Week 3

I felt like a 15-year-old who had just fallen in love. Walking down the road I could feel the freshness of the trees that had come to life after winter; the scent of the first budding leaves, the scent of first love, an explosion of life, a brand new wave. A bud was budding in my belly too. I felt that the processes inside me were taking place with explosive-like speed. I couldn’t keep still for a minute. A wave of energy. Drive. Adrenalin. Movement. I constantly longed for adventures, trips and journeys.

Do we need to do physical exercise during pregnancy?

We are liquid. That’s why we flow and are always in the flow. And the flow is movement. There’s a strange opinion that during pregnancy women need to move less, even that they shouldn’t move at all and lie all day in bed. Of course, lying down all day is ok if you have a good masseur at hand…

What happens with the body when we stop moving? The energy inside us begins to stagnate just like water in a spring. When fresh water stops flowing through it the spring begins to get clogged up and a boggy environment forms around it. The same goes for the body – blocks and tense areas form. A feeling of discomfort arises.

Movement, just like massage, stimulates stagnated energy in us and therefore gives us more vitality. Have you noticed that every movement is connected to the abdomen? This area is always engaged even in the simplest exercise, step, turn, bend and so on. Now the life maturing in your belly also moves with every movement you make. The life inside you feels these vibrations. It feels that we are alive and rejoices.

I taught Replege classes and exercised every day right up to the day I gave birth. This enabled my joints to retain their elasticity and my muscles to remain toned. And it provided the maturing foetus within with oxygen, and good blood circulation. So if you feel like it, be active and exercise! It’s so natural. What kind of exercise and how much of it is up to you. If you do regular exercise during pregnancy you will be able to prepare your body for childbirth.

Labour is a process which tests a woman’s stamina and really draws on her resources. I myself was in labour for 24 hours… but more about that later. Regular physical exercise develops the qualities needed during labour; we learn how to breathe deeply and correctly into our bellies and to keep going when that very moment comes.

My main recommendation is not to do anything abruptly and not to exhaust yourself. Now everything needs to be done calmly and smoothly, with one movement flowing into the other. Movements into joy. If you weren’t exercising before your pregnancy then it’s not a good idea to jump headlong into strenuous exercise now. Start slowly, step by step, and focus mainly on breathing, stretching and walking. It was pregnancy that taught me how to breathe and move properly. I started breathing deeply and carried out every movement with focus and a deep breaths in and out.

Quality, not quantity is key. And the secret of quality lies in breathing. Before pregnancy I did lots of repetitive exercise. I would repeat a set of movements 100 – 200 times, but my breathing was shallow. During pregnancy I only did 20 – 40 repetitions but my breathing was slow and deep, and I attained better results. No more frenetic and hot blooded movements. Everything become very meditative, dance-like, relaxed, and every muscle was paid attention to.

If you don’t have the energy or are not in the mood for squats or press ups, stretch instead. Stretching is very beneficial and pleasant. Stretch slowly breathing out. This will take the pressure off your back when your belly gets big.