Pregnancy and Labor Meditation: Mindfulness Practices
Prior to the birth of your baby, you will spend quite a bit of time worrying about their well-being. It is equally important to think about your own well-being. You will often hear advice about “listening to your body” and “trusting your body”, but this is easier said than done during labor. Meditation and practicing mindfulness prior to the birth can help you not only minimize stress, but leave you invigorated and in tune with your body in amazing ways.
So, what is meditation?
Meditation is way to quietly connect your mind and body. If you have found yourself performing deep breaths while stuck in traffic to calm your anxiety or frustrations, you have meditated. It is a means of centering focus on you and your body. Benefits of meditation include better sleep, peaceful and encouraging labor preparation practices, reducing tension and fear, and a lower risk of postpartum depression. When coupled with yoga, research has shown that meditation is an effective way to reduce stress and discomfort prior to labor. As such, practicing meditation, even for five minutes a day, can positively impact you and your baby!
How can you practice meditation?
Try Journaling
Journaling has incredible benefits because it is a wonderful way to self-reflect, process anxious and obsessive thoughts, and identify stress-inducing thoughts and beliefs. Journaling does not have to follow any particular prompt or pattern - write about what makes you happy, what makes you sad, what you are looking forward to, and how you are feeling about your pregnancy.
Try Meditation Apps
There are many apps available that teach guided and unguided meditation exercises so you can apply it to your daily life. Here are a few that can get you moving in the right direction:
Try Quiet Time
Have a few minutes? Go to a quiet room in your home and dim the lights. You can close the lights, if you prefer, and light a beautifully scented candle. Place a yoga mat or towel on the ground and sit down. Take a deep breath in for four counts through your nose and blow them out through your mouth for eight counts, like you’re blowing out a candle. Place the palm of one of your hands on your chest to feel it rise and fall. Try to quiet any doubts, stressors, or anxious thoughts that threaten this time. If you find your mind wandering, that’s okay! This is a practice that takes some time to master. Instead of focusing on a lengthy quiet session, try to do 5 minutes at a time and increase this time as needed. If you opt to use candles, remember not to leave the candle lit and unattended. Running errands and feeling too busy for quiet time? Try quiet time in your car as you sit in a parking lot. Or head to the local park and sit under a tree to connect not just with your body, but with nature as well.
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