Professional belly dancer Payal Gupta has been dispelling myths about pregnancy, one beat at a time and commits to keeping belly dancing till the last day of her pregnancy.
The belly dancer, has been practising the art for 13 years, is the director of Payal’s Dance Academy, with branches across Bengaluru.
During pregnancy, she has been spectacularly performing in cities like Goa and Mumbai even though many people including her parents asked her to stop dancing but she didn’t. “Why to give up something you love if you are pregnant?” says Payal. You are not sick to stay inside all day. “I even performed at a family function just before my ninth month,” she says.
It is okay to dance if the woman has been physically active even before becoming pregnant; starting something completely new is not advisable during pregnancy, she cautions.
“I knew how to control my energy and I also scaled down a bit to control some movements and postures. Dancing relaxes me physically and mentally,” she says, adding that it also distracts her from the problems of pregnant women have to face.
She has recently shared the story of her 1st Trimester of pregnancy on her YouTube vlog #straightfromthebelly series. "It was hardest of the three trimesters but definitely the most memorable and life-changing", she writes.
Payal's mother was initially upset when she realized Payal was performing and teaching after becoming pregnant and wanted her to just halt it. I instantly called my teachers and they assured me there was no need to worry since I had been a yoga practitioner and a belly dancer for such a long time,” she says.
"An experienced dancer can continue gentle dancing in her first and second trimester. In the third trimester, she could do it, provided it does not involve a lot of thrust on the pelvic area. If she has never danced earlier, it is not recommended to", says the expert.
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