- Title: PHILIPPINES: Filipino pregnant women belly dance for easier birth
- Date: 11th February 2009
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) OBSTETRICIAN-GYNECOLOGIST AND PROPONENT OF "SAYUNTIS" EXERCISE, STEPHANIE FAY CAGAYAN, SAYING: "Being sexy is actually a state of mind, it's not physical at all in nature. When you're actually getting pregnant and your tummy is getting big, most women feel they are not sexy anymore and they are not as beautiful, as pretty for their husbands. But this is not really for the husbands. It's for themselves, so that when they do belly dance and Yoga in pregnancy, they can still exude that sexiness inside of them."
- Embargoed: 26th February 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Philippines
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: Health,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA1LDKR8QT6IU6D8HZLNJ834V0T
- Story Text: Pregnant women stretch their limbs and shake their hips in an exercise program combining yoga and belly dancing, designed to strengthen their abdominal muscles and make childbirth easier.
While most pregnant women in the Philippines are advised to get lots of bed rest and avoid physical stress, these expecting mothers are on their toes and exercising their bellies!
"Sayuntis," derived from the Filipino words "sayaw" (dance) and "buntis" (pregnant), is an exercise program for pregnant women designed by obstetrician Stephanie Fay Cagayan,
combining belly dancing and Yoga movements.
Cagayan drew exercises from the two disciplines that help stretch and strengthen abdominal and pelvic muscles, preparing would-be mothers for the rigors of delivering a baby.
Mary Grace Elnar, a 31-year-old patient in the final trimester of her second pregnancy, says the exercise makes her feel lighter.
"When you're pregnant, your body feels really heavy, especially when you move. It's like you're carrying two people. This is a problem most pregnant women face. But if you exercise you won't find it difficult, you'll be able to move freely," Elnar said.
Twice a week, Cagayan teaches patients in a makeshift dance gym beside her clinic, where pregnant women gyrate and shimmy to the tune of Middle Eastern music.
"I developed this program as an alternative to Lamaze - to Yoga in pregnancy. It's a fun program for them to keep on exercising even when they are pregnant," Cagayan said.
Sayuntis is composed of a warm-up segment with stretching exercises adapted from Yoga, followed by a sequence of undulations and rotating pelvic movements derived from belly dancing, and interspersed with cool down periods of more stretching and meditation.
The exercise caters not only to women expecting a baby, but also to postpartum patients wishing to maintain their figure.
"A woman shouldn't be confined to house work, to the stereotyped role of caring for the children. Now, we should also be conscious of our appearance, especially our figure," said Kathleen June Tan-Jadie, a 28-year-old mother of two who has been practicing Sayuntis since her second pregnancy last year.
Cagayan, who has published a book and produced an instructional video on Sayuntis, said the exercises also keep pregnant women in touch with their femininity.
"Being sexy is actually a state of mind, it's not physical at all in nature. When you're actually getting pregnant and your tummy is getting big, most women feel they are not sexy anymore and they are not as beautiful, as pretty for their husbands. But this is not really for the husbands. It's for themselves, so that when they do belly dance and Yoga in pregnancy, they can still exude that sexiness inside of them," Cagayan said.
Contrary to popular belief, Cagayan said, Middle Eastern belly dancing originated not as a way for concubines to seduce kings but as a traditional part of a young woman's entry into adulthood. Mothers taught belly dancing to adolescent girls, and it was practiced in social gatherings and in rituals welcoming childbirth.
Doctors consider dancing exercises during pregnancy safe as long as women are not subjected to muscle strain. While jumping and jarring movements are not recommended, yoga and other low-impact stretching exercises such as Lamaze are generally preferred during this period. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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