students. Simply drop in as your schedule allows. Advanced reservations are appreciated but not required.
Reserve Drop-in
- All prices at subject to 6.75% DC fitness tax
Makeup Policies for In Person Students – Adult/Prenatal Yoga
If you miss a class, you may attend a different one within a month.
- To schedule another in-person prenatal class during the same semester, use our makeup scheduler. Email if you have any questions.
- To makeup in Zoom, register for a drop-in and use the discount code in your class instructions email or purchase receipt.
Makeup Policies for Zoom Students
Zoom recordings are posted to the class page within 24 hours of the class and are posted for 7 days. Watch the recording anytime that week.
You are also welcome to makeup in any other zoom class, even for a different age range, using our makeup scheduler.
Please pay for your drop-in class or registration in advance. Our class venues have limited point-of-sale options and instructors do not accept cash. Our registration site is mobile friendly and accepts payments right up until class starts. In-person students show proof of COVID vaccination. See full policy.
What if baby comes early and I don’t get to use all my classes? Send us a note when baby is born and we’ll transfer unused class credits to your account so you can apply the value to future registrations.
Students should wear comfortable clothing for movement that is not too stretchy and be prepared to practice in bare feet. Our venues have yoga mats to share, but carrying your own may be preferable. We have all the other props you might for exercises during class. Please bring a water bottle and you may wish to bring a small towel or cloth to cover your eyes during relaxation.
Yoga practice during pregnancy is designed to help expecting parents build strength and fitness while accessing the inner resources to face the challenges of labor with confidence and calm. A our prenatal yoga class might involve:
- Breathing. Prenatal yoga breathing techniques might help you reduce or manage shortness of breath during pregnancy and work through contractions during labor.
- Stretching. You’ll be encouraged to gently move different areas of your body, such as your neck and arms, through their full range of motion while standing, sitting or lying on the ground.
- Strength Work and Dynamic Movement. Students in prenatal yoga are working to maintain fitness for a comfortable pregnancy as well as train for the endurance event that is labor and birth. Holding your bodyweight in postures while working against gravity is a great way to build strength. We’ll also do pregnancy appropriate vinyasa, moving with breath, to build fitness.
Cool down and relaxation. Every prenatal yoga class sets aside time for conscious relaxation. You’ll relax your muscles and restore your resting heart rate and breathing rhythm. You might be encouraged to listen to your own breathing, pay close attention to sensations, thoughts and emotions, or repeat a mantra or word to bring about a state of self-awareness and inner calm.
Our pregnancy yoga classes are held at 641 Pennsylvania Ave SE, lower level. The studio is within one block of the Eastern Market metro stop and convenient to many bus routes along Pennsylvania Ave SE and 8th Street SE. Read more about locations.
An in-person prenatal yoga class with a qualified instructor offers benefits you simply cannot reap on your own in front of a dvd or streaming video. Personalized sequencing, a watchful eye for alignment corrections, and customized adjustments complement camaraderie of a group class. Breathing Space prenatal instructors are also knowledgeable about birth, babies, and resources in Washington DC.
Absolutely. Our classes are all levels, with variations offered for newer or more experienced students. We have plenty of props and adaptations ideas for moms who are not super flexible and offer postures and exercises specifically tailored to pregnancy and beginning students. All students should be cleared for exercise by their healthcare provider.
Expecting parents are welcome anytime and we often have people in class who are anywhere from a few weeks along to counting down the days to baby.
During your first trimester, you may find you prefer your regular yoga class or fitness routine or that are too tired/uncomfortable for exercise. Consequently, many people start prenatal yoga during the 2nd trimester, as early pregnancy discomforts ease or because the growing belly and pregnancy discomforts compel them to seek us out.
We also have students who start class in their final month. It’s never too early or too late.
Prenatal yoga classes focus on the fundamentals because so many women start yoga for the first time during pregnancy. We work to build flexibility, strength and fitness through modified postures and movements designed for pregnancy. We focus on exercises that might address common pregnancy discomforts and prepare for the endurance event moms are training for: birth.
More experienced yogis who take care to adjusting for their changing bodies may try to keep up their non-prenatal weekly class well into pregnancy. That’s fine, but I still recommend adding prenatal yoga to your routine.
The breath-exercises, concentration, and therapeutic work we do is not typical of a non-prenatal asana or vinyasa class. Also, the pregnancy-customized postures you learn can be incorporated into your non-prenatal yoga classes when the group instruction isn’t appropriate for you.
What worked for me (Jen) was continuing my one regular weekly class (with self-modifications as my belly grew) and one prenatal class for pregnancy and birth specific techniques and to be in community with expecting moms.
In this all-levels yoga class, students will cultivate the flexibility, concentration and strength needed during the transformative time of pregnancy and childbirth. Enjoy the community of other pregnant parents while we practice modified yoga postures, breath work, vocal toning, meditation, and relaxation. No previous yoga experience necessary.
Read more about prenatal yoga.
The following props are recommended for our prenatal yoga class:
- Yoga mat;
- At least one yoga blanket, or dense blanket (wool, heavy cotton, tight weave polyester);
- Two yoga blocks or equivalent sturdy approximately 9 x 4 x 5 inch objects;
- A yoga strap, marshal arts belt, shower robe belt, tie, or other sturdy 4-5 ft piece of thin cloth or rope;
- A small towel or two are really useful;
- A bolster or cushions for relaxation
Don’t have “official” yoga props? No worries. Read some tips for DIY props here.