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Dance Your Way through Pregnancy!
African Moves for Fun and Fitness
By April Underwood
Supported Squat
Sit on a firm stack of pillows or blankets. Widen your knees apart and turn your feet out as far as is comfortable. Place your palms together with your elbows inside your knees. Lower your hands to the level of your elbows. Try to press your heels down and relax your inner thighs and groin area. Hold for five breaths or longer. This stretches the lower back, hips, inner thighs, back of your thighs, calves and the back of your ankles. Alternate Leg Stretch
Sit with your back against the wall. Straighten your left leg and bend your right knee, placing your right foot against the inside of your left knee. Place a strap or belt around your left foot, flexing your toes back toward your forehead. Sit up tall, pressing your shoulders down while pulling gently on the strap. Hold for five breaths or longer. This stretches your lower back, the back of your thighs and your calves. Relaxation
Find a quiet place to relax and wind down. If you're past your first trimester, lie down on your right side with a pillow underneath your head. Extend your right leg straight underneath you while bending your left knee and supporting it with a pillow. Place your top arm across your belly and breathe deeply, feeling your belly expand when you inhale and relax when you exhale. Continue for 20 breaths. Deep Relaxation Breath
While continuing to lie on your side, breathe normally. As you breathe, begin to count backwards from 50. Inhale 50, exhale 49, inhale 48, exhale 47 and so on. Count each breath backward from 50 until you reach zero. Focus completely on your breath and delivering fresh oxygen to your baby, facilitating continued growth and development. Relax deeply. Want to see more?
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