Stress is one of the causes and complications of infertility. The stress can be of external sources such as work or finances, or it can be internal such as worry, regret, and low self-esteem. It will help to eliminate the causes of stress, but that’s not always possible – especially when the stress is caused […]
Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 8 – Tapas
Tapas – (literally – heat) Austerity, Discipline, Dedication to Practice “A better way to understand tapas is to think of it as consistency in striving toward your goals: getting on the yoga mat every day, sitting on the meditation cushion every day—or forgiving your mate or your child for the 10,000th time. If you think […]
Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 7 – Santosha
Santosha – Contentment or Satisfaction “The opposite of such conditional happiness is unconditional happiness, a state that allows us to find contentment in any situation, whether we are uncomfortable in a yoga pose or stuck in a traffic jam. When we let go of our narrow idea of happiness and open ourselves to all […]
Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 6 – Saucha
Saucha – Cleanliness of Body and Mind Cleanliness of Body is relatively easy to understand, right? Take a shower, wear clean clothes, wash your hands after you use the bathroom, etc. However, during pregnancy and birth this takes on a new dimension with regards to physical cleanliness. We also look at the internal – what […]
Natural Childbirth Advocate? *or* Realistic Childbirth Advocate?
A posting by Barb, “The Navel Gazing Midwife” helped me crystallize something that’s been rolling around in my head for the last few weeks. She also gave me the term for it – Realistic Childbirth Advocate. She gives us a pretty good idea of how a dogmatic view of childbirth can be problematic. As a […]