artwork by Rita Loyd www.NurturingArt.com

Produced with permission

“So great that you had just taught us contraction breathing techniques, this got me through 12 hours of 1st stage labour at home without any medication & just a bit of extra help from swaying on a swiss ball.

Thanks again for a brilliant pregnancy yoga course”.

This Saturday (08 October), I shall be introducing my monthly meditation group to a new meditation practice. A visual one.

Some may think that meditation is simply sitting - that's it.

Well, in essence it is, but it isn't.

I teach Shamatha (Calm Abiding / Shinay (Tib) meditation. Which means 'with support'.

A study published in the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology found that women who ate dates daily during the final month of pregnancy were less likely to need induction of labour, as opposed to non-date eaters.

There's more!

When arriving at hospital, these women had also progressed further (were more dilated) and laboured in seven hours or less!

Melinda Johnson of Academy of Nutrition & Diatetics says that it would seem dates have a compound that mimics the hormone oxytocin (which causes contractions).

Within each woman, there's a story to be told. I was first captured by this after watching the film, 'The Bridges of Madison County' starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. In fact, I've watched it several times and it never loses its appeal.

I often wish I could attend my own yoga classes. Why? Because my students often report that they sleep so well after attending.

Many of us have no trouble sleeping - you know, head hits the pillow and that's it until the alarm goes off the following morning.

For a few of us, sleep can become something of a nemesis. We want / need it desperately, but it escapes us like water trickling through our fingertips.

There are many reasons for sleep being something of an issue: anxiety, issues at work, new baby, illness, menopause...

Ask anyone why they practice yoga or why they may be considering starting and you will get an array of responses from - "I was told it was good for me", "keeping my sanity", "staying fit"... the list goes on.

One thing that is definite is that the practice of yoga increases brain GABA levels. (GABA = gamma-aminobutyric acid - our calming transmitter).

Taking time for ourselves is tricky, especially when we find ourselves multi-tasking most of the day. Considering our own needs can become something of a distant memory.

Set yourself up for the day with a really nutritious breakfast - it can be made in advance and the good thing is the quantities you make can keep you going for several days.

No more grabbing an unexciting piece of toast or a handful of biscuits, this will really boost you on many levels.

In last night’s yoga class, at the start we started with Ganesha mudra – this is offered in order to lift the spirits and to also help you keep going, even when life gets a little challenging around the edges.

(It’s also great for the chest muscles, shoulders and arms too!)

See the video below to get an idea…

Ganesh Mudra Video