May 2011 Archives
How Can Hypnosis Help You Prepare for Childbirth?
Most people when they hear the word “hypnosis” automatically assume it is like the stage hypnosis show they remember from College or that trip to Vegas.
Hypnosis used for childbirth or to change an unwanted behavior is simply a natural state of highly focused awareness usually achieved by deeply relaxing body and mind. It is a simple tool that allows you to bypass the critical conscious mind and access the subconscious mind where positive changes can be implemented easily.
You may not know this but we are all in different states of hypnosis along the day and switch back and forth all the time. This happens automatically. Remember driving your car on the way home and getting there “already”. You lost track of time and you were lost in thoughts but someone was driving the car, we call that auto-pilot; that is the performance of your subconscious mind.
So hypnosis is a very normal state of being that, when practiced regularly and skillfully, increases your self-confidence, your sense of control over your perceptions and your connection to that something greater then all, that doesn’t judge and only loves, that source of All that Is, what ever you choose to call it! Hypnosis practice has the potential to provide you with the pain free childbirth you and your baby deserve, it has the potential to heal emotional and physical trauma (say from previous experiences), and it has been widely and successfully used within the medical community for many years.
When Karyn and Craig from TurningLife.com were expecting their first baby, they knew they wanted something special. They intuitively knew there was something more to it than what friends and neighbors were telling them! I am so glad they found me and the “Quantum Birthing” program.
Listen to what they have to say:
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De-Stress Breathing for Healthier Pregnancy and Calmer Baby!
As a yoga instructor of over 30 years, I am a strong believer in “conscious breathing” to alleviate most effects of daily stress. Once you become aware of which part (or parts) of your body move with each inhale, and which part(s) move when you exhale, you begin to access the mental “place” of controlled breathing. You can begin to alter the length of you inhale and/ or exhale. gaining control of your breathing, means mentally, regaining control of your life!
Training yourself into becoming aware of this very natural process can actually decrease stress effects on your body and mind. When you start being aware of you breathing pattern, it opens doors to positively influencing your health, your mood, and general alertness.
The ancient teachings of the “Vedas” describe an art called “Pranayama”. “Prana” in Sanskrit means not only breath, flow but also, life force, energy; the life force carried by the flow of breath.
When you carry a new life in your womb, it is commonly heard that you eat for two (that being true or not is another debate), but I like to say you are breathing for two. Two living being need more life force than one, right?
So here is a very simple way to consciously shift your breathing pattern from tension and stress (shallow, upper chest breathing) to a deeper, lower belly (or abdominal) breathing that will help you slow down and relax during your pregnancy and help slow down the rhythms of your baby too. As a bonus, learning abdominal breathing is probably going to be the most helpful tool for pain control (and pain relief) in childbirth.
Here is a short video describing the movements of the diaphragm when you practice abdominal breathing; I call it “Belly Breath”!
Choose a chair or stool that will allow you to sit with your back straight (It is alright to stick a pillow or two behind your back). To help increase your awareness, you may close your eyes and place one hand on your lower belly (your thumb and forefinger making a half-circle around your belly button) and the other hand resting gently on top of your upper chest. This one is not suppose to move much if at all.
Start we a gentle exhale and feel the bottom hand on your belly going in toward your spine, gently. Now draw in a slow deep breath through your nose and feel your bottom hand pushed outward as the abdominal muscles relax and expand (your lungs are then filled to the fullest allowing for longer gas exchanges, detoxing and energizing all the vital organs and your baby). At the end of your inhale, shift into slowly letting out the breath, also through your nose and feeling your bottom hand drawn in toward your spine. The movements are gentle and flowing with NO WITHHOLDING the breath more than a couple of seconds, when pregnant.
Find a comfortable pace that you can easily sustain and continue the practice for up to 5 minutes, two to three times a day. You cannot over do it, it will not hurt you or your baby to practice more as long as you stay comfortable. Soon, you may notice that the pace of your automatic breath have changed and perhaps your level of energy has increased. Those are very common effects of deep abdominal breathing. It may also lower your blood pressure and decrease or increase your appetite depending on what your particular situation is. “Belly Breath” may also turn out to be one of the most efficient “tools” to help you reduce the pain in childbirth.
Let me know how it works for you…
Continue reading De-Stress Breathing for Healthier Pregnancy and Calmer Baby!
