Movement as a way of life
Dubai-based Akshata Bhat Gupta has always been surrounded by movement, perhaps as long as she can remember. It’s a journey that began with Bharatnatyam at the age of four, and belly dancing at 18. And then teaching yoga and dance. “So, when my daughter was born, or even when I was pregnant, it was just natural progression, to continue this fitness practice, because I felt incomplete without it, so I made every effort to evolve my routine with this new human who doesn’t always follow the rules,” she chuckles.
Adjusting to life with a baby wasn’t always easy. “In the beginning, it does feel a little frustrating that you cannot do the workout that you used to do, or put in the kind of time, but, what it taught me was, creativity.”
She sought ways to entertain and engage her ‘little human’ as she puts it. And of course, the little one thoroughly enjoys it. “It’s so nice to see that,” reflects Gupta. “For her, there’s happiness in just being around me. She sees the practice as something important.” And beyond the fun, Gupta also observes fine changes in her daughter’s flexibility and motor skills too.
As Gupta explains, before you have a child, you tend to think in terms of strict routines. But, after the baby is born, you can’t think like that any longer. You shouldn’t hold yourself to such high standards, else you will be disappointed. So you learn to be okay with the phases, the lows especially, and enjoy those days as best as you can,” she says. And as you realise, “Working out together is just so good, for both, your child just enjoys time with you,” notes Gupta.