Yoga's Pace

The other day I was talking to a friend, mentioning that the time when I truly discovered pranayama was during my second pregnancy. I remember feeling sick and exhausted most of the time. The first trimester was very hard and I was going through incredible morning sickness; and food in general was the most hateful thing on earth at the time. Being quite a disciplined practitioner of yoga, I was struggling to maintain a reasonable practice during the pregnancy as well, which I hoped would double up as a cure for my nausea. The practice of asana did help, somewhat. It raised energy levels for one and made me feel more cheerful for another.

However, it was pranayama that really impacted the state of my body and mind more permanently. I would wake up early every morning, prop myself on the bed and start doing simple breathing techniques. Yogic breathing was (and continues to be) a great favorite of mine. It is with good reason, I realized, that it has been given the name “yogic tranquilizer”. I would sit up and do this (though normally it is done in the supine position with the knees drawn up) for about ten minutes. The gentle expansion of the belly on the inhalation and contraction on the exhalation had a very calming effect on my early morning, hormone-directed, often rest-deprived mind.

Next I would try a very simple version of nadi shodana pranayama or alternate nostril breathing, as it is commonly called. This is done manipulating the nostrils using the thumb and the ring finger, alternately.

Try it, its very simple. Close your right nostril with your thumb, inhale and exhale through the left nostril, now close your left nostril, inhale and exhale through the right. This constitutes one round. Do as many rounds as possible, maybe five or ten, or even twenty if the mood permits. This will remarkably enhance how you feel and the feeling may well stick around with you throughout the day.

Two more simple pranayams are also ideal or should I say indispensable during pregnancy. The first being ujjayi, meaning victorious, so called because it enables one to overcome disease and discomfort. It helps regulate blood pressure and so is the ultimate breathing technique for soothing a frayed mind, a thing very common in pregnancy. Now take your awareness to your throat pit. When you inhale, you make a hissing sound (also sounds like a baby breathing when in deep sleep) and do the same when you exhale. Do ten rounds for starters, counting backwards, so that your awareness does not wander.

The other pranayama that you can count on quite a bit for comfort is brahmari or bee humming. Close your eyes, ears (with your index fingers) and lips. Separate your teeth a little bit and keep your jaw relaxed. Also let your tongue remain relaxed inside your mouth and suspended. Now inhale deeply and on the exhalation make the humming sound, from deep inside your belly. For one thing, this practice in particular is said to not only have a relaxing effect on the brain of the practitioner but it is also known to send ripples through the amniotic fluid, massaging the fetus gently; this consequently works like a mild jaccuzi, sending ripples of relaxation throughout that little, developing body.

These four breathing techniques are a great set and very reliable too. You can be sure to leave your bed with a bit of a bounce in your step. And you can go about your day with the reassuring thought that your baby-to-be has got its shot of prana or chi for the day, a type of nourishment almost more important than food.

Now something I forgot to mention right at the beginning is this: I am not in favor of cultivating a yoga practice by reading an article, a book or a website. Go to a class and work with a knowledgeable teacher. A class environment with a small group of women (or couples, as the case may be) is much better, even recommended. You get a lot out of practicing in a group and interacting with other pregnant women. Besides, you will know for sure when you are doing something wrong. Remember, however, that the first step in all this is to get the go ahead from your doctor.

The main purpose of this article then is to provide an insight into some of the possibilities that are embedded in a daily practice of pranayama, the promise of wellness being the main one. It also occurred to me that I should share my own experiences and triumphs (tribulations are a given in pregnancy anyway) so that someone out there may be encouraged to give breathing techniques a try. Hopefully you will feel motivated enough to really do so. Your breath is your best friend and guide, and certainly a very dependable one at that. There is no better way to wellness during and after pregnancy than breathing well and breathing right. So wake up and smell the coffee, or whatever it is that doesn’t make you sick and slowly e-x-h-a-l-e your troubles away!

The word “holism” is rooted in the Greek “holos” meaning whole. It supports the idea that the universe cannot be broken down to the sum of its parts. Holistic medicine is therefore an approach to health, healing and wellness that aims to treat the patient as a complete entity without reducing him or her to mere symptoms, physical or otherwise. What this approach does then, is that it considers the person from multiple dimensions such as current psychological state and natural tendencies, environmental and social factors and a dimension beyond the physical, intangible to some, indescribable to others, but we all know that it exists.

Most holistic health approaches whether Chinese medicine, Naturopathy or Ayurveda believe that the maintenance of the body’s natural balance is key to good health. Any external stimulation that tips this balance (also called homeostasis) leads to illness or “dis-ease”. When this stability is disturbed, patients are encouraged by the holistic approach to look with awareness at their body and mind in order to determine the possible causes, no matter how diverse and string them together into a coherent whole so that healing can begin from there on. Focusing on the deeper causes of illness rather than the symptoms alone helps in initiating a process of self-healing. That in fact is the core of many holistic health care systems – the awakening of the body’s own potential to heal itself.

Holistic systems are also termed complementary which suggests that systems other than the mainstream, western one are “alternative”. However, as awareness grows about the spiritual dimension of humans, doctors and therapists are willing to traverse the bridge between body and mind and are trying to take treatments beyond mere symptomatic diagnosis and management. Holistic healing therapists are equally applying techniques of modern diagnosis in order to help them assess and determine the cause of the distress that they are trying to address.

The prevention-is-better-than-cure approach is nothing to be taken lightly. Most modern day ailments can be traced back to stress, poor diet and lack of adequate sleep. Then there are stress-induced actions, such as smoking or drinking that further deplete the body of its energy or “pranic” reserves. What stress also does is break down the body’s homeostasis, which in turn reduces immunity and makes the body vulnerable to sickness. Moreover, our emotions do affect our physical equilibrium as well. Take for example the breath. It becomes shallow and fast when we are angry or upset. And we mean it when we say the long commute to work is a pain in the neck or that certain events were gut wrenching.

There is enough evidence to show that the mind does affect the body and a positive frame of mind can dramatically alter the course of our physical health. What science calls the placebo effect is proof enough of the power that the mind has over the body. This wellspring of positive vibrations (thoughts have energy and vibrations too) can be tapped and healing, set in motion. This precisely is one of the aims of certain types of holistic therapies. Once relaxation is induced and the mind focused on the body or breath, calmness follows and the positive effects of a calm mind can never be over emphasized.

The aim therefore of all therapeutic interventions should be to address the whole being, understanding and acknowledging full well that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that the human being is nothing but a cosmic blue-print of sorts.

There are steps individuals can take on their own as well, to prevent illness. Meditation, yoga, creative visualization and Tai chi are only a few examples of how this can be done. A contented mind is indeed a continual feast if what that translates into is great health and a consequent high quality of life.

Have you ever really looked closely at the bougainvillea creeper? The blossoms appear in multiple hues and each one of them has it’s own tale to tell. Take magenta for example. It is unbelievably beautiful, full bodied and rich. The flowers themselves are light with paper like petals and when sun light passes through them, they look like painted glass, all glossy and smooth. Somehow, it feels like the sunlight completes them.

The varied tints of the bougainvillea flowers are an expression of sublime splendor, it makes me wonder at nature’s magnificence. And yet, their brightness is offset by a subtlety, a contrast that can only exist in nature with the ease and poise of a bougainvillea flower.

I have seen a baby meditating on this bud. He sits rocking on his bouncer and has the look of a wise old soul taking in the grandeur of a sudden cosmic vision - very calm, very quiet and completely absorbed in the moment. It must have a profound effect on his mind, the flower, the color and the whole experience of sitting and watching something as simple as a creeper with its air of transcendent inspiration.

I wonder what it must feel like looking at the world with the fresh mind of a baby. That will forever remain a mystery to me I guess, but then, I can always use the bougainvillea flower to transform the way I look at life; and if I can only fathom what power there is in a flowerpot, then I suppose I can rest assured that I don’t need any profound spiritual encounter to experience the Truth. I just have to open the door to my terrace and see it.

Your baby has arrived and you are a bag of mixed emotions. Elated on the one hand and exhausted, nervous and unsure of the future on the other, you embark on this new journey called motherhood. Again, your body is undergoing so many changes and the new baby is demanding all your time, energy and attention. It becomes very important now, to regain your strength and energy, as the need to “just feel normal once again” is very great.

One of the ways to help yourself is by taking out that excercise mat and actually stepping on it. That by itself is a very liberating act. Then you try to remember all that you practiced during your pregnancy and slowly start applying whatever you think is relevant. You will realize that most of it is still applicable to your body. It is important to work with your body and take it through a course of recovery and not be in a hurry to get anywhere. Your health care practitioner will have invaluable advice and suggestions on when and how to begin your recovery exercise program. But that apart, some simple breathing techniques can only help, not hurt.

Do your Kegel exercises regularly. They help in bringing back your pelvic floor to shape. The yogic equivalent of this will have to be taught to you. It is called moola bandha and is very similar to (but not the same as) Kegels.

Once you have the go ahead from you medical advisor, you can step up your yoga practice. The first thing that most new mothers want is to get that belly out of the way. Getting physically fit is on the agenda for most new moms, but emotional wellness (or the lack of it in the initial stages) is sometimes overlooked simply because it is so hard to comprehend. There are many practices to combat the post partum blues and pranayama tops the list.

Get your partner also involved in these practices when and where possible because it very important that he understands what you are going through and how you are trying to get yourself back together again.

The best part about practicing yoga at this time is that you have a really effective tool in your hands to aid your own recovery. Make the most of it.

Pregnancy, though a very exciting event in a woman’s life, tends to be fraught with anxiety about the impending birth. It is not easy going through nine months of constant physiological and psychological or emotional changes, and the consistent increase in weight can hardly make things easier. A steady practice of yoga can ease the discomfort to a great extent, while also changing anxiety into pleasant anticipation. This can happen over a few sessions of pranayama. Breath and breathing is everything, especially in the context of pregnancy and the forthcoming labor. Simple pranayams help tremendously, provided they are done with unwavering regularity over the term of pregnancy.

One of the impressions that people commonly tend to have about prenatal yoga and pranayama is that it will somehow make labor less painful. This is true to some extent, but beyond that, it is only an illusion. So how exactly do these practices help? Yoga and pranayama have certain obvious benefits on the body such as increased flexibility (the body can get real stiff during pregnancy due to hormonal changes), less physical aches and pains from slow and steady stretching of muscles, more open hip joints (which you will be grateful for when its time to PUSH!), strength in the pelvic region and so on. It also increases emotional wellbeing, makes the mind less a victim of stress related to hormonal changes, improves digestion (very significant as poor digestion can make you feel listless and exhausted) and improves sleep as well. These benefits are nothing to scoff at and I haven’t even named them all. They make nine months actually quite a breeze.

Recovery after birth is also very quick due to a regular prenatal yoga practice. Pranayama, if practiced during pregnancy, somehow seems to generate enough energy for the first few months of the postnatal period too.

What does it do for the person during labor? What pranayama and yoga do for the laboring woman is help her mind manage the pain. It is not going to numb the pain and make giving birth a piece of cake, let me be very honest about it. But it will, however, help get rid of the fear of the pain (which is half the battle won) and help in managing the contractions with confidence and strength. It also prepares the system in ways that are inexplicable and the hidden benefits can only be experienced, not emphasized. Besides, one cannot even begin to imagine the positive effects it will have on the baby.

Look at it this way, if nothing else, yoga will put a spring in you step and a smile on your face. Just that alone can do wonders for your confidence and make the whole thing seem worthwhile.

When I first discovered yoga, I was blissfully unaware of how stiff my body was. My teachers (I have had many) were all very different from each other in their approach to yoga and the student and therefore each one gave me something unique, something to think about, but most of all, the impetus to keep practicing. One of my teachers usually taught asana in groups – such as forward bends, backward bends, sun salutations, salutations to the moon and so on. And on one particular occasion, we picked backward bends as the subject matter for discussion and subsequent practice. I was amazed at the hidden symbolism of postures and how much I had taken myself – body and soul - for granted.

One of the key points of discussion was about how backward bends cure excessive introversion by physically turning the chest out and encouraging inhalation. These postures are done opposing gravity and hence require physical energy, focus and muscular strength to perform and hold. Moreover, any deeply ingrained introversion and excessive keeping to oneself will start getting broken down by bending backwards – an open chest signifies the confidence to open up to the world and hold one’s own without feeling “exposed”. They are supposed to induce in the practitioner a feeling of being able to receive life with open arms and complete acceptance. On a physical level, the spine has much to gain from these postures, especially with respect to nerves originating from between the vertebrae, which get strengthened.

The spinal column is an anatomical assembly of discs and vertebrae. A number of muscles are involved in keeping it together and holding it up. If these muscles are to be well maintained, then backward bending postures are all important. They correct postural defects, which affect the muscles negatively. As a result, other neuro-muscular or skeletal imbalances resulting in a range of painful conditions (sciatica and slipped disc to name a few) will start manifesting. It is believed that the health of the spine determines the health of the entire being – physical and psychic alike. Therefore, postures that strive to bring the spine to health are bound to affect the entire system positively.

The thing to remember while doing asana, backward bending or otherwise is to correctly apply breath so that entire muscle groups contract consistently and the movement in general is propelled by breath.

Another thing worth noting is that impure blood often collects around the spine due to posture, leading to a listless circulation. Backward bends take care of that very effectively. These postures apply the kind of pressure on the abdomen that ensures good digestion, elimination and the general well being of all organs in that region. The organs in the pelvis also get healthy due to the fact that the muscles in that area get a good stretch.

The most important lesson, however, that I took away from that class was that just because the spine is at the back, I should not forget all about it. It holds my body together. Why, it even holds my mind together. I can stand, walk sit or run because of it. In a way, my whole life depends on it. So I’d better love it, revere it and bend backwards to keep it healthy!