If you’ve been feeling tight, stiff, or just plain off in your body lately, you’re not alone—and you don’t need a studio or fancy equipment to start feeling better. With just a few Pilates exercises at home, you can improve your posture, ease tension, and reconnect to your strength in a matter of minutes.
Whether you’re new to Pilates or simply looking for a no-fuss way to move your body during a busy day, these five exercises are simple, effective, and grounded in the classical Pilates repertoire—with a few modern twists to meet your real-world needs.
So you’ve heard that prenatal Pilates is great for your changing body—but there’s no prenatal Pilates teacher nearby. What’s a mama to do?
Don’t worry. There are quick, effective exercises you can do right from the comfort of your living room. And I’m here to help you feel confident doing them.
Hi, I’m Katie—The Pilates Doula—and I help women have more comfortable pregnancies, more efficient births, and stronger recoveries. The five movements I’m about to share are inspired by the traditional Pilates repertoire, with modifications tailored for your prenatal body. Don’t worry, you won’t need any fancy equipment. With just a little space and a few quiet minutes, you can do these prenatal Pilates exercises at home.
Let’s dive in.
1. The 100 (Breath Version)
If you’re familiar with Pilates, you might be thinking, “The 100? While pregnant? I don’t think so.”
Hear me out.
We’re skipping the abs-on-fire part and focusing on the breathing aspect. Practice five slow, deep inhales followed by five strong exhales. Think: inhale wide into the ribs, exhale to hug baby in.
This helps with rib mobility and core connection—two things that can feel nearly impossible as baby pushes everything up and out.
2. Pelvic Tuck & Untuck
While not a traditional Pilates move, this simple pelvic mobilization can replace exercises like the Roll Up or Teaser during pregnancy. It’s first learned on all fours, similar to Cat-Cow, but only your pelvis moves. Then you can take that pelvic movement to seated, supine, or even standing!
This is all about bringing back mobility to your low back, where those vertebrae can feel a little… stuck. As I said before, you can do it seated and it becomes a gentle half roll-back — a powerhouse move for pelvic mobility.
3. Kneeling Double Leg Kick
Normally, this exercise is done lying on your stomach. Not exactly prenatal-friendly. Instead, we take it kneeling, hinging the hips back, and then reaching the arms up for a gentle back extension.
This move:
- Stretches your quads
- Strengthens your hamstrings
- Opens your chest (yes, you’re growing up there too!)
- Helps combat that anterior pelvic tilt from baby weight
Win-win-win.
4. Mermaid with Optional Side Kicks
This classic Pilates side stretch is a prenatal superstar. Mermaid opens up the sides of the hips and stretches the obliques—muscles that tend to get overworked as your rectus abdominis (a.k.a. six-pack) takes a back seat in late pregnancy.
Add in some gentle side kicks if you’re feeling spicy—they usually don’t require much modification during pregnancy.
5. Standing Arm Series
You might think, “Why arms? My belly’s the priority!” But let’s be real—babies get heavy fast, and your chest is growing right alongside that bump.
These standing arm exercises help:
- Strengthen shoulders
- Open the front body
- Build postural awareness
- Prepare you for all that feeding, cuddling, and carrying that’s just around the corner
Oh, and your legs and posterior chain will be on fire, too.
Don’t Forget: Your Postural Check
Just about every class in my Core Before program begins with a simple postural check. I encourage you to do the same when you exercise at home.
Ask yourself:
- Am I favoring one hip?
- Leaning into one leg?
- Holding a toddler on one side like a hip shelf?
Observe how you feel before and after your workout. Awareness is the first step toward change.
Ready to Move?
Watch the full workout HERE.
If you’d like to explore the original Pilates versions of these movements, I’ve linked a few resources in the YouTube description. And if you’re enjoying these Pilates exercises at home, stay tuned—next week I’ll be posting a free 20-minute prenatal workout using all five exercises, right on my channel!
So go ahead and like, subscribe, and get ready to feel amazing in your beautiful, growing body.
