Pregnancy Yoga Archives - Nadine O'Mara Conscious Birth

November 14, 2018April 15, 2019

The Dimensions of Prenatal Yoga

Have you ever considered the many dimensions of practicing yoga during pregnancy? Prenatal yoga offers benefits on a physical and emotional level more than any other time in a woman’s life.

Breathing techniques taught during a good prenatal yoga class serve as an essential tool for not only labour but also as techniques for coping as a mother. The ability to breathe consciously is a gift we give to ourselves and to our children. Breathing in prenatal yoga classes, and in preparation for birth, help us move into our relaxation response or our parasympathetic nervous system – our best friend for birth. Conscious breathing provides space for the uterus to function and stimulates the vagus nerve which again brings us back to our relaxation response. For the body to birth our babies with ease and for the uterus to function effectively, we need to be able to tune in to this side of our nervous system. Focusing on our breathing also increases the amount of oxygen going to the body meaning the uterus as a muscle is able to function more effectively. The majority of women during labour say that they used their breath as a tool during birth

The physical postures, or asanas, taken in prenatal yoga specifically help broaden the pelvic diameter making more space for your baby to move down. They will encourage baby into the optimal position for birth (a baby optimally positioned leads to a shorter labour) and will help you become more intuitive with your body’s needs.

Yoga and breathing techniques help regulate our hormones. The stretching and physically challenging postures during prenatal yoga increase our amount of endorphins, that is our natural pain relief. A good prenatal class shouldn’t just consist of purely gentle movements – some challenging postures increase our physical stamina and mental resilience. If we were to see birth as a marathon, as it often maybe, we would want to prepare our body to be in our peak physical health and strength…. yoga is key in this.

A sound prenatal yoga class, taken under an experienced doula or birth educator, will also provide you with active birthing positions. When practiced regularly, both in class and at home, these positions will help your baby move down, can help prevent tearing and create a shorter, easier labour. Combined with affirmations these can be incredibly powerful in creating a beautiful birth experience.

Relaxation techniques and visualisations at the end of class increase the bond with your baby – a beautiful yoga nidra visualising your baby in the womb can be a precious experience in your pregnancy. Other visualisations will help you create the picture of your birth in your mind. Just as a marathon runner sees himself running over the winning line over and over again, the power of creating your ideal birth in your mind can be powerful. Dr Sarah Buckley states that “the higher a woman’s expectations (of birth) the greater her degree of birth satisfaction”. A randomised controlled trial showed that practicing just 1 hour of yoga twice a week created shorter labours, less complications, less need for pain relief and better birth weights. Amazing results for only 2 hours of yoga per week!

When choosing a prenatal yoga class, look for a class with a yoga teacher who is also an experienced doula or birth educator. These classes offer all of the above and become not only a prenatal yoga class but also an additional form of birth education (see www.shebirths.com for a complete two day birth education course). Prenatal yoga classes at Yoga & Health Collective Mona Vale or Manly Yoga on the Northern Beaches and the Dharma Shala in Bondi are all under the care of specialist birth educators, doulas and senior yoga teachers.

Prenatal yoga honours the journey of pregnancy and birth and creates memories of your pregnancy that you will cherish for a lifetime. So much more than simply keeping fit during your pregnancy, yoga during pregnancy offers lifelong skills that are a gift to you, your baby and to life.

August 11, 2017August 11, 2017

Pregnancy Literature Review

Inner Beauty Inner Light

– Yoga for Pregnant Women –

Frederick Leboyer

Inner Beauty, Inner Light was the first pregnancy book I ever bought when I became pregnant with my first daughter Indigo, ten years ago. Having stumbled upon it, I was thrilled to find two men I hold in such high esteem, from different areas of expertise, coming together in the name of birth. Frederick Leboyer being the well known obstetrician and author of the world changing book Birth without Violence uniting with BKS Iyengar one of the foremost yoga teachers of this century. Sadly both men have passed away over the last few years but they have left behind them such a prodigious body of knowledge that has benefited thousands all over the world in the fields of birth, yoga and health.

Inner Beauty, Inner Light documents Iyengar’s daughter, Vanita, who was 39 weeks pregnant, practicing yoga. There is an ethereal like quality to this book, not only in the black and white photos taken by Leboyer himself but in the poetic like “conversation” with the imagined reader.

I don’t see this book as a “how to” of pregnancy yoga but more an inspirational journey in the ability and beauty of the pregnant body. In our current world there is so much fear around what is safe to do physically during pregnancy. While not recommending the average woman attempts all these poses (Vanita is an advanced yogini), I felt a lightness in seeing Vanita’s faith in her own body to move through her long established practice.

The first asana, following a beautiful introduction by Iyengar himself, is sirsana head stand. “Sirsana? In pregnancy?” I hear you say! A posture that is only to be practiced while pregnant by the most experienced of yoginis. Yet the nature in which Leboyer explains Vanita’s movement into the pose makes it seem such a natural movement of the pregnant body. He goes on to explain in detail the movement into and out of a sequence of yoga asana and breathing techniques that are suitable to practice during pregnancy for all women (although I would also avoid the supported shoulderstand and plough unless an advanced practitioner).

Leboyer’s discussion toward the end of the book on fear around childbirth and the ability to let go and surrender is as equally fitting to our present age as it was in the 1975 when it was published.

If you’d like to be inspired while pregnant (especially if you’re feeling heavy), you’d like to be reminded of the natural ability of the body while pregnant or the benefits of yoga for pregnancy and childbirth – Inner Beauty, Inner Light offers a sense of freedom, joy, warmth and love for the pregnant woman.

September 12, 2016September 12, 2016

Visions and Expectations of Birth

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll land on a star” Norman Vincent Peale

We all know that birth rarely goes exactly according to plan. This may encourage you to think that to have any sort of positive expectation of your birth experience is not a good idea.

“I’ll only be let down” I hear you say, “I’m just going to go with whatever happens and not have any set expectations about what it will be like. “I’ve just got to get through it” might be something else that may go through your mind.

Did you know however that the higher a woman’s expectation of birth, the more likely she is to be satisfied with her birth experience? It’s having hopes for a beautiful birth that will give you a better chance of having one.

So how do you go about creating this feeling of excitement and positivity around the birth of your baby especially if it doesn’t come easily to you? How do you create a beautiful vision of the birth of your baby? There are many ways and what’s important is that you find what works for you.

Trust your instinct to Birth – deep in our subconscious, our mammalian brain, each and every one of us has the knowledge of how to birth. Remind yourself that women have been giving birth for thousands of years. Birth is completely instinctual but you need to have the space, both physically and emotionally, to tap into this deep wisdom. Like any mammal, most women need to feel they are safe, supported and undisturbed to birth easily.

Taking some time during pregnancy to look at your own perceptions and beliefs around birth and to let go of negative thoughts can be powerful. Talking to your partner or a counsellor/ psychotherapist, meditating or attending women’s circles can be a good idea to work through what comes up.

Become comfortable in your body – Sometimes with the fast pace of the world, we don’t realise how disconnected from our body we have become. For birth we are required to go deeply into our bodies, in fact birth demands it of us. Taking time to do yoga during pregnancy allows us explore our bodies and breath. Learn to trust in your body and accept physical discomfort as a positive experience through a regular yoga practice.

Connect to the Earth – like all mammals, we need the earth’s nourishment to allow our bodies to work efficiently. Making sure you are eating a nutrient dense diet, high in magnesium and low in wheat and sugar, allows your body to be better prepared for birth. You may also want to explore a deeper connection to the earth during pregnancy and early labour by going walking or spending time in the garden.

Create your own Affirmations for Birth – Listening to visualisations that allow you to create your own affirmations or even help guide you in seeing your baby’s birth in your mind can be powerful tools in seeing and creating a beautiful birth. Placing an affirmation where you will see it every day helps build your vision.

Connect with your Unborn Baby You and your baby are in this together! Birth is a beautiful dance between the two of you. Taking time to connect with your little being before birth helps you to recognise that you are “one” and you are both on the same journey. Writing a journal conversation with your baby or self guided meditations to meet your baby can be powerful while pregnancy yoga also helps you to reflect on the true magic you have growing within.

In our She Births courses we talk about moving from fear, a negative expectation, to faith where we are adopting a positive expectation. When we birth we also birth our joys and sorrows, our hopes and fears. It’s our ability to have faith in our body’s natural instincts that creates the birth we’ve allowed ourselves to dream.
Nadine O’Mara is a She Births® educator and pre/post natal yoga teacher at Yoga & Health Collective. Find out more or contact her at www.consciouslifeyoga.com.au.

June 29, 2016July 4, 2016

Rest and relaxation in pregnancy, birth & early motherhood

“Tension is who you think you should be

Relaxation is who you really are”

Chinese proverb

The idea of rest and relaxation is something that many might think is synonymous with pregnancy, not thought about in birth and then elusive in early motherhood.

“Make sure you get enough rest” your grandmother might remind you. “Sleep when your baby sleeps” well wishers will suggest and of course, when it comes to birth, who knows what to expect if you listen to all the negative stories many like to share.

Rest and relaxation are, in fact, one of the most important parts of this very sacred period.

For many of us, getting enough rest in pregnancy can be very challenging. Most first time mothers are still working full time right up until their due date and hence have all the obligations they had prior to pregnancy, while second and third time mums are running around after other children, often toddlers. Furthermore, as though nature is preparing us for what’s ahead, baby starts to wake us in the last trimester as they take their chance to kick and wriggle as soon as the light is turned out for bed, not to mention the discomfort of aching backs, nausea or heart burn.

However, rest and relaxation are far more important at this time than just getting enough sleep. Teaching the mind and body to fall into relaxation quickly is incredibly beneficial for preparing ourselves for birth. Relaxation, as we describe in She Births®, is your greatest inner resource during birth. The rest and relaxation side of our nervous system is required for giving birth to our babies (as opposed to the fight or flight side of our nervous system that prepares us for exactly that).

When we become efficient at evoking what we call the “relaxation response” our blood pressure is lowered, our heart rate and metabolic rate are decreased and when our face, neck and shoulders relax in labour, our cervix more readily thins.

Practicing relaxation is not difficult but takes some time and commitment. In pregnancy the specific practice of relaxation (such as listening to a visualisation, affirmations, meditation or taking a guided relaxation such as yoga nidra) not only help you to bond better with your baby by allowing time to visualise your baby and the birth you would like to have, but prepare the body to go more easily into relaxation during birth. Allowing ourselves to take deep rest in the lead up to birth also allows us to be more in touch with our deep subconscious, our mammalian brain, that innately “knows” how to birth. So give serious consideration to taking as much time off work as you can before having your baby so you can really rest and give time to surrendering into yourself.

Once baby is born, these techniques are equally beneficial to allow deep rest for new mothers. Time is of the essence when it comes to rest for new mamas, so using the above techniques help you move more quickly into deep relaxation that can often be more nourishing than a quick nap.

Not only will taking time to rest and relax over this special period benefit you and your baby, it will give you life long skills and life long benefits.

“The relaxation response yields many long term benefits in both health and well-being and can be bought on with very simple mental focusing or meditation techniques. People eliciting the relaxation response open a kind of door, clearing and rejuvenating their minds and bodies, readying themselves for new ideas and suggestion” Dr Herbert Benson (author of Timeless Healing: the Power and Biology of Belief)