Vocal Yoga and Visualisation

So, now I am half way through Juju Sundin's book "Birth Skills" and I have found that it takes a completely different tone to my hypnobirthing books, which has raised some issues of inner conflict. The hypnobirthing books seem to concentrate on calm and quiet and "breathing" your baby out, whilst Juju instructs her pupils to "be bigger than the pain." That is to use movement, sound and props to build yourself up to be fierce and confront the pain head-on. So, as I am in the middle of my natal hypnotherapy course, which involves just that, hypnotherapy, I have decided to go into labour (which it now sadly looks like will be in a hospital due to my anaemia), equipped with as many methods as I can to see me through. Juju instructs us to rest during contractions, for which I will use the hypnobirthing methods, and then to use all our senses to confront the pain during contractions. Her insistence on the use of the voice during labour reminded me of a bit in my Yoga for Pregnancy and Birth book, which is about vocal yoga and so I am hoping to combine the two methods. Like many other people, I associate yoga with peace, quiet and contemplation, but having just spent an hour practising vocalisation techniques, I found it uplifting and can well imagine it having a positive purpose in birthing.

The main skill you need for this vocal type of yoga is the Ujjayi breath, but once you have mastered this, then the vocal techniques (and their benefits) become open to you very quickly.

As well as practising pre-natal sonic message, one pose I found particularly uplifting and useful is Devijai Utkatasana, or Goddess Pose Victory Squat. For those familiar with more gentle yoga, this may seem a little odd, it may even make you feel self-conscious, but it feels great, if you let your inhibitions go!

I'm sure that I will post more in the next couple of days, but for now I have some visualisation practice to do, also recommended by Juju. I have decided on two visualisatins - the Opening Flower and the Baby Descending, in order to remind myself to a) relax, and b) that the pain is purposeful.