Bring Back Your Mojo With Post-Natal Yoga!

After giving birth, a new mother not only has a beautiful bundle of joy to love, but she's usually left with a sore a lower back, tight hips, and tensed shoulders as well. Here's a relaxing and rejuvenating yoga sequence that's sure to bring relief.

As natural as it is, birthing a baby is no small task. Birthing requires a huge amount of stamina and endurance. During delivery, the body undergoes a transformation as the veins swell up, joints end up loose, hormones flow all over and a new body starts taking form. In a way, a new mom intrinsically rebuilds herself in the first two years, and that process happens gradually. There are a lot of mental, emotional and physical changes that one experiences post-partum. The one and the only way to cope well as a new mom is to tap your inner strength and unleash your energy through a regular practice of any gentle exercise form, coupled with a nutritious diet and adequate rest time. It requires a wholesome exercise form, like yoga, to restore equanimity of body, mind, and soul. Yoga helps in rebuilding the body gently and gradually, while strengthening the mind at the same time.

HERE ARE SOME FANTASTIC POST-NATAL YOGA ASANAS THAT CAN WORK WONDERS. BUT BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR PRACTICE. TAKE NOTE OF THESE POINTS

• Begin your regime only when the cervical or cesarean stitches (as the case may be) have completely healed and you have been given a go-ahead from your gynaecologist. This could be anywhere from one to three months, post delivery.

• Start slowly for the first few weeks, and as your practice becomes more regular, gradually build on the stretches by trying to increase hold time and the range of motion. Practice half an hour a day, three to four times a week. Regularity is key.

• Supplement your yoga practice with a nutritious and balanced diet.

• Try to get rest whenever your baby sleeps and use up your toddler's nap times to do the asanas.

• Perform the surya namaskar sequence (sun-salutations) at the start of your yoga practice after pranayama, to stretch your entire body.