Yoga, Conscious Birth, and Conscious Parenting
by Deborah Jordan
“Childbirth is a heart-opening sacred ritual that needs to
be honored and respected.” (Barbara Findeison, MFT, “What
Babies Want”) The gift that babies bring into our world
is, as the renowned author Joseph Chilton Pearce, PhD, says it, “an
invitation to the greatest intimacy that this life afford us.” When
I saw the sparkle in my son’s eyes, my priorities began to
shift and I began to seek a better quality of life for him and our
family. We all want for our children what we always wished for ourselves,
that they be allowed to grow into their “authentic” selves.
Cutting-edge research in pre- and perinatal psychology proves now
that memory and conscious awareness begin at conception. As we begin
the journey of parenthood, beginning at conception or earlier if
possible, we are reminded and asked to heal and nurture ourselves
so we do not unconsciously pass on to our children any unresolved
anger, shame or fear about own experiences in the womb, at birth,
or in childhood.
We begin to explore our values and affirm what kind of parents we’d
like to be. Self-awareness comes easier when we are relaxed, still,
or moving at a slower pace. Yoga not only helps a pregnant women
exercise but teaches her how to relax into discomfort. Yoga is nurturing
and teaches us to relate to our bodies and ourselves with compassion
and respect. Prenatal yoga empowers a woman as she prepare for childbirth
and parenthood by turning her attention inward strengthening her
confidence, her ability to trust her intuition, to speak her truth
for the health and well-being of herself, her baby, and her family. “Ahimsa”,
non-violence, is an essential part of the foundation of yoga as a
philosophy of life. Yogic philosophy is universal so it is compatible
with any religion or lifestyle that is aligned with non-violence.
If we are able to practice this with ourselves than we will have
an increased capacity to love others unconditionally. This is what
a baby needs and wants.
Joseph Chilton Pearce, PhD, says in “What Babies Want”, “that
the emotional state of the pregnant woman has a direct relationship
on the shape, nature, and character of the brain structure of the
infant”. The movement aspect of yoga is a unique form
of exercise because it feeds us emotionally, mentally, as well
as physically. Rather than busying the mind with reading or watching
TV while we work our bodies, yoga asks us to invite the mind to
slow down, relax, get quiet so we can hear the callings of our
heart. Prenatal yoga gives pregnant women and couples an environment
in which to celebrate and welcome the conscious being that is already
with them.
Pregnant women and couples appreciate being educated and informed
about the various community resources and diverse choices available
to them. They need to feel safe and supported to make the choices
that are best for them. This is why I created my Prenatal Welcome
Packet, for new students, full of local referrals for free and for-fee
services that include natural products and practitioners that provide
education and healing support for birth trauma resolution, prenatal
care, natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and postnatal care. I make
available free of charge: “What Babies Want: An Exploration
of the Consciousness of Infants” a must see documentary
DVD by Debby Takikawa, narrated by Noah Wiley of the television show “ER”,
and featuring interviews with leading professionals in the areas
of medical science, sociology, and psychology, including our very
own David Chamberlain, PhD, one of the major contributors to the
exploration of birth trauma resolution.
There are many ways to prepare ourselves for life as a parent: the
sacred task of being completely responsible for the care and well
being of another human being. Research now indicates that we are
parents from the time of conception and that the way we care for
and relate to ourselves: physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually
throughout the pregnancy can have lasting impressions on the biology
and psychology of the baby that comes through our body into this
world. Starting before conception is optimal but it’s never
too late to start right where you are. The choices we make about
how we enter into parenthood influence, not only our own evolving
experience of life as we live it and the well being of our
child; but also influence the nature of world society. Laura Archera
Huxley, the 2003 recipient of the Thomas R. Verny Award for outstanding
contributions to Pre-and Perinatal Psychology and Health, wrote: “Health
and disease begin in the womb; love and hatred begin in the womb,
war and peace begin in the womb.” Peaceful womb beginnings,
conscious birthing and parenting are seeds for peace on this Earth.
The peaceful way is the yogic way. |
