When she was pregnant with her first child, actress Deepika Padukone made sure to do yoga and exercise daily to maintain her physical and mental health. Her yoga trainer Anshuka Parwani spoke to India Today Digital about Deepika’s pregnancy workout routine.

“The first time I met Deepika was during Covid, where I met her online to virtually train her for her role in the film (Gehriyaan),” Anshuka said.

He further added, “It was on the sets of the film that I met Deepika in person and trained her. One thing that has remained constant with her since then is her athletic body which she constantly works on. When I met her for the first time in the workshop, she did the Shirshasana independently because I was only training her online during this time; so that was really commendable.”

Explaining further Deepika’s pregnancy fitness journeyAnshuka said, “Deepika has been practising yoga for quite some time now and she has a certain rhythm in her body that comes very naturally to her. She does everything with such ease. She is the most curvy beauty I have ever seen. It is lovely to watch her perform such moves on the mat because when you see her posture, workout and the results, you automatically feel the need to straighten your spine.”

Talking about Deepika’s pregnancy workout routine, Anshuka said, “The way of working out with her has always been very holistic – focusing on strength, endurance and stamina. Working out during pregnancy has been a lot of fun.”

She further added, “I want to tell you that prenatal workouts can be equally tough for someone who is not pregnant, it doesn’t involve certain exercises or poses that you can’t do because you are pregnant. Sometimes it can be even tougher because you are carrying a baby in your womb, so you have to work out even more.”

Anshuka added, “But with the kind of awareness Deepika has, it was all very easy during pregnancy as we were working out almost every other day. During her last trimester, we worked out almost every day. The whole process was a lot of fun. There were days when we felt like we were just doing a restoration class while there were days when we focused on strength. Deepika and I would create new sequences together and with a lot of communication and trust, we managed to deliver a healthy baby.”

The holistic health expert said, “Deepika has been practising yoga even before she was pregnant. I have been with her and trained her for her films and hence, I understand her body very well. During pregnancy, it becomes much easier to work together because the process is challenging, especially when her body is going through a lot of changes. Talking about the changes in her body, dealing with the weight gain, talking about those feelings – all this has been a part of the process.”

When asked how the actress will train once she returns to work, Anshuka said, “The bond that I have with everyone and their babies is magical because I am constantly talking to them. Yoga is such an energy exchange and it’s a really beautiful feeling. No two bodies are the same when it comes to the postpartum body and no two bodies heal in the same way. That’s very important to know.”

He further added, “We will study the anatomy as a person’s body goes through a lot of changes. Then it is also checked if the delivery was natural or by C-section and if it was a C-section, whether the stitches have healed or not. It is very important to get a green signal from the doctor as the hormonal balance is about to be restored.”

“We will add a lot to it PranayamaAnshuka concludes, “A lot of breath work and body work so that your body can get back the muscle memory of the little exercises and little drills that you have done. The idea is to do little exercises and work on that core muscle and memory to rejuvenate your body. So, you slowly rejuvenate your body in those initial three months and then in the fourth month we start working on the body goals.”

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh welcomed a baby girl on September 8. They are yet to reveal the name of their newborn.