There are many benefits to practicing yoga in general. And these benefits are even more specific to practicing prenatal yoga. Some of the benefits are quantifiable through research studies. And since yoga is an ancient science, there are probably many more benefits to our lives that the yogis noted than our modern medicine can quantify.
Hello friends of Sacred Rhythms. I know it has been a long time since I’ve written, primarily because I am pregnant and I’m focusing on my pregnancy….It has been made clear to me that this time in my life is for education and maturation so that I may confidently offer the service of my life's work: to serve as a healer and catalyst for women and families to embrace the power of the Feminine in their own lives.
I’ve never fully told the birth story of my first son, and the birth story of my second son is remarkably similar. In these stories I find myself embodying both the spacious, opening, gentle and fully nurturing sort of goddess and at the same time the fierce, ego-killing, hair-raising and bloody warrior kind of goddess as well.
Svadhistana Chakra (the second chakra or Sacral Chakra) energy is that of sexuality, sensuality, creativity, fertility, power and money. Therefore an energetic imbalance in our lives relating to sex, power, money or creativity may manifest as disease or illness within the pelvis, reproductive organs or the menstrual cycle.
The first trimester of pregnancy is notorious for "morning sickness." While anyone who has been pregnant knows that the sickness is not contained to the morning, you may also be aware that there are many other symptoms in the first trimester that we also have to contend with, one of the other tough ones is fatigue. All-encompassing fatigue!
If there were parts of your birth experience that left you feeling raw, exposed and wounded, you can change that.
As promised, here is the follow-up post and video to "Learn Shoulderstand." Today I will show you how to safely prepare and move into headstand or Sirsasana. As discussed earlier, a yoga practice includes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits.
A yoga practice has many benefits including physical health, emotional balance and a spiritual connection with a source of power greater than ourselves. In the western world, we tend to focus on the physical health benefits such as strong muscles and endurance. In the sequence below, you will learn the step-by-step practice of shoulderstand with me.
what is Reiki? Reiki is the universal life energy that flows through each of us. Traditionally it is a hands-on healing technique where the practitioner channels the energy into the client for physical or energetic healing.
Yoga has been an integral tool for me during all stages of motherhood including conscious conception when we tried for about a year and a half to get pregnant, through my quite comfortable pregnancy, especially in labor and birth, and is an ever-evolving tool as a mother.
I would like to say thank you to Gabriela Spang for inspiring my to record more videos. So here's the first one. It doesn't have very high production value, but I hope that it gives you a little bit of inspiration for your own home practice, or as a brief intro to yoga if you've never attended a class. Then, when you are ready, you can join us in Prenatal Yoga on Wednesday evenings at Magnolia Birth Center. Thanks for watching.
I love doing ceremony! Which is funny because a few years ago, I kind of hated the rote following of the leader aspects of ritual and ceremony. But then I was introduced to ceremonies and rituals that actually had meaning for me, and after developing a habit of performing rituals, I came to love the intent and purposeful actions.
Many traditional cultures around the world honor the time after birth for both baby and mother. They see the work of labor as physical as well as emotional, energetic and spiritual, and make time to acknowledge and create space for the transition. From these traditions we are reminded of the importance of mothering the mother.
When it comes to sports, we know that we have to practice in order to know what we're doing. This applies to other physical things, like practicing an instrument. In fact, anything that we do physically OR mentally requires practice in order to gain mastery. Well, I'm not suggesting that we need to master birth, but it sure would be nice if we could practice it! If, for the first birth, we had any idea of what we are doing!
Fertility is a complex thing. Like all other systems, health, balance, freedom and wellness in fertility requires free flowing energy and clear communication of all the body's systems. This is true of all physical health, but when it comes to fertility, we take a lot more notice and lot more stock in why it may or may not be well.
Supta Baddha Konasana, or supported bound angle pose, is one of the best poses for fertility, pregnancy and postpartum. This supported, reclining posture opens the pelvis and nourishes the reproductive organs. It also opens the heart and allows us to connect with our intuition.
"My body my choice" means so much more than the choice to have a child or not. There was plenty of time and energy devoted to that concern. It also means the choice of how we birth our babies. That choice begins with education: knowing the process of birth internally, physically and medically. When we understand birth we are much less fearful of birth, and when we understand birth we can make choices that are best for our bodies and our lives.
Did you know that if you are pregnant in Greensboro you now have several options for prenatal yoga? With the explosion of new yoga studios in general, there are also more offerings for prenatal and postpartum yoga classes. But let’s discuss why you should consider prenatal yoga.
I had the joy and privilege of attending a birth this week. This was the mother's second birth, which was a first for me. Working with a woman who has already birthed makes my work easier since she already has a good idea of what she wants and doesn't want, and she was so confident and relaxed after baby arrived.
How we live our lives, signals how we will birth. How we view our bodies in our daily lives informs how we view our ability to birth. Do you like your body? Do you trust your body? Does your body work for you? Or do you have animosity, anxiety or disdain for your body? Can you see how that will affect your birth?
A friend told me the other day that her son is old enough now that people are asking when she's going to have another baby. And she confided with me that she's not interested in sex anymore. Its a quiet death that many women experience after birth,
I've been on an intense spiritual journey this year and I've been blessed with a tribe of women and a family who have supported and guided me through an amazing time of awakening and growth. Its a journey that I would bless upon all humans in their own way, though I know not all are interested.
As you may have noticed, I talk a lot about empowerment in my discussion of fertility, pregnancy and childbirth. Recent conversations and articles have been pushing me to deeply examine what "empowered birth" really means, and how it affects women.
When women can birth freely, without fear and in the way that they choose, birth can be peaceful, providing the framework for peace and joy in the family and in the larger world. It really is that important and that far-reaching. It doesn't matter how she chooses to birth. What does matter is that SHE is the one who has made the educated decision.
There is a yogic principle regarding effort and surrender (the yogic terms are Tapas and Ishvara Pranidhana, and the words "effort" and "surrender" are two simple translations) that I believe applies directly to birth as well as to our larger life journeys.
Have you heard what we as mothers are capable of: nurturing, intuitive, selfless, boundlessly loving women!? What incredible super-humans we mothers are! Except when this description does not fit how we actually feel.