How does Yoga Philosophy relate to pregnancy?
1. Connecting with your true Self
Yoga is based on the principle that your Spirit is the core of your being and the part of you that can bring you joy. You job, your role at home, the person you are with friends, are all a role that you take in life – beyond that exists your true Self. The role you are taking in pregnancy is that of Mother but the experience of the Mother role can bring you to a place where you are able to see your true Self more clearly.
Yoga asks us to witness things in life with an air of non-judgement. The experience of pregnancy often means things change for us: we may be unable to exercise as we used to, we may have to let go of the things that we feel have defined us previously, our priorities may change. If we can observe the changes we experience at this special time without labelling them as good or bad, we can begin to see that we are more than the exercise we do, the things we have valued previously, the external things that we refer to as ourselves. The observation of changes (as opposed to reaction to them) means we can begin to cultivate stillness in the mind which in turn brings us closer to our true nature, our Spirit or Self. If you are able to witness things from afar, it becomes easier to accept the changes pregnancy provided you with. You may not run as far anymore but you are still You at your core.
2. Energy exchange
Yoga says that the Universe operates through energy exchange. The energy from your mind has the power to affect your physical body, the physical body can in turn affect the mind. An inhalation is the energy of the Universe coming to us, the exhalation is a return of that energy back to the Universe. Pregnancy gives us a chance to surrender to the needs of our body and bring us an awareness of the balance in life. Practising yoga poses enables us to adjust our physical body to what we need right now: to move if we feel aches and pains, to be still when we feel strong and centred. Practicing breath techniques lets us observe what comes to us naturally on the inhalation and what we give back as we exhale. Noticing our breath in this way helps us to see there is something greater at work than just us – this is surely truer than ever in pregnancy when life is being created within you!
Breath work in our pregnancy yoga sessions also shows us how everything is linked. Fast, short breathing during labour (or any other time for that matter) increases adrenaline, which is known to inhibit labour ‘progress’. In turn, a slower labour can cause a feeling of panic and faster breathing. Conversely, slow steady breathing promotes Oxytocin, feelings of calm and the physical ‘progress’ of labour.
3. Cause and effect
From a yogic perspective, every action has a reaction, or a chain of events that follow it. This is even true of your thoughts: any choice you make in your mind will result in an experience. There is always one choice that will lead to the happiest outcome, the one driven by what we truly need in our hearts. For instance, striving to reach further in pose because your ego thinks it will look better to others might cause an unpleasant physical sensation, but using a block to support you might help you find some physical and emotional release. Yoga encourages us to trust our gut instincts more often and be less concerned with what things look like to others.
Your pregnancy experience is unique to you. Mums to be often feel the pressure to keep going – “pregnancy isn’t an illness!” – but perhaps your body is asking you to rest and appreciate your experience. Trust what your body needs in this moment. Your body knows what is best for your baby, it is creating an entire new life from 2 cells, without the interference of your mind and thoughts, so trust in that feeling in your heart. If something doesn’t feel right – in a yoga pose, in a relationship, with a decision you make – perhaps it is not what you truly need.
4. Give up the struggle
It is so human to struggle but yoga asks us to acknowledge’ everything happens for a reason’. Practicing acceptance and accepting limitations can help us find more peace. This strange time we are living in in 2020 really highlights this. We can feel everything has been taken away from us and this creates stress and tension in our mind and our body: perhaps this resonates with you if you are having to make huge changes to your previous birth plans due to the virus. Or we can accept that life has changed temporarily and this creates more ease. Instead of resisting the new normal, we can do things to help us meet the new challenges we face. From doing our Yoga class online now or to working with your breath to control your emotional reaction when you meet moments of fear or anxiety there are ways you can adapt and meet challenges. Practicing the acceptance that everything happens for a reason helps us to confront challenges that lie ahead – if your birth plans change, you can deal with them.
Struggles can seem external but are often internal and based on our emotional reactions to things. Yoga encourages us to use our energy wisely rather than on emotional battles. When you are pregnant everyone wants to shares their opinions with you and often these can be quite polarised. This may you feel confused, annoyed or frustrated, but you can listen to others points of view and accept that they be different to your own. Everyone has their own unique journey that has led to their own choices and beliefs. You have yours – trust in them.
5. Set intentions (but practice detachment!)
Yoga recognises that everything is made of the same stuff so the thoughts are given as much weight as the physical: your mind and body experience the same reality, just in different ways. It follows on that you and the Universe are different manifestations of the same stuff too! Therefore, your thoughts have the power to influence your experience. I think this concept is really powerful in pregnancy and exactly why making birth plans can be useful. Setting an intention organises and strengthens possibilities. The power in a birth plan is not that you need to follow it to the T and be disappointed if things change in the moment, but that you investigate and consider the possibilities. For instance, if you imagine having a water birth at home but don’t formulate this intention explicitly it is unlikely to manifest – you won’t have a pool in your house, you won’t have the support, you won’t be prepared! However, if you intentionally plan to have a water birth at home you will have the motivation to find a birth pool, to contact your midwife, to make the necessary preparations. It’s then much more likely to happen, just from a practical point of view! Writing down our intentions and desires for birth gives them more power.
However, the paradox is that yoga also suggests we practice detachment. Being open to how things actually unfold is essential. The mystery and adventure of life lies in being open to what comes about, rather than controlling what unfolds. To continue with the above example, if on the day of labour the home water birth is unable to materialise for any reason, surrender to the greater force at work. Setting intentions for different birth scenarios is highly useful for this reason – if your first intention cannot manifest, perhaps your second ‘best’ will have more strength and no doubt be more preferable than your Doctor’s ‘plan’ or the luck of the draw.
Asana practice in pregnancy can help us practice not being set on a particular outcome. A pose you felt comfortable in at 16 weeks might be unattainable at 36 showing us that we are able to adapt and respond to changes. Again, practicing breath work in pregnancy illuminates its power. Whilst we may not be able to control the events of birth specifically, we can control our breath – this in turn controls our emotional response, our hormonal response and then the physical process of labour. Know that your true Self is the only source of security and embrace the uncertainty of your journey – again when is this truer than in pregnancy? Nothing is certain in pregnancy and your feelings (physically, emotionally and mentally) are in constant flux yet your body has had the wisdom to grow this baby and create an entire new life. You’ve got this!
6. Everything and everyone has a purpose
The yogic law of dharma states that every being in life has a purpose. Every single cell in your physical body has a job to do and so does every other cell in the whole Universe.
In pregnancy, your body has done exactly it’s job to create a new life: it has been the shelter, the nourishment, the energy your baby needed to grow. In labour, every part of you is able to work with your baby to birth them. Your hormones trigger labour to begin and to continue, your uterus contracts to build strength in the fundus to then birth your baby, your breath fuels your muscles with oxygen and your heart pumps this energy to them… But also your baby will play a role – they will find the optimal position for birth, they will turn to fit through the pelvis, they will not breathe until they leave water… You are always in this together – through your yoga class, through your whole pregnancy, through your birth experience.
I truly believe that pregnancy and motherhood are a magical and transformative time. Your mind opens up to the possibility of something more, you come to realise your own power (and perhaps how society has been suppressing it, but that’s another blog!) Notice how you and your baby have been on this journey together, just the two of you, both completely and effortlessly fulfilling your roles. Think about what you want, set a birth plan or preference (or several!) to focus your mind and help you research your options and your rights but remain open to events that unfold. Release tension, relax the mind, breathe.
Trust in your body, trust in your baby, trust in the Universe.
NB. This post is inspired by the work of Deepak Chopra in ‘The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga’. An comprehensive and accessible read if you are interested in yoga philosophy.
Kim Mousley, LushTums Pregnancy Yoga Teacher in Bristol
www.lushtums.co.uk/hanham-timetable-kim-mousley
‘After practising yoga myself for well over 12 years now, the philosophy of yoga has slowly been drip- fed in to my awareness facilitated by the passionate and knowledgeable teachers I have worked with. However, it wasn’t until after I had my own baby that I fully appreciated how powerful yoga philosophy was for life in general but especially in pregnancy. As part of my pregnancy teacher training I completed a Yoga Philosophy assignment and have become so interested in it that I wanted to share some of my thoughts with the LushTums community! I hope you enjoy reading.’
Kim x