5 Tips & Answers to Common Prenatal Questions

I get so many emails each week asking about Yoga during Pregnancy, so thought I'd share 5 Prenatal Yoga Tips & Advice in response to our most common questions...

1. Can I still practice yoga, and if so, how many weeks should I wait?....

Yes, you can continue practicing yoga during pregnancy. Generally people will advise waiting till after 12 weeks. This is due to your body going through the most changes during this time and also this being the most common time and higher likelihood of miscarriage.

(Due to the huge changes going on in your body, you will also probably feel the most tired and nauseous, so may not feel like practicing during this time.)

2. If I want to continue my practice before the 12 week mark, what do you suggest?

Ok, so you want to still practice, that's fine (we probably would too)... so here's what we suggest. If you are going to group classes, please please please make sure you tell each of your teachers you are pregnant (even if it is on the down-low because you are not announcing it just yet). Its so important for us as teachers to have an understanding of what you are going through so as to modify and make appropriate adjustments. (If you are worried about other students finding out, we can also do this in a generic way such as "for those who want an easier option today, do this.....", as opposed to "Jenny since you're pregnant, do this instead.")

You may feel more drawn to practicing Yoga Nidra (Progressive Relaxation Meditation) during this time, or some deep breathing to refresh and re-energise you as opposed to your regular asana practice during the first 12 weeks. (Check out Soundcloud for some Yoga Nidra/Meditation freebies.)

3. What styles of yoga are best suited during pregnancy?

Slower and more nurturing styles of Yoga are going to be better suited during pregnancy. Obviously a great choice is trying to get along to specific Prenatal Classes that are tailored towards common pregnancy aches and pains and supporting you up until the birth. It's also a great way to meet other mums, who you will find a great support once bub arrives, since you will all be going through the same thing around the same time.

If you can't make these classes, find a class which moves at a slower pace and a teacher that offers more modifications. Gentle, Restorative or Yin classes are great- however due to the relaxin hormone building in your body during pregnancy, which softens the ligaments in preparation for birth, you also want to be conscious of not over-stretching during this time... so only do about 60% of what you feel you could! You are welcome to attend any of the other classes if you feel confident with modifying and listening in to your own body.

4. What types of poses and practices should I avoid?

It's fairly intuitive, when it comes to what poses to avoid. Obviously you want to steer clear of anything which is going to compress or over-work the belly area. This means avoid compressive forward bends and closed-twists. Typically, inversions are also out, this is due to it changing the natural position of the baby as it prepares for the birth (particularly in later pregnancy once bubba's head is engaged), and also runs the risk of the chord tangling around bubba's neck.) You are welcome to do some inversions if you know what you are doing. I practiced a few, which were a relief on bladder and to help turn baby, but I also ended up having an emergency c-section due to chord around bubbas neck, so will definitely think twice on some of these next time- even down dog, which is an inversion!)

You will also want to be careful with strong core-work. Fast breathing is also out, along with long breath retention and strong Bandha work, if you incorporate this into your practice. Hot yoga is also something you'll probably want to avoid, and you will find that lying on your tummy is ruled out pretty early on, and lying on your back towards about the 24-28 week mark as the weight of the baby makes this uncomfortable and presses on the vena cava, which disrupts the blood-flow to both you and your baby).

5. Is there any other advice you'd give during pregnancy?

Honour your body and your own inner wisdom. You will usually intuitively know what's best for both you and your baby and this can be a wonderful time to bond with your baby and develop your confidence in your own abilities and your own amazing body, which is capable of birthing another human being.

If you are unsure, err towards the less is more category. This is not a time to be working-out, trying to tone-up and keep in shape, we need to move away from the "Yang" mentality of always needing to do and be more, and soften into the feminine aspect of our nature by nurturing and supporting ourselves, and building our energy to support our growing baby, for the big birth experience that awaits us and for the even bigger experience of having a young bubba to take care of.

So many mums (myself included) journey into the experience of motherhood already completely depleted and fatigued, and it's no wonder so many new mums struggle with post-natal depression, because really most of us are just utterly depleted. So use this time wisely to build up your energy bank and inner resources to carry you through the amazing and life changing journey ahead.

Wishing you and your baby a wonderful journey together!

#prenatalyoga #yoga #pregnancy #advice #tips

Enlightenment in a New Light

For most of us the idea of attaining enlightenment is a rather mystical concept, not really within the scope of our day-to-day lives. It may conjure up images of Buddhist monks or spiritual masters meditating in caves, and for many of us all this just seems a little too far removed from our everyday reality. We might think to ourselves “in another lifetime perhaps”. So, whilst the notion of enlightenment is an intriguing one, for most of us we’ve kind of just given up, or perhaps not even dared to begin! But, need the concept of enlightenment be reserved only for the masters of some high and lofty, almost unattainable state, or can we re-think what this word actually means and how it applies to our modern-day lives?

Firstly, examining its definition, the Merriam-Webster dictionary describes enlightenment as “the act or means of enlightening: the state of being enlightened.” The word ‘enlighten’ itself, essentially means “to bring light to” or “to illuminate”. So enlightenment is therefore the act, or process of bringing ‘more light’ into our state of being or our consciousness. This definition is a little more accessible to us as it removes the implication that enlightenment is an absolute end point or final destination. It signals, instead, that it is actually an ongoing process in which we continually grow or evolve to live with more light.

Of course, many religions and spiritual practices have varying descriptions of what this ‘light’ is. Some will call it prana, chi or energy- the essential life-force or substratum of life. Others will call it God, Consciousness, or the Universal Source. We could even call it “love”. Whatever label we give to it, the essential meaning is the same. It is a process or practice of transforming ourselves towards our higher potential, living consciously with awareness as we seek to let go of heaviness, darkness, fear or ignorance and become more of what we essentially are, which is pure love and light.

The practice of yoga concerns itself with this process. It asks us not to expect perfection from ourselves, but rather to accept where we are now and have a willingness to grow and evolve along this path of enlightenment. Through its many practices, Yoga systematically teaches us to let go of our physical and mental limitations and opens us up to living at a higher vibration of energy, as we discover how to build and embody more of this light within our being.

This is my passion - to teach yoga as a transformative life practice. The aim is always to create a space for you to grow and evolve along your own path of self discovery and enlightenment. All sessions, classes and workshops are designed to bring you into alignment with yourself, your truth and allow your own inner light to shine.

#awareness #Conscious #living #enlightenment #light #modern

Yogic Ties with Aboriginal Spirituality

As a Yoga teacher it is wonderful to see so many people connecting and resonating with the teachings and conceptual ideologies that have been passed down to us through the tradition of yoga. I feel that the world is waking up and many of us are beginning to find value in this ancient knowledge once more. Yet as an Australian, I believe it is also important to recognise the ancient teachings and wisdom of this land- which, like the yogic tradition, offers to us a wealth of knowledge that is our birthright to claim before it is lost!

The Ancient Knowledge of This Land

Many of us are starting to realise that our modern way of life cannot sustain us for much longer and are awakening to the planetary call to a new way of being. As we do so, many of us are returning to the great truths once known to all Indigenous cultures around the world; great truths and essential wisdom which we seem to have forgotten somewhere along the line between focusing on calorie counting and stockpiling our houses with more and more "stuff".

As an Australian I believe that we, more than most cultures, have struggled with our sense of belonging and our cultural heritage. In this melting pot of different cultures and races, with a history record that we'd much rather erase from our minds, we have lost our connection to our Australian heritage and the great wisdom that has been passed through the stories of this beautiful country that we call home. We have forgotten our birthright, which is to exist in harmony with our land. We have stopped hearing the call of our mother Nungeenat-ya (Aboriginal word for the Earth Spirit).

Being that I am a yoga teacher, I would love to be able to offer the wisdom of this ancient Indian tradition, yet also honour our very own teachings from this wise old land and it's people. This next section details some of the Australian Aboriginal Teachings and draws some similarities to some Yogic concepts and philosophies. Please understand that these are my own interpretations, used in an attempt to draw similarities to yogic traditions.

Australian Spiritual Teachings (Comparitive to Yoga)

Here is a list of a few of the important Australian Aboriginal Spiritual Teachings...

Nungeenat-ya = The Earth Spirit, similar to the Greek Gaia. She is our Mother Earth. We need to respect Nungeenat-ya because we are part of her. She sustains us and provides for us. We cannot separate ourselves from her. What we do to our planet, we do to ourselves. This is the teaching of Oneness. All of life is interconnected, delicately woven together in a sacred tapestry of life. We must look after our Earth, which is our teaching place on our life's journey.

Miwi = Our sprit, soul or consciousness. Similar to atma or atman in yoga. This is our higher self, which contains the blueprint or spiritual map for our life's journey. Our miwi resides in our heart-space and it is taught that we should learn to let our miwi guide us, rather than acting from our ego. It is up to us to make the choice to align with our miwi, as we are "boss of self" and we need to take responsibility for our life.

You will notice in drawings of miwi's that they have no mouths, as it is believed that it is our mouths that get us into trouble. The teaching here is to listen to our deeper truth, rather than letting our mind or our ego run the show.

Our Emotions = Australian Aboriginal traditions teach the importance of having intimacy with our emotions. Like in the tradition of yoga, we are taught to acknowledge our emotions and bring awareness to them. By learning to become comfortable with our emotions and sit with them, we learn to let them go.

Emotions are neither "good" nor "bad". Emotions like anger are only bad when they are used destructively. (This reminds me of what one of my yoga teachers used to say about anger, that "it is the power of change." Emotions are simply energy which we have attached a certain vibrational frequency to. We can learn to shift this by first becoming conscious of what we are feeling.) Real wisdom comes through undiluted processing of our emotions.

Cleansing = The importance of maintaining purity of our body, mind and energy is taught throughout Australian Aboriginal traditions. Our body must be kept healthy through movement and with the foods we eat, as well as by keeping check our our emotions, which can create negative energy in both the body and the surrounding environment, known as "bugeenge".

There are many cleansing traditions and practices which are used. There is an understanding that the skin is the most vital organ, which "breathes" and removes impurities and toxins via the sweat, therefore it is important to allow the skin to be exfoliated and have the chance to sweat so that toxins can be eliminated properly.

Smoking ceremonies are a way to purify the negative energy of a place or person, similar to the use of incense or sage. Often sacred gum is used to purify negative energy, which can cause our miwi to be under stress if we have prolonged exposure to any negativity. This diminishes our spiritual energy, similar to yoga's chakra system, which can also get blockages and be affected by our negative thoughts and emotions.

Reality's Veil= The goal of yoga has always been to remove the veil which prevents us from experiencing higher states of consciousness. In yoga we discuss the various kosha's or sheaths, which act as lamp shades, blocking us from experiencing the full light of consciousness flowing through us. Similar to this, in Australian Aboriginal culture there is the understanding of a veil that prevents us from seeing and experiencing the full totality of all of life's knowledge.

They believe that we are born with a deeper spiritual knowing in which we have a full memory of knowledge beyond this life, however from the age of about 3-5 years old, the veil descends cutting us off from this knowledge and making us focus in on our experiences in this life only. Yet, sometimes people can have a tear in this veil. Sometimes this tear will manifest in the form of psychic abilities, at other times it can manifest as mental disorders such as schizophrenia. (This also explains why many children have imaginary friends!)

For these reasons, in yoga, great care is taken along the journey of opening ourselves to higher states of consciousness. Firstly we can develop physic abilities which we risk becoming attached to, or we may open the veil too soon with forced shakti-pat or vigorous breathing practices to make the kundalini rise before we are mentally and physically ready. This results in all of our samskaras (negative mental impressions) rising to the surface and causing problems in the students life. The journey of removing the veil of maya is therefore a slow process.

Koshas/Sheaths= In Australian Aboriginal Culture, like in yoga, they discuss sheaths or koshas, which form separate layers of our energy body. The innermost layer is the miwi, like the atma, as discussed above. The second outer layer is known as "mullawahl", which is a thin blinding white/gold light. The veil is part of this sheath. It is said that the colour of this sheath may vary slightly at the edges from person to person, with either a gold or rose gold line around the edges. Gold meaning that the person has lived many lives and rose meaning that they are very kind.

The next outer sheath is known as "Dahwie", which is comprised of tougher or more dense energy. (Like in yoga philosophy, with the outer sheaths becoming gradually more solid until we reach the physical body.) This energy is what gets affected by the "bugeenge", or negative energy around us. It should be kept blue white.

Energy= Like in many ancient traditions, Australian Aboriginal culture discusses energy. More than most cultures, they are aware of the energetic vibrations that run through not only us, but through the Earth. They have an understanding of the song-lines and dreaming tracks that run along the Earth, and their paintings and art reflects how their vision has adjusted to see the underlying energy of all things. Everything is energy. They are able to see through the physical outer layer of reality and see the underlying essence of life. (It is interesting to note that quantum science is only now proving the underlying energetic field of all that we believe to be solid and real.)

They believe that not only can we learn to see the energy, but we can learn to control and manipulate it (as we are part of it). This can be done in many ways, some similar to yoga, are with the use of hand gestures, like the mudras (see below...)

They also, see energy as having different colours, which seem to parallel other traditions. ie) Blue light = Spiritual Protection, Safety & Purity. Green light = the highest form of healing.

Hand Gestures & Techniques= Hand gestures are used, like in yoga, to control energy flow. A few examples of this are: Placing your hands together with only fingertips touching. This builds a warm energy in your palms. Think blue and white light whilst you are doing this, then draw your hands over your body to coat yourself in the protection of blue-white light. Seal with a pinch in front of your body.

Another hand gesture or mudra used is by taking your middle finger to search for light in the body. If you imagine that light is like liquid mercury, you can feel the light moving, like liquid mercury as you run your finger through it.

The Rainbow Serpent= The creation stories talk about a great rainbow serpent. Serpents are often depicted in ancient traditions as symbols of power and change. In yoga, we are familiar with the idea of the kundalini being represented by a coiled serpent which resides at the base of the spine and symbolises our spiritual journey towards enlightenment through the chakras (which vibrate in the colours of the rainbow).

What most of us don't know is that many of the original Aboriginal creation stories talk about a rainbow serpent that had two heads. This mythical character gives us the story of the first born and encapsulates the idea of duality. The snake's two heads represent the two emotions: anger & compassion. One head of the serpent expresses the fire of anger, which becomes the sun. The other head of the serpent, whose name is Baloo (which means moon) cries tears of compassion for his brother, giving us the rain. The sun and the rain together create the rainbow, but what's interesting is the similarity of this story to the idea of the ida & pingala nadi's in yoga, which crisscross their way up the spine, intersecting as the pass through the rainbow of the chakras (imagine the image to the two intertwining snakes of the medical symbol's staff). Our ida and pingala nadis are also represented by the sun and the moon!

In yoga, when we can learn to unite these two opposing energies in that delicate yin/yang balance, these energies merge together and allow the snake of kundalini energy to ascend through the chakras, taking the journey of "the rainbow serpent" towards our spiritual enlightenment.

References: I'd like to thank and credit Minmia with much of the wisdom that has been shared here. I recommend her book Under The Quandong Tree for those who are interested in learning more about Australian Aboriginal Spirituality. Another brilliant source is Voices of The First Day by Robert Lawlor.

#Aboriginal #Spirituality #yoga #philosophy #indigenous