After giving birth to a baby girl last November, Alia Bhatt is back to yoga and her fitness regime, but is in no rush to look a certain way. “Listen to your body” is her mantra, something that she has learnt over the years as an actress and now as a mother. In a chat with Bombay Times, she particularly stressed on this aspect of body positivity. She told us, “I really want to talk about this. A lot of women struggle with their new appearance post pregnancy. They tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves to get back to looking a certain way. Everyone wants to lose weight and I can relate to that.”

She added, “I love food, I love to eat and I had to lose weight because films are a visual medium and you need to look healthy.”

Alia said, “You have to look appealing. In today’s age, with every picture appearing on social media, girls even before pregnancy are constantly worried about how they look. Women should take a moment to appreciate their bodies.”

The actress had a special message for new mothers like herself. She said, “So many pieces have to come together and things need to go right for you to bring a baby into the world. I want you to appreciate your body for keeping you safe during that time. It’s not just about getting back in shape, but building your immunity, and then, everything will follow.”

She continued, “Now when I work out, I don’t do it to become thin or make my waist look smaller. I do it to be healthy. The idea is to be fit and not starve yourself by following some unhealthy diet. I made a decision to never be hard on myself even if there’s extra bloating or chubbiness here and there. I am going to celebrate it. I won’t torture myself. Just take effort to remain healthy, like eat your veggies, include protein in your diet, do yoga and go for a walk. Do basic things to be healthy. Take a moment to appreciate yourself.”

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In a post she shared on Instagram last December, Alia wrote, “One and a half months post-partum, after gradually re-building my connection with my core, and with full guidance from my teacher, I was able to attempt this inversion. To my fellow mamas, listening to your body post delivery is key. Do not do anything your gut tells you not to. For the first week or two during my workouts, all I did was breathe, walk, find my stability and balance again (& I still have a long way to go). Take your time, appreciate what your body has done. After what my body did, I have taken a vow to never be hard on myself again. Childbirth is a miracle in every way & giving your body that love and support that it gave you is the least we can do (sic).”