Garbh Sanskar | Antenatal | Pregnancy Yoga

Garbh Sanskar Yoga | Antenatal Yoga | Pregnancy Yoga:

Easy and natural Labour by means of Garbh Sanskar Techniques. Yoga asanas strengthen the body and mind, stretch the spine and allow better energy flow.

Effect of Antenatal Yoga exercises:-

- Increases the flexibility and elasticity of muscles needed for normal labour.
- Improves blood circulation so as to sooth the physical stress and reduces symptoms like  backache, leg pain etc.
- Helps to regain the shape of the body after delivery.
- Especially helpful for working mothers who have been advised complete bed rest.
- Increases pain bearing capacity of the Mother.
- boost energy and lessen fatigue
- reduce physical and emotional tensions and stress
- enhance strength and confidence
- improve posture, stability and balance
- create optimal health and awareness
- reduce the likelihood and need of medical intervention during delivery
- encourage a positive childbirth experience

Yoga exercise make you learn and develop several useful techniques, like:

- movements and strategies to relieve common discomforts of pregnancy (backache, digestive difficulties, sciatica, etc.)
- advantageous positions for labour and delivery to promote an easier birth
- breathing and relaxation techniques to help maintain focus, calm and relaxation throughout your pregnancy and delivery

Effect of Breathing Exercises like Pranayam:-

- Pranayam is particularly useful for development & Purification of Senses by utilizing different body parts. The yoga practices can help her to prepare the mind and body for labor and birth, to focus and keep herself healthy. The Yoga Postures are gentle ways of keeping body active and minimize the common pregnancy issues like morning sickness and constipation. It relieves tension around the cervix and birth canal and by opening the pelvis. Thus ensures easier labor and smoother delivery.

- Approach of yoga is to balance and strengthen the body, mind and spirit which is extremely beneficial for pregnant women. Yoga helps body  to stretch, breathe and relax. This further help her body to adjust according to the physical demands of pregnancy, labour, birth and motherhood. It calms mind and body, give relief from the physical and emotional stress one need throughout pregnancy.
The yogasanas helps in relieving body stiffness and the breathing exercises make Pregnant woman calm. She began to enjoy her pregnancy.

- Regular yoga practice helps improve body's physical, mental and emotional health by improving blood circulation, muscle tone and flexibility. Yoga also help in post birth period by achieving pre-pregnancy shape. Yoga can be started about six weeks after the birth which give strength to the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.

Applying Pranayam :-

• It is a body & mind cleansing process.
• Learn about scientific methods to sooth the mind & body.
• Increases the inhalation of vital Oxygen & detoxification of the body.
• It is a stress Reliever.
• To create an environment for making communication with unborn in the womb.
• To improve level of of concentration which ultimately develops the senses of baby.
• To develop a positive attitude by overcoming negative approaches.
About Yoga:
- It can be practised in a calm and quiet environment with adequate ventilation.
- While doing yoga, always wear loose, comfortable clothing. Also be ready with a yoga mat, blanket or carpet.
- Yoga can be performed once a week or every day. Its practicing time should be fixed.
- Learn the different yoga poses under expert supervision. Start gradually and take relax for 2 to 3 minutes between performing asanas.
- Avoid forcing the body to a stretched pose. Regular practice will make it easy to perform yogasna.
- In case of pain or nausea, take a pause and contact your health care consultant.

Yoga pose advised as per pregnancy period:-

First trimester - Standing Yoga Poses will help in strengthening the legs, enhance blood circulation, energized the body, and may reduce leg cramps.

Second and Third trimester - May reduce practicing the yogasanas to prevent fatigue and overwork. Pay more attention on breathing and meditation. It is also not advised for yoga practice from the tenth through the fourteenth week of Pregnancy. Do not overstretch the abdomen, here the emphasis should be on the shoulders and the upper back and not on the abdomen.

The Yoga Poses can help in ensuring smoother and easier delivery, and faster recovery after childbirth. Poses that put pressure on the abdomen and other difficult poses should not be done during advance stages of Pregnancy.
These all should be done under the guidance of an yoga expert.

Yoga Categories:

Executes through Ear (Hearing) - Bhramari Pranayam, Karana Randhra Dhouti, Omkar
Executes through Eye (Sight) - Tratak Pranayam
Executes through Tongue (Taste) - Shitali Pranayam, Sitkari Pranayam   Executes through Nose (Smell) - Anuloma Viloma Pranayam

Anuloma pranayama :

Anuloma Prāṇāyāma is one of several Pranayama or breath exercises used in the practice of Hatha yoga.

Similar to the practice of Nadi Shodhana (commonly called alternate nostril breathing and known in some circles as Anuloma Viloma): Anuloma involves inhaling through both nostrils together and exhaling alternately between the left and right nostrils. The thumb of the right hand is used to manipulate the right nostril, while the pinky and ring finger are used to control the left nostril. Inverted Anuloma breath is called Pratiloma and involves inhaling through alternating nostrils and exhaling through both together. The practice of a kumbhaka or retention is encouraged as students advance at the practice; first at the end of the inhale and eventually the end of the exhale.

When practiced as Saṃa Vṛtti the inhalation, retention and exhalation are all of equal duration. More advanced students may employ Viṣaṃa Vṛtti or uneven breath, using ratios such as 1:4:2. According to many traditions this is not recommended for beginners or anyone practicing without the guidance of an experienced teacher.

Nadi-Shodhan Pranayama :

Nadi means channel and refers to the energy pathways through which prana flows. Shodhana means cleansing -- so Nadi Shodhana means channel cleaning.

Pranayama is Practice only after purifying Nadis. Nadis can be purified by practicing ANULOM-VILOM Pranayama. A common learner must begin the practice of Pranayama with Anulom-vilom. Being simple in nature, even common people also easily practice Anulomvilom Pranayama. It is a kind of Nadi Shodhana, or the sweet breath, is simple form of alternate nostril breathing suitable for beginning and advanced students.

Purification of  Nadis        

Sit down in Padmasana or Siddhasana. Close your right nostril with your right hands thumb and inhale through left nostril as long as you can easily inhale.

When your lungs are full, close both the nostrils and hold the breath for some time. Then slowly exhale through the right nostril closing the left (use your ring and little finger). Thereafter close your left nostril and inhale through the right nostril and then closing both the nostril holds the breath in your body and ultimately exhale the breath through your left nostril. Thus you finish one cycle of veins purifying Pranayama. Practice three or four Avartanas/cycle daily and increase this practice slowly. Once practiced well, practice this Pranayama in the ratio of 1:2:2, That is inhale for four seconds;  hold the breath for eight seconds and then exhale the breath in eight seconds. Increase this ratio slowly upto a ratio of 5:20:10.

Benefits -     

It's an excellent method to perform Pranayama that does away with the lung’s diseases.

Through this Pranayama, the blood gets an increased amount of life giving oxygen that thoroughly cleans and purifies it, calms the mind, soothes anxiety and stress, balances left and right hemispheres, promotes clear thinking . It also purifies the Arteries and veins, through which the blood flows in the body.

Ujjayi breath:

Ujjayi breathing is a breath technique employed in a variety of Taoist and Yoga practices. In relation to Yoga, it is sometimes called "the ocean breath".

Unlike some other forms of pranayama, the ujjayi breath is typically done in association with asana practice.

Ujjayi is a diaphragmatic breath, which first fills the lower belly (activating the first and second chakras), rises to the lower rib cage (the third and fourth chakras), and finally moves into the upper chest and throat.

Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. The "ocean sound" is created by moving the glottis as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a "rushing" sound. The length and speed of the breath is controlled by the diaphragm, the strengthening of which is, in part, the purpose of ujjayi. The inhalations and exhalations are equal in duration, and are controlled in a manner that causes no distress to the practitioner.

According to Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who taught the creators of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and others, Ujjayi Pranayama is a balancing and calming breath which increases oxygenation and builds internal body heat. The Hawaiian yoga teacher Wai Lana says Ujjayi Pranayama "tones the lungs and encourages the free and healthy flow of prana", while helping to regulate blood pressure and bringing oxygen to all parts of the lungs."

Ujjayi breathing may be used continuously throughout Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, and is frequently used in Power Yoga and Vinyasa, or Flow Yoga. This breath enables the practitioner to maintain a rhythm to his or her practice, take in enough oxygen, and helps build energy to maintain practice, while clearing toxins out of the bodily system. This breath is especially important during transition into and out of asanas (postures), as it helps practitioners to stay present, self-aware and grounded in the practice, which lends it a meditative quality.

Ujjayi, sometimes referred to as "cobra breathing", is also a helpful way for the yogi or yogini to keep the vital life force, prana, circulating throughout the body rather than escaping from it. Ujjayi is said to be similar to the breathing of a new-born baby before the prana begins to flow out into the world's attractions.

Basic Bhramari

Sit comfortably and allow your eyes to close. Take a breath or two to settle in and notice the state of your mind. When you’re ready, inhale and then, for  the entire length of your exhalation, make a low- to medium-pitched humming sound in the throat. Notice how the sound waves gently vibrate your tongue,

teeth, and sinuses. Imagine the sound is vibrating your entire brain (it really is). Do this practice for six rounds of breath and then, keeping your eyes closed, return to your normal breathing. Notice if anything has changed.

Silent Bhramari

Once again, settle in for a breath or two to prepare. Now do six more cycles of basic bhramari. After your sixth round, switch to silent bhramari, in which you imagine making the buzzing sound on each exhalation. Do for six rounds. Notice whether you can still sense vibrations in your face and sinuses.

Bhramari with Shanmukhi Mudra

Sit up straight and place your hands on your face with one thumb on each tragus, the index fingers lightly touching the inner corners of your eyes, the middle fingers on the sides of the nose, the ring fingers above the lips, and the pinkies just below. Be sure to place only very light pressure on the eyeballs. Do six more rounds of low- to medium-pitched bhramari, lower your hands, and notice the effects. If you suffer from anxiety, depression, or claustrophobia, you may not enjoy shanmukhi mudra and should probably skip it.

When you make a sound, it literally vibrates from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes, whether you can sense it or not. Different pitches vibrate at different frequencies. Bass notes and other low-pitched sounds vibrate slowly, whereas high-pitched sounds vibrate quickly, some at thousands of times per second.

Benifits :

Where the sound resonates—as well as the energetic effects of different pitches and volumes—can suggest which variations of bhramari will most likely help in specific situations.

•Insomnia. A quiet, low-pitched sound, perhaps with the addition of shanmukhi mudra, could be soothing to the nervous system and mind.

•Sinus infection or nasal congestion. A more forceful medium- to high-pitched sound might be a better choice to open the passageways.

•Thyroid problems. Try a medium-pitched sound and add jalandhara bandha (chin lock) to direct the sound waves to the throat.

•Stressed out. Use the silent variation, at work or in public, so no one around you knows what you’re doing.

Sitali and Sitkari

Two cooling pranayamas—sitali and sitkari—soothe emotions and quell a pitta imbalance, especially in the summer heat.

Are you irritated by the summer heat? Flushed with anger? Plagued by hot flashes? Long ago, the yogis discovered a cooling pranayama practice that can soothe you in the time it takes to drink a glass of water.

Deep in the Himalayas, ancient sages observed and imitated the world around them in the noble attempt to master body, breath, and mind. They noticed the curve of a bird’s lower beak, a new green leaf uncurling, and the hiss of a cobra—and emulated those shapes and sounds in a practice called sitali (the cooling breath). In this pranayama, the inhalation is moistened as it passes through the curl of the tongue (alternately described as a bird’s beak and an uncurling leaf), so that you are “drinking” water-saturated air.

Sitali cools the body, adds moisture to the system, and soothes a pitta imbalance.

Besides building breath awareness, this practice is said to calm hunger and thirst and cultivate a love for solitude. Sitali also cools the body, adds moisture to the system, and, in the parlance of ayurveda, soothes a pitta imbalance, which is common in the summer months. In addition, this practice reduces fatigue, bad breath, fevers, and high blood pressure.

How To Practice Sitali

•Sit in a comfortable position with the head, neck, and spine in alignment.

•Close your eyes, breathe diaphragmatically for several minutes, then open the mouth and form the lips into an “O.”

•Curl the tongue lengthwise and project it out of the mouth (about 3/4 of an inch).

•Inhale deeply across the tongue and into the mouth as if drinking through a straw.

•Focus your attention on the cooling sensation of the breath as the abdomen and lower ribs expand.

•Withdraw the tongue and close the mouth, exhaling completely through the nostrils.

Continue doing sitali for 2 to 3 minutes, return to diaphragmatic breathing for several more, and repeat the cooling breath for 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Gradually you can work your way up to a 10-minute practice.

Can’t Curl Your Tongue? Try Sitkari

•Sit comfortably with your eyes closed.

•Gently press your lower and upper teeth together and separate your lips as much as you comfortably can, so your teeth are exposed to the air.

•Inhale slowly through the gaps in the teeth and focus on the hissing sound of the breath.

•Close the mouth and slowly exhale through the nose.

Repeat up to 20 times. This practice is called sitkari. According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, in addition to its cooling effects, sitkari balances the endocrine system and builds vitality.

Cautions for Sitali and Sitkari :

Because sitali and sitkari reduce body temperature, they are best practiced during hot weather or after a vigorous asana or heating pranayama practice (like bhastrika).

If you have a vata or kapha constitution, sitali and sitkari may not be appropriate during wintertime. But no matter when you practice, be sure to take in air that is close to body temperature, since the breath won’t be warmed by the nostrils—if the air is cold, it may aggravate the lungs.

Precautions should be taken before performing Yoga exercise while pregnancy:

- Take an advise from Consulting doctor before doing any yoga practice. Doctor will suggest after an analysis regarding suitability of yoga considering your physical & mental capabilities.
- Prefer a Antenatal yoga instructor who is well qualified and experienced in teaching pregnant women.
- Check with your yoga instructor and doctor before starting yoga in the first trimester. If you are planning to start yoga particularly for pregnancy, it is best to do so in the second trimester.
- Yoga can be performed once a week or every day. With the help of instructor you can perform effectively. Yoga is the integration of your mind, body and soul and you need to achieve that at your own pace. By gradual movement you need to enjoy yoga without feeling any pain or discomfort.
- As always being said,listen to your body carefully. Need to stop if you feel any discomfort. Under proper guidance, probably need to modify poses as per body changes. Plan as per the stage of pregnancy.
- At the beginning of second trimester, avoid lying on back of the body. As lying on ack can reduce blood circulation to the uterus.
- Avoid too much stretching of muscles while taking poses. At the time of pregnancy, chances of strains, pulls are more prone because of the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which softens and relaxes joints and connective tissue.
- In the second trimester, do all standing poses by using a chair for support, to avoid losing your body balance.
- Avoid putting pressure on your abdomen by doing the twisting movement through the shoulders and back, instead of waist. Deep twists are not advisable in pregnancy.
- Would be Mother who is asthmatic shouldn't hold or suspend breath during the practice of pranayams/asanas. She must consult the medical practitioner for the remedies.
- Certain yoga exercises are specific to the trimesters going on. As experts suggest that if the mother do not feel comfort while performing an asana then she should stop doing it immediately.
- Avoid putting pressure on the abdomen while doing exercises like forward bending asanas, inverted poses etc.
- Take enough care while doing balancing exercises.
- If mothers feel pain or nausea doing any of the exercises, then they should stop immediately and consult doctor.

Concern about yoga exercise during pregnancy :

- Every woman and every pregnancy is different than other. It is not recommended to practice yoga during your first trimester due to high risk factors. One has to wait until  second trimester (preferably 14 weeks) before starting yoga practices. At pregnancy time, it is always better to consult with medical practitioner.

- In general it is safe to do suggested yoga practice till the child birth.

- Yoga practices prepare the body for the prolonged exertion of labour and childbirth by means of breathing exercises and relaxation elements. The long exhalations results in release of endorphins which lowers the stress levels and puts you in natural pain relief state.

- A first pregnancy requires more preparation than it will for subsequent births. A first pregnancy can be a little scary sometimes and yoga is a great way of removing those fears. With a subsequent pregnancy the body is more conditioned to the stretching that takes place.

- The changes your body will go through are not insignificant!  However, pregnancy yoga is still recommended in second or third or fourth pregnancies. Many women also find it very therapeutic to meet other women going through the same process at our classes. , confident that you are doing something really positive to help you have the best experience possible.

- Antenatal yoga is much gentler than a routine yoga practice. It is a purely relaxing experience to make you ready for labour pain situation.

- In third trimester body movement has become a little restricted so it is better to start yoga practice in the second trimester in order to attain some level of flexibility.

- You will need to wear comfortable clothing that allows ease in body movement.

- yoga can help in raising body's energy levels and alertness. One may feel tiredness initially as the body may needs adjustment to the new exercise.

- After child birth, woman has to wait 3 months before resuming any exercise. The body after pregnancy is not going to be the same as it was before the birth. Some yogasana may be more uncomfortable to do than they were earlier. This waiting time is to allow the uterus to shrink back to it’s original size naturally.

- Women who are regular yoga practitioner would require minor modifications to their yoga routine during pregnancy months when the body is undergoing hormonal changes. The purpose of yogasna is to help the mother to bring the baby with minimum problems and almost no health issues. Practicing yoga while pregnancy depends on the undergoing trimesters & the available expert guidance.

- Along with Yoga exercise, pregnant women can perform gentle cardiovascular exercises such as walking and swimming as per advise from Antenatal consultant.

Know how to give birth to a Genius, well cultured, virtuous, majestic, healthy & beautiful child; please go to following Youtube videos :- 

- Garbh Sanskar Video in Hindi Language   

- Garbh Sanskar Video in English Language 

Website : http://www.divyagarbhsanskar.com/