I have been doing yoga for over 5 years now, attending pre-natal yoga with my three pregnacies and it has to have made a difference. The power of the breath in helping to let go is true. I was taught as you inhale you invisage that enrgising breath going to where the discomfort is and then on the exhale breath soften and allow the body to stretch . Very important to me was remebering to keep my lips soft which in turn kept my vagina(lips) soft allowing the cervix to relax and open. Shoulders need to be kept down away from your ears, again avoiding tension. Basically surrender to the strength of a contraction and feed it good breath. My contractions hurt, often needing to breathe through them right from early on. If they hurt when you are relaxed, how much more will it hurt if you tighten up. Even now I can still revisit that feeling of letting go. I still use it in yoga to allow the body to stretch and move. I must add that to relax in labour it helps if you are trusting and secure with the people and environment around you. My thoughts on pain is that there is a line and only when you cross it does that pain turn into fear. Fear creates the adrenaline ( fight or flight) and then the spiralling affect. You can come back from it, but need good strong support.
Absolutely recommend pregnancy yoga for birth preparation and of course yoga for everyone anytime. Megan. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
