To interrupt the series on “Integrating Yoga and Lamaze” for a moment… I’ve had something nagging at me for a while… I keep hearing the same theme from mothers who didn’t have the natural birth they wanted; the birth they were told they were *supposed* to have. They feel like failures because their “birth experience” […]
Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 5 – Aparigraha – Absence of Avarice
Aparigraha – Absence of Avarice: How much stuff do we really need? Another way to describe Aparigraha is non-possessiveness, not being greedy or non-grasping. This is both on the material level and on an emotional level. We’ll talk material first: How many maternity outfits do you need? You’ll wear them from about 15 weeks – […]
Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 4 – Brahmacharya
Brahmacharya – Restraint or Self Control: Traditionally Brahmacharya is defined as chastity or sexual restraint. Although that may be applicable during certain aspects of pregnancy, such as the first six weeks postpartum, it is not practical, realistic or helpful to your relationship to take Brahmacharya to its strict definition. So, for our purposes, we’ll use […]
Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 3 – Asteya
Asteya – Non-stealing: When we think of stealing, we think of pickpockets, breaking and entering or eating someone else’s lunch out of the office fridge. Although Asteya refers to stealing of that nature, it also refers to not coveting, nor hoarding, as well as not obstructing other people’s desires in life (emotional stealing). Again, we’ll […]
Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 2 – Satya
Satya – Truthfulness “Honesty is the best policy.” We teach our children not to lie, but as adults we do it all the time. “Oh yeah, I’m OK…” “Of course I have time to help with that.” “No, no. It’s not your fault, really.” Sometimes we lie to protect others. Sometimes we lie to protect […]