From prenatal yoga to postpartum pilates, Deepika Padukone’s wellness journey has evolved with motherhood

Deepika Padukone welcomed her second daughter on September 19, 2026, but this pregnancy was different. She was more aware, more attuned to her surroundings. The actor recently offered a glimpse into this chapter through an intimate maternity shoot with Ranveer Singh and Dua, shared on the occasion of her daughter’s second birthday.

But beyond the maternity photographs and celebrity spotlight, Deepika’s second pregnancy also brings her wellness journey full circle. From practising prenatal yoga during her first pregnancy to gradually returning to movement through swimming, Pilates and strength training after childbirth, her approach has evolved with her body and the different stages of motherhood.

The first pregnancy was about staying connected to her body

During her first pregnancy with Dua, Deepika continued practising yoga under the guidance of instructor Anshuka Parwani. After Dua’s birth, Parwani revealed that she had guided Deepika through nine months of prenatal yoga, with modifications made as the pregnancy progressed.

The emphasis was not simply on how Deepika looked during pregnancy. Her routine was adapted to help her feel comfortable as her body changed, making movement part of a broader approach to pregnancy wellness. Deepika also shared a glimpse of that routine herself. During her first pregnancy, she posted about Viparita Karani, or the legs-up-the-wall pose, emphasising on the benefits of this short five-minute practice that she could turn to when she did not have time for a longer workout. 

It reflected something that would become a recurring theme in her approach to fitness: movement did not necessarily have to mean an intense workout.

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After Dua, the focus shifted from pregnancy to recovery

Once Dua was born, Deepika’s relationship with fitness entered another phase.

In 2025, celebrity trainer Yasmin Karachiwala revealed that Deepika incorporated “a lot of Pilates” into her postpartum workout routine.

Deepika later spoke openly about her own postpartum approach in an interview with an esteemed publication. Rather than treating recovery as a race to get back to her pre-pregnancy body, she described wanting to be present with her baby, respect her body and replenish herself. Her return to exercise began gradually, moving from swimming to Pilates before progressing to functional training, cardio and weights, she told in the interview.

That gradual progression is perhaps the most interesting part of her wellness journey. Pregnancy changed what her body needed, and her fitness routine changed with it.

Her second pregnancy brought a new chapter 

In April 2026, Deepika and Ranveer announced that they were expecting their second child. Months later, Deepika is now in the later stages of pregnancy, with the couple recently sharing new maternity photographs featuring Dua alongside them.

Unlike her first pregnancy, however, Deepika has not publicly shared a detailed second-pregnancy workout routine. And that distinction is important. There is no need to assume that the yoga, Pilates or strength-training routine she followed previously is exactly what she is doing now.

What she has shared this time is more about the lived experience of pregnancy. In July, she offered a candid glimpse into her third trimester through a relatable story post about waking up during the night to use the bathroom in the third trimester,” while also adding an upside-down smiley emoji as a reminder that behind the polished maternity photographs are all the ordinary physical realities of pregnancy.

Her recent maternity shoot offered another glimpse of this chapter. With Ranveer and Dua beside her, the photographs marked a family of three preparing to become four.

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A wellness journey that has changed with motherhood

Deepika’s pregnancy journey is therefore less about following one perfect celebrity fitness routine and more about adapting movement to different stages of life.

Prenatal yoga helped her stay active during her first pregnancy. Postpartum Pilates became part of her gradual return to fitness. And now, as she prepares to welcome her second child, she has kept much of her current wellness routine private.

That may be the most telling part of her journey. There is no single definition of what staying fit looks like during pregnancy or after childbirth. For Deepika, it has meant listening to her body, progressing gradually and allowing her idea of fitness to change as motherhood has changed her life.

And as she enters motherhood for the second time, that evolution-not a particular workout or a “bounce-back” timeline is what makes her wellness journey worth following.

Text by Parishree Vashishtha

Edited by Sabrina Mathews