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The birth of this amazing little soul, Mirri Moon, came after many hours of labour and an emergency boat ride in the middle of the night from Stradbroke Island. What a privilege it is to become a parent and how awesome to honour the new arrival in such a ceremonial way. Big love going out to the parents of this gorgeous being and thank you so much for the picture.
His philosophy is that if a pregnant woman does physical labour as hard as her ancestors did one hundred years ago, eats a healthy well balanced diet, believes in nature, almost all babies can be born smoothly. At his clinic expectant mothers are urged to do hard physical exercise, walking at least three hours and do three hundred squats every day! He has a point. Physical exercise can free your mind and your body, can improve your immune system and increases the circulation of the blood, helping to release hormones, relieve stress and strengthen bones and muscles. Physical exercise can also soften muscles and joints, making childbirth much easier. He writes that physical exercise also has a positive effect on the fetus too. If the mother is a couch potatoe and eats unhealthy snacks all the time, the baby also grows lazy in the absence of stimuli. When a big stimulus like a contraction begins, the baby gets exhausted easily. But if the mother is physically active, the baby is jolted and stimulated all the time. It seems logical that appropriate levels of maternal stress can help the baby increase its vitality. Physical exercise also boosts the vitality of the uterus. The uterus is responsible for nurturing, protecting and developing a baby as well as helping to expel the baby out of the mother's body. If the vitality of the uterus increases, pregnancy and birth are easier. "Lazing about, eating unhealthily and worrying are the enemies of good childbirth." We live in an information-oriented society and many women crave statistics and data. Pregnant women are bombarded by a lot of unnecessary information that can make them scared or anxious about what could go wrong and unintentionally place themselves in defence mode and on high alert. As a result, birth becomes harder. When a woman is relaxed and has no fear of childbirth and needs no medical attention, she is more likely to have a good birthing experience. When her body is tense, her birth canal remains tight and causes great stress to the baby. There is an old Japanese house next to his clinic. Here, expectant mothers carry out traditional tasks like chopping firewood, hauling water up out of a well, or kneeling down and cleaning the floor with a wet rag. At noon, they eat rice cooked on the old stove and enjoy chatting. Women say this gathering provided them with precious moral support during their pregnancy,a period in which women tend to become isolated. Chatting with friends, they forget their anxiety about childbirth and relax. I would put this high on the list of great books to read whilst pregnant. Joyous Childbirth Changes The World Dr Tadashi Yoshimura Can you believe that 2014 is almost over? And what a year that has been for Joymamma! I was fortunate to start the year off on a family yoga and meditation retreat in Thailand which left me energised and excited to start teaching again. I was proud of my three young kids, sitting still to meditate early in the morning appreciating the silence and space, with no electronic gadgets for over 3 weeks. My eldest daughter who was 14 at the time enjoyed the alignment precision of the afternoon Ashtanga Vinyasa practice and went on to complete her Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training when she returned back to the coast. Upon my return, my weeks were filled with teaching pregnancy yoga classes at Yin Health, Being Yoga and the Sunshine Coast Midwifery Centre. I'm honoured to have helped nearly 130 women prepare for labour and birth, during the past 12 months. I have completed my trainings as a birth doula, bengkung belly binding artist, Bliss Baby Yoga Postnatal yoga teacher, successfully turned a breech baby using hypnotherapy and enjoyed numerous 1st Birthday parties (and a 2nd) as Joymamma enters its third year. I’ve felt privileged to work alongside midwives at My Midwives and offer my support to Mums at Sunshine Coast Private Hospital Active Birth Classes. I attended a profoundly humbling day of raising awareness for women in Cambodia by Denise Love and Nai Hy, hosted by Mary Young of Know Your Midwife, also accompanied by Andrea Bicket Acupuncture, Vicki Chan Midwife, Kirsten Small OB, and Deyna and Ali from My Midwives. As well as yoga, meditation and hypnobirthing, my small studio has been space to host a Sacred Sound Bath with the amazing Maetreyii from Ohmkara Music and an Australian Breastfeeding Association information workshop, accompanied by the Milk Meg. What a year! What I have enjoyed most is the people I meet on this rewarding journey of mine, from all walks of life, with different personalities, stories and backgrounds. These couples have travelled from all over the Sunshine Coast and as far away as Stradbroke Island, Hervey Bay and Rockhampton. 2015 holds more exciting busyness for me. I’m finally meeting Marie Mongan, creator of the HypnoBirthing programme in Sydney in March. I also intend to keep quenching my thirst for more yoga knowledge by completing Level 2 Teacher Training with Michael Daly and Vanessa Rudge from Being Yoga, two inspiring teachers who just keep on delivering the best classes and trainings. We are super lucky to have them here on the Coast. The beauty of becoming a yoga instructor is the ability to keep on learning. It just never stops. This quest to absorb more from so many admirable teachers is what keeps me energised and feeds my soul. I have lots of new classes and courses starting in 2015 bringing many more newly pregnant Mums, Dads and their unborn souls into my cosy home studio. I'm looking forward to meeting you all and re-connecting with those of you who joined me this year. Happy New Year to you all!! Carrie xx Giving birth is one of the most physical things a woman will ever do. It’s been said that the same amount of energy needed to run a marathon is needed for labour. Just as we would not run a marathon without preparation, we should not go into labour without preparing physically for it. The physical poses (asanas) can help build strength and stamina, as well as opening and softening the body. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II Pose) is a challenging pose which strengthens the whole body and opens the hips and upper body, helping to relieve backaches and sciatica during pregnancy and also improving balance. The pose also cultivates feelings of self-confidence and courage.
Meditation and breathing techniques improve our ability to relax and remove stress; activating the parasympathetic nervous system which is so important during birth, as we are then flooded with our natural pain relieving hormones, endorphins. When there is no stress in the birthing body, birth can progress smoothly and oxytocin flows freely. It is the concoction of good hormones that enables women to have pleasant, sometimes ecstatic births. I have birthed two babies using drugs in an attempt to relieve the intense pain of contractions … and nothing I was offered provided any relief. I then chose to learn yoga and meditation to help prepare for the birth of my third. His natural, drug free birth was the easiest! I’m passionate about holding a safe and sacred space for women, where they can learn how to cultivate and trust their physical and mental strength, endurance and focus, ultimately empowering them to approach their birth with confidence and joy. In an environment that nurtures the nurturer, pregnancy yoga classes can give you the energy to enjoy your pregnancy, build a deeper intimacy with your unborn baby, your body and spirit. Yoga teaches a mother to listen to the needs of her body and to trust the wisdom of her body and baby. Getting intimate with her body will enable a woman to rely more on this intuitive wisdom and less on rational thinking, which can interfere with the flow of birth. By uniting the body, mind and spirit, yoga can help a mother to be fully present in each moment, however that moment is unfolding, and to allow the miracle of birth to move through her. When a woman gives birth with feelings of joy and empowerment, she is able to transition into motherhood and face all the challenges a new baby and parenting can bring with more confidence and self-assurance. Being fully present is at the heart of yoga practice. Movement and positions like those taught in yoga have been passed down for centuries to help women prepare for birth. Many women are now using Yoga in conjunction with HypnoBirthing to strengthen their bodies and increase their physical and mental stamina. The combination of HypnoBirthing and Yoga during pregnancy prepares a woman both physical and mentally for the process of birth to move through her.
Many women start their love of yoga during pregnancy. The postures feel very natural and offer relief from many pregnancy related aches and pain. It is often very apparent to me as a teacher, the strength women can gain during their pregnancy. Women who have started with no experience have amazed me with the courage at attempting balancing postures at 38 weeks. When the body is put under stress in a strenuous yoga posture, women learn to notice that whenever discomfort surfaces, the breath becomes quicker, sharper and less fluid. This is a direct response to stress and is a great awareness tool to prepare for birth. Rather than running away from discomfort, yoga teaches us how to relax into it and surrender to the pose. Just like we need to surrender to the birthing process. Through breathing properly women are able to stay calm and in control, this gives great them power. Yoga postures (asanas) help tone the muscles that are used for birthing and awaken vital energy within the body. We cannot predict which journey a birth will take and we cannot control Mother Nature’s plan, but by being physically strong and learning correct breathing techniques a woman can control what happens on the inside and stay calm and focussed. When the mind is at ease the body is able to work smoothly the way nature intended and suffering does not need to play a part. Accepting our birth experience, just as we accept a yoga pose, we can trust, relax and surrender. Yoga and HypnoBirthing fully support the birthing woman. Pregnancy yoga classes offer a safe space for women to share their concerns in a warm, supportive environment, where they can confide in each other about challenges that can rise during pregnancy. Classes allow a unique opportunity for self nurturing, promoting physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing for both mother and baby. It also provides a valuable quiet space in which to bond and communicate with the unborn baby. All classes end in Svasana, a 15 minute relaxation which is probably the most important part of any good yoga class when we make room for the stillness that is already within us, under all of the layers of busy-ness. In that place of stillness there is great strength and power, it is the part of you that already knows how to have a baby. Find your stillness. Trust in the ancient practice of yoga. Trust your body. Trust your baby. "When the intelligence of the body is awakened through the practice of yoga, it will guide the woman throughout the pregnancy, making her feel perhaps more in touch with herself than ever before. She is then taken closer to her own nature and ready to flow with the moment of birth when it begins" - Frederick Leboyer During the hot summer of 2013, I trained as an Aquanatal Yoga Teacher. Practising yoga in water whilst pregnant reduces your body weight which causes less stress on the body’s joints.
It's harder than it looks! Because water is denser than air, these beautiful aqua goddesses holding Natarajasana Dancer pose needed more muscle force to hold this posture as gracefully as they did. Having already practised regular yoga during their pregnancy, the increased resistance provided by the water helped them gain extra strength. Balance becomes easier and you may feel more flexible in the water due to less stress on the joints, but it's important to go easy. If tendons overstretch, they may not return to their original shape. Belly breathing in water strengthens the diaphragm which in turn ensures we breathe correctly. Chest breathing uses muscles in ways that may cause stress that can lead to pain in the quadratus lumborum (low back muscle) and neck … contributing to a general feeling of unwellness during pregnancy. Sometimes it's hard to try new things, especially when you're in the deep end! But by bringing your awareness inside, you can then focus on how your baby is also experiencing their life right now. That was such a fun afternoon and thanks ladies for taking the plunge! CHICK PEA & DATE SLICEYou will need:
2 cans chick peas 1 cup quick oats 2 cups pitted dates 3 tbsp sugar 3/4 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup orange juice or apple sauce 2/3 cup soy or almond milk 3 tbsp coconut oil 1 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract 1 cup dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 180 c, and grease a 25 cm deep round pan. Combine all dry ingredients (except chocolate) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Put around 1/3 of the dry and 1/3 of the wet ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Place into a separate bowl, and repeat the process twice more with the rest of the ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips, and pour into the pan. Bake 35-40 minutes then let cool at least 15 minutes before trying to remove it. |
AuthorCarrie Jeff Archives
July 2019
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