The benefits of meditation during pregnancy

Pregnancy can put a lot of stress on your mind and body, but it’s essential for you and your baby’s health that you find a way to relax a little. Meditation has been practiced for nearly three millennia for its power to relax and promote stress relief.

The purpose behind it is to calm your mind and relieve it from sensory overload, and because it’s so effective, meditation is an ideal way to keep your stress levels in check when you’re expecting.

Just some of the body benefits of regular meditation practice:

• Decreased heart rate   

• Decreased blood pressure   

• Decreased muscle tension

• Increased skin resistance   

• Decreased blood lactate levels

Basic meditation

This simple form of meditation should become a part of your daily routine—it’s excellent for triggering a relaxation response, a state of physiological homeostasis.

• Find a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed.
• Sit silently in a comfortable upright position and close your eyes.
• Begin breathing slowly, focusing on your breath and then on each individual part of your body, releasing the tension in each as you go—start by relaxing your forehead and work your way down to your toes.
• Once your body is relaxed, choose a word or phrase that’s significant to you (or you can always use the old standby, “Ohm”), and while breathing slowly but naturally, focus on the word, repeating it silently to yourself as you exhale.
• As you’re doing this, assume a passive attitude. If other thoughts enter your mind, just re-focus on your breathing and mantra.
• Continue meditating for 10 to 20 minutes, and when you’re done, sit silently for 2 or 3 more minutes—first with your eyes closed, and then open—until you feel ready to stand up.

Journey meditation

Through imagery and by visualizing yourself in a peaceful place, you can achieve a highly relaxing meditative state. Go on a “journey” when you first wake up in the morning and then once again later in the day.

• Sit upright in a comfortable position or lie on your back and take a few slow, deep, cleansing breaths.
• Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a relaxing place—many people find that a quiet beach or a meadow is an ideal mental destination.
• Visualize yourself lying in the sand and feel the warmth of the sun on your face.
• Imagine the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the smell of salty sea air. Immerse yourself in your imaginary surroundings for 5 to 15 minutes.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness means to become deeply aware of what you’re experiencing in the present moment (what’s happening in and around you), and by focusing all of your thoughts and energy on the present you clear your mind of any outside stress. Try the following exercise to increase your awareness:

• Pick up an orange and feel the weight of it in your hand. Feel its texture and smell its peel.
• Peel away the skin of the orange and inhale its fragrance. Feel the juice running over your fingers and continue breathing in its aroma.
• Bite into the orange, concentrating on its texture and taste. Focus on how your body feels as you chew and swallow it. Savor the aftertaste.
• Eat each bite of the orange like the first until the fruit is gone. Reflect upon your experience and observations.