6 Simple Steps To Do Butterfly Exercise During Pregnancy
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Gone are the days when pregnancy was meant to lay on the bed and being lazy. Nowadays, yoga has become one of the most fundamental things a pregnant woman does for her and her baby’s well-being. Pregnancy not only brings happiness for a new life with it, but also sickness, breathing problems, numerous mood swings, exhaustion and fatigue, painful cramps and a hell lot of other problems. Then there are psychological issues like image issues regarding your post-pregnancy body, how the baby-fat will utterly ruin your figure and so on. And among all these issues and problems, yoga brings a ray of hope, almost like your rescue point.
Yoga helps in dealing with the many challenges that come with pregnancy and childbirth. The most important thing that yoga does for your pregnant body is to strengthen it. After all, you are going to need a lot of strength to give birth, right? Next, it helps in improving the much required circulation in your body, and keeps you energetic and positive by releasing happy hormones. It balances the chaos of hormones in your body that pregnancy brings along, and also helps in relaxation. Moreover, it helps in acquiring your pre-pregnancy body faster and better. But pregnant women should not do yoga without consulting their doctor.
Every trimester has its own complications and needs, and yoga is to be done accordingly. But there is one move that can be done throughout, and that is the Butterfly exercise. It is easy on the body and has loads of benefits.
Let’s have a look at the benefits of butterfly exercise during pregnancy:
The Butterfly exercise is known in yoga as Titli Asana as well as Patangasana. This exercise is generally done as a warm-up exercise, and it can be done at any time, when you wake up or go to bed, or even if you are just watching TV, anywhere and anytime.
The most important benefit of this exercise for pregnant women is that it stretches your inner thighs, groin and opens your hips. This exercise strengthens your entire pelvic area which is very important for an easier labor. This move also stimulates your abdominal organs, ovaries and prostate glands. It improves the circulation and digestion of the body. It also helps in easing the bowel movements and fluid retention. This move is also effective in treating cramps in the legs and abdominals.
How To Do The Butterfly Exercise?
Butterfly exercise or Purna Titli Asana can be done correctly by following the tips given below:
- Sit on the floor with your back erect and legs straightened before you.
- Now bend your knees and bring your feet towards your pelvic bone. Join the soles of your feet together and bring them as close to your groin as you can.
- Now hold your feet together with your knees pointing to the opposite sides.
- Slowly press your knees towards the floor as low as you can. Do not do jerky movements and press softly. If you cannot touch the floor, it is okay; and go as low as you can.
- Now, press your knees up and then do it again.
- Do these little pulses for as long as you feel comfortable. Stop the exercise if you start feeling any pain or discomfort.
Variation – Half Butterfly:
Half Butterfly is a beginners’ variation of the Butterfly exercise. It is also called Ardha-Titli Asana. If you are a beginner who has not done yoga before, or if you are not flexible enough, it is better to first start with the Half-Butterfly and then move on to the Butterfly exercise.
- Sit with your legs straight in front of you.
- Bend one knee and bring that foot near your groin.
- Now raise the knee towards your chest and then lower it down to the floor.
- Do this leg for a while, and then do the other leg.
[ Read: Remedies For Pregnancy Stretch Marks ]
Do this exercise whenever you can and whenever you feel like to ease the cramps and make your pregnancy and delivery complication-free and hassle-free.
Have you tried butterfly exercise during pregnancy? Leave us your comments below.
