Conscious parenting begins long before that special day where you finally hold your precious baby in your arms. You instinctively know that there are certain actions that you must undertake in order to reassure your growing infant.

In fact, you have been communicating your love for your child every time you caressed your belly in response to her flutters and kicks, each time you had your partner read the Dr. Seuss classic Oh, The Places You’ll Go into your navel and even by eating healthy foods that ensure your little one receives nutritive-rich blood through his umbilical cord.

There is another way that you can express your feelings for the new life growing within you, prepare your body for labor and ready yourself for motherhood – through the restorative, energizing and relaxing practice of prenatal yoga. Through gentle movement and meditative exercises, you will gain a greater awareness of how the temple of your womb houses the jewel of our planet’s future and enrich your understanding of your own body.

Prenatal yoga offers a wealth of benefits to you and your baby. First, and perhaps most importantly, attendance at a weekly yoga class or even following along with a yoga DVD from the local library creates a liminal space in which to retreat from the hustle and bustle of Life and concentrate on the energy thrumming within you. A yogic practice places stress from bills, tension from work, the blasting of car alarms and the complications of family life on the threshold of reality for a brief, blessed moment and provides you with a mini-vacation where you can indulge yourself and acknowledge the joys and fears of your pregnancy.

In North America, we as a society are busier than we have ever been – even when we are no longer at the office or on the assembly line, we are constantly interrupted by cell phones, e-mails marked “urgent” and text messages as we frantically attempt to have dinner with our families, drive our children to their after school activities and complete our household chores. Imagine creating a space where you can set aside any non-essential emotions and activities, and allow your mind to be present only in the moment. Sheer bliss!

Secondly, prenatal yoga addresses many of the physical concerns of pregnancy: morning sickness, backaches, muscle tension, leg cramping, inflexibility, aching Achilles tendons, gas, weight gain, etc. Each asana (posture) performed “wakes up” the major muscle groups and encourages the body’s circulatory system to pump fresh blood through the veins and causes the eliminatory system to excrete toxins and waste.

Often, the unpleasant sensations of pregnancy can be reduced simply through focused motility, increasing muscular strength and realigning chakras (the focal points for the transmission and reception of bio-energies). Prenatal yoga is an ideal way to heal the body because it is a non-competitive and low-impact activity: virtually anyone, regardless of body type or fitness level, can participate in a non-judgmental atmosphere…and there is no “failure” to achieve goals. Each asana can be modified or omitted with the guidance of an instructor in order to make the experience pleasurable and safe.

As well as providing an opportunity to exercise, prenatal yoga presents a space for meditation and concentration. By focusing on the way you draw and release breath, you become aware of your life force and your unique presence in the universe. Your mind becomes clear and you will find it easier to focus on your priorities. Your baby feels the good, clean air that you are taking in for the both of you and senses the peaceful state of your mind and body and intuits that she is safe, protected and a welcome presence on
this planet. He realizes that he lives under your heart for a reason – so that he is closest to the strongest source of love and light radiating from your anatomy.

Prenatal yoga is an easy and comfortable way to effectively prepare yourself for the physically and psychologically demanding hours of labor that are involved with birthing your baby. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the pain of contractions and the fear of opening wide tangibly and spiritually to bring forth new life.

Through using the introspective techniques you developed through prenatal yoga, you can ground yourself by releasing tension through deep breathing and guided imagery. Much of our experience of pain is colored by our anxiety: if you see your contractions as hugs from your uterus that are loving your baby out and into your arms, they will be far easier to manage than if you see your contractions as frightening, unendurable and inherently negative.

Prenatal yoga also increases flexibility and allows you to maintain positions that work with gravity to draw your baby down the birth canal, such as: squatting, standing and kneeling. These are poses that women from all cultures have used throughout the ages to bear their children but have fallen out of use in our Western world. In our society, we no longer squat to wash our clothes in the river, rest on our heels to defecate or kneel before a fire to prepare our meals – therefore, we must train our muscles to remember the visceral work they did for our ancestors. In this way, we can prevent prolonged labors, unnecessary medical interventions, and avoidable caesarean sections and reduce postpartum recovery time. A healthy labor also ensures fewer health issues for children, making it less likely for them to be whisked away by doctors for extended periods of time, compromising the opportunity to establish a breastfeeding relationship immediately after birth, universally considered to be the optimal time for doing so.

Another special benefit of prenatal yoga is the enhancement of the bond between mothers and babies. Your somatic gestures create a sweet rocking sensation for your unborn babe, soothing him to sleep. She also benefits from the tender energy that flows through your body as you form a compassionate relationship with her through internal dialogue, gentle touch and positive actions. Prenatal yoga encourages mothers to be aware of their babies long before they are born, so that when they finally hold them in their hands, they do not see strangers, but rather, people who they have already had a relationship with for nine months. This not only decreases the likelihood of women suffering from postpartum depression, it also creates happier children because each infant is born with the knowledge that they are protected and precious.

There are many reasons to pursue a prenatal yoga practice and each woman will find her own meaning on the mat. As you consciously parent your unborn baby, consider the rewards of yoga – gifts that can last you and your child a lifetime.

Beth Murch is an Antenatal, Labor and Postpartum Doula in Kitchener, Ontario. She provides loving support to families during the entire childbearing year, including: assistance with creating a birth plan, providing comprehensive labor care and breastfeeding guidance. Beth also designs Blessing way Ceremonies and belly casts. Her website can be found at: http://www.freewebs.com/bethmurch/