Deepika Padukone celebrates 'self-care month' with viparita karani asana: How it helps pregnant women

Deepika Padukone's pregnancy has been winning attention for all the right and wrong reasons, but the actress doesn't seem to be letting anything affect her self-care. Recently, she posted a picture of her striking a 'viparita karani' yoga pose and captioned it at length about why self-care is important. She also went on to say how viparita karani aka 'legs-up-the-wall' pose helps pregnant women. According to her, pregnant women can attempt the asana with a cushion under their lower back for support and it helps in the following ways:

1) Relieves aching muscles, joints, swollen ankles and feet
2) Reduces pressure on the lower back and relieves feelings of heaviness and fatigue in the legs and hips
3)Alleviates water retention 
4) Helps reduce swelling and discomfort in the ankles and feet

Earlier this month, Deepika's yoga instructor Anshuka Parwani also shared on her page the benefits of viparita karani. According to her, it promotes relaxation and improves sleep quality. Calming the nervous system, enhancing circulation to the heart and legs, relieving muscle tension in the lower back and hamstrings, reducing swellings in the legs and helping with digestion are a few other benefits of the asana, according to Anshuka. She also said that practising it before bedtime can help prepare the body for a restful night's sleep.