Maneka performs prenatal yoga asanas with pregnant women

New Delhi, June 21

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Thursday performed prenatal yoga asanas along with pregnant women and asked them to practise the ancient Indian fitness regime under trained professionals.

The Union Women and Child Development Minister was speaking at an event on International Yoga Day at the Natural Childbirth Centre here.

The women performed several prenatal yoga asanas, including the modified version of the Tikonasana, Paschimmottasana and Ashwa Sanchalam, under the guidance of a teacher.

“It is a very good step to do yoga during pregnancy, but I urge them to perform the asanas under the guidance of trained teachers,” she said.

The asanas have been modified according to the changes in the body of a pregnant woman, said Nutan Pandit, founder of Natural Childbirth Centre.

These asanas help in relaxing the joints and muscles. These prenatal asanas also help in keeping the body relaxed, Pandit said.

The minister said, “Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promoted yoga, the number of teachers have increased, but there will be 1,50,000 wellness centres across the country, so we need at least 1,50,000 teachers, physiotherapists in the country.”

The United Nations General Assembly in December 2014 had declared that June 21 would be observed as International Day for Yoga (IDY) every year, a move for which India had lobbied hard.

The centrepiece of the first IDY celebration on June 21, 2015 was New Delhi’s Rajpath, with the event making it to the Guinness World Records with 35,985 participants performing asanas at one venue and 84 nationalities being part of it. PTI