Practising at Flolo while pregnant

Pregnancy is rarely a reason to stop moving. For most people it is a reason to keep moving, just a little differently. Regular movement through pregnancy is associated with better sleep, less back and pelvic pain, easier labour and faster recovery, and plenty of our members practise happily right up to their due date.

Here is what to expect, what we adjust for you and the one class we would ask you to come back to later.

Before your first class

• Have a chat with your GP, obstetrician or midwife. We ask everyone to get the all-clear before booking, and it matters most if you have a history of pregnancy loss, pre-eclampsia, placenta praevia, cervical insufficiency, gestational diabetes or high blood pressure.
• Tell us. Update your profile in the app and let your teacher know before class, every class, including how many weeks you are. There is nothing awkward about it and it is the single most useful thing you can do.
• Arrive a few minutes early. Grab a spot near the door or the wall, so you have easy access to the bathroom and something to hold onto for balance.

What we adjust

Your teacher will take care of most of this once they know. It is still handy to know what is coming.

• Staying cool is easy here. None of our three studios are heated, which is a genuine advantage in pregnancy. Just keep your water close through a Gold Coast summer, and step out for a moment if you feel flushed or lightheaded.
• Use the talk test. If you can hold a conversation while you move, you are working at the right level. It is the simplest gauge there is.
• Off your back from around 16 weeks, off your belly once it stops being comfortable. We will offer you an inclined, side-lying or all-fours version instead. Bolsters and blocks are always there.
• Deep abdominal work gets swapped out. No crunches, roll-ups or full planks. In their place, the deep core work that actually helps: pelvic floor connection, side-lying and standing stability. If you ever see a ridge or coning down the centre of your belly, come out of that one.
• Go gently with your new flexibility. Relaxin makes your joints more mobile, so you will feel more open than usual. Work to about 70 percent of your range rather than your edge. This is the one most people miss and the one most likely to leave you sore months later.
• We leave out inversions, closed twists and jumping. Twist open from the shoulders instead, and take balance work at the wall or the barre.
• Pelvic floor works in both directions. Strengthening matters, and so does releasing. Your teacher can guide both.

Through the trimesters

• First trimester. Often the hardest, and almost nobody can tell. Take the intensity down honestly, and give yourself permission to rest in a supported position for the whole class if that is the kind of day it is. Showing up counts.
• Second trimester. Usually the sweet spot. Energy comes back, props come out and it is a lovely time to build strength.
• Third trimester. Shorter range, wider base, slower pace, more props. The focus shifts to hip mobility, breathwork and staying comfortable.

Which classes to choose

Lovely at any stage

Stretch Yoga. Our top pick. Gentle, grounded and slow enough to really feel what is happening in your body, and the breathwork carries straight into labour. Use the props and enjoy it at 70 percent.

Align Pilates. The best strength option we have for pregnancy. Precise, controlled and built around core stability and alignment, which is exactly what a changing body wants. Great for warding off back pain and for recovery afterwards.

Slow Flow Yoga. Excellent through the first and second trimester, with a gentle internal heat rather than a punishing one. Expect to modify more of the transitions later on.

Yin Yoga. Quiet, restorative and a lovely place to be at any stage. Take the shapes a little less deep than you used to, use the props generously and let the holds be comfortable rather than intense.

Meditation. No physical risk and real benefit. Breath awareness is one of the most practical things you can take into a birth suite. Sit propped or lie on your side.

Yes, with a few tweaks

Barre Pilates. Works well, especially early on, and the barre itself is a real help for balance. Reduce your range, widen your stance, skip the abdominal series and have a quick word with your teacher first.

Dynamic Yoga. Fine to keep going if it was already part of your practice, with a chat to your teacher first. It is our most demanding class, so drop to the talk test, skip the inversions and twists and take child's pose whenever you like. Most people drift across to Slow Flow by the second trimester, which is good judgement rather than a step down.

One to come back to later

Power Pilates. The one class we would ask you to skip for now. It is built around sustained abdominal loading and fast sequences that we cannot safely modify on the fly, which is the exact pattern linked with diastasis recti. Align Pilates gives you the same strength without it, so take Align in the meantime and come back to Power once you are cleared postnatally.

If you would like it built around you

A private session is one teacher, your body, your stage and your particular aches. Especially worth it in the third trimester, or if you have pelvic girdle pain or anything that makes modifying in a group class tricky.

When to stop and check in

Rare, but worth knowing. Stop the class, tell your teacher and contact your care provider if you have any of these:

• Vaginal bleeding or fluid loss
• Regular painful contractions
• Chest pain, dizziness or feeling faint
• A headache that will not shift
• Calf pain or swelling
• Shortness of breath before you have exerted yourself
• Muscle weakness affecting your balance

We would always rather you left early.

Come and move with us. Tell us where you are at and we will look after the rest. Have a look at the timetable to find a class that suits your week, or call us on 0482 077 514 if you would like a hand choosing one.