In recent weeks, I’ve been reflecting on my work as a Prenatal and Postpartum yoga instructor. There is much wisdom one can gain simply by being a pregnant human in this world…and approaching this monumental task through yoga only enhances the experience.
35 weeks, April 2014
But let me tell you this secret…Prenatal yoga, as a whole, is not about modifying asana (yoga postures) to accommodate an expanding body while keeping the precious contents (baby!) safe. Yes, on the surface, this is the goal. A Prenatal yoga instructor will create hatha yoga sequences that assist the body through this time. The yoga, however, is much, much more.
Pregnancy is yoga because it is one of the most profound exercises in non-attachment (Sanskrit: वैराग्य or Vairāgya). As yogis, we are encouraged to practice (yoga) without attachment to the results. During pregnancy, we are expected to wait patiently for over 9 months all while having little knowledge of what labor, birth and parenting a new human will entail. In fact, I am going to be 100% honest in telling you that specific hatha (the physical exercises yoga) poses might not have any direct effect on your desired labor and birth. I’ve had pregnant yoga students whose babies were delivered by cesarean and were breech; I’ve had others that had pre-eclampsia, low amniotic fluid, gestational diabetes and many other fairly common pregnancy-related conditions. [Please note: All of these above examples resulted in happy, healthy babies…thank you, modern medicine.]
My own labor with my son was induced at 37 weeks (i.e. early) due to my own high blood pressure. I never considered myself a candidate for early, medicalized induction–I was a healthy yogi with an uneventful pregnancy! My husband and I planned on a peaceful labor at a birth center, but we ended up at a hospital with extensive monitoring. When faced with this change of plans, I had no choice but to practice non-attachment. Sure enough, my son arrived vivacious and beautiful, despite what I had envisioned for his entrance into the world.
So, why do yoga during pregnancy? These same students who had more dramatic (sometimes traumatic) labors and births do report using yogic breathing techniques and meditation throughout the birthing process. They also tell me about rapid recovery after birth and general increased contentment as new parents. And, lest we forget, yoga relieved many of their annoying physical symptoms during pregnancy.
Taking this idea further, pregnancy is a microcosm for Life. As much as we don’t have control over when and how our little ones enter the world, we have little say over the trajectory of our lives despite careful planning. Non-attachment is, absolutely, the key to living a peaceful and happy life.
I’m reminded of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”…and furthermore, the poem by Robert Burns (1785) which apologizes to a mouse upon destroying the animal’s nest during ploughing. The best laid plans of mice and men often go askew. The poem encourages us to practice non-attachment and reflect on our many blessings, despite being handed the unexpected. Who knew a (male) Scottish poet or a (male) yogi could provide us with so much wisdom during pregnancy!
