Yoga during Pregnancy

This is the one post I have been procrastinating to write for the longest time. The reason being my husband! The minute he would read it, he would taunt me on how much I practise what I preach!!! Guilty as charged!! Exercising has never been my thing. I have always run away from it. The closest I have often got to exercising is daily walks and my on and off bouts of dancing or aerobics or Zumba.  

But let me tell you'll - exercising during pregnancy is a must. For once, I am really pushing myself to get out of my slumber and actually follow a routine. Though I am not the most dedicated person, I have been managing at least a two-three days a week. And for my previous records it is pretty decent.

Not only will it keep your mind and body active; it will also save you from a lot of body aches and cramps. Plus the little bit of exertion on the body might aid your good night's sleep. 

When I say exercises, I do not really mean weight training or heavy cardio - I would say - let's stick to our good old Yoga. It has a lot more on offer - in terms of options and poses; as also it is much safer. As we all know Yoga is more about the right breathing and posture - so there is no unnecessary strain on the body or the baby, and hardly any side effects (unless you are doing the asanas not meant to be done during pregnancy).

Here is a basic illustration of the asanas that are considered safe during pregnancy. Once again, it is very important that you check with your gynaecologist before you indulge yourself into any of these. And remember to always cool down the body at the end of each session with the ever so famous 'Shav-asana'

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Note of Caution: If you have never done any Yoga in your life before, please do not experiment on your own at this point. Best to have a Yoga teacher guide you through it. 

If you do not feel upto doing any of this, you could just do some basic meditation in the form of watching your breathing while sitting in this position (as shown in the picture below); it will do a lot of good!! It will keep your mind at peace more than anything else. 

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