babyyogi

Rain Forest Renewal

Goal:  Release Tensions

Affirmation:  I am free. 

The last months of my pregnancy were uncomfortable.  As I was retaining water from my high blood pressure situation I reached 200 pounds.  Once I gave birth and began to breast feed I lost a tremendous amount of weight with in weeks.  We are talking 40 pounds within the first month.  As the breast feeding continued my body was feeling dried out and another 10 pounds.  I was drinking so much water to compensate for the milk production and losing so much weight so quickly that I felt the life being sucked out of me.  With the intense breast feeding schedule,  my sore shoulders, back and breasts, I needed a time of renewal.  I was feeling bound and in-need of a mental vacation or escape.  I have always liked traveling to tropical places or visiting gardens.  It was this sense of escape that I get from visiting these places that are always full of oxygen and life that led me to develop my Rain Forest meditation. 

Meditation

Imagine a beautiful rain forest has grown all around you, the rains falling from heaven, dripping on you two like a shower head.  Crystal blue with every drop hitting you bringing a freshness, vital to your babies growth.  Water running down your neck and chest onto your baby.  Washing away tension or just a past experience that no longer serves either you or the baby in the present.  It is these tensions that drip out of your feet into the earth.  Deep breath as you relax your brow, your neck, bringing your awarness into your shoulders, arms, wrists and fingers.  The tension dripping from your finger tips.  Water is still running thru your spine down into your hips, finding tension in your thighs, knees, calves around your ankles and finally dripping from your toes.  Continue to cycle these tensions out with your breath until you feel fresh and light in body. 

Cleansing

Goal:  Release Toxins

Affirmation:  I am healthy 

Everyone around us was either sick with a cold or the flu during the winter months.   I was constantly asking friends and family to wash their hands before touching or holding my son.  I know what you are thinking. I did sound a little overly protective but I did not want to deal with a sick baby in addition to the sleepless nights I was encountering.  It is just easier to take care of one thing at a time so antibacterial soap is now a regular purchase item.

To take extra precautions I decided to meditate on health and healing properties.  It was then that the white hot volcanic imagery appeared during my meditation practices.  During the practice I felt that I was heating up myself and my baby to keep us from getting ill. 

Meditation

Begin with slowing down your breathing and resume your deep belly breathing.  Imagine your blood heating up, a red hot heart expanding thru vibration, turning white hot and pumping molten blood thru your veins.  This heat is sent into your baby to build his immune system, flowing into every corner of his body.  Hear the pulsating drums in your ears, focus on the pulsating feeling in your body and now in your babies.  See the white lava circulating thru you into your baby, it is circulating even reaching into his fingers and toes with each pulse of your heart. This heat is cleansing.  Destroying toxins and germs as the liquid heat circulates his body.  Imagine that you see the cleansing occurring.  Imagine a germ, the liquid heat surrounds it and boils the germ until it is gone.  With each impurity that the heat encounters the white hot liquid consumes and boils it until the germ gone.  Volcanic disturbance brings life and health to the earth.  Recognize that heat or a fever is not something to fear but the body looking to correct an imbalance.  Start to cool down, your pulsating beating heart relaxing.  Slow down your mind and be at peace.  Listen to your content baby’s breath. 

Stary Night

Goal:  Trust in a greater intelligence

Affirmation:  Infinnate possibilities

Having trust in my current position and knowing that being home would open new doors for me allowing not only my baby to grow at an astounding rate was wonderful.  The Universe had my back.   As I have mentioned my son was born early and being at home allowed him to grow on souley breast milk.   At our two week well baby visit I remember the pediatricians face when she saw him weigh in and how happy she was calling us breast feeding champions.  She then told me that he could not have grow faster in the womb.  Being constantly feed thru the umbilical cord babies grow at about two ounces a day in the womb in the last month and that is exactly what my son had done outside of the womb.  Making my son’s weight in the 90% for his age.  It was as if he had not been born early.  I too had made personal changes and developments at home in-between breast feeding sessions.  I was able to cultivate my yoga practice, my baby massage skills and write down my meditations.   Knowing that the universe had my back meditation was crucial to my development of my skills.  

Meditation

Deep belly breath beginning.  Imagine stars surrounding your being and your babies being.  You are floating above the earth not touching or bound to any gravitational pull or law of physics.  You and your baby are at the center of everything and everything is circulating around you.  The energy of the universe is connecting and protecting you.  It runs thru everything and can be felt and channeled with thought.  Feel the energy pulsating in your body, like static electricity buzzing lifting the hair on your head and neck,  your energy is mixing and feeding your baby in the form of breast milk.  The universe is generous with possabilites, seek and follow energy paths that require the least amount of effort.  As you make decisions recognize that you now have an additional life that is dependant on your decisions.   Keep your goals set with out conflict or competition.  Stay focused knowing you are supported in a constant state of growth.

Sunny Days

Goal of Meditation:  Raise Energy Levels

Affirmation:   I am a happy person. 

My son was born the beginning of November as the days grew shorter and colder I was finding that the time I spent up feeding was mostly dark.  Which was kind of depressing as I am one to be outside enjoying the weather. The first month without sleep was tough and I needed sunlight to help me through the low energy periods.  Sunlight always boosts my energy levels and going out on walks with the baby all bundled up really helped me clear my mind.   Sometimes the baby seemed to be bored with everything I tried inside the house, so we would go out on a walk to calm him down.  Some days it was two one hour walks.  It was not until January that the rain really started to pour and our walks were less frequent.  When I could not go out due to weather I would meditate on the sun and it’s warming healing effects.  This meditation was a positive method to clear my mind when I was house bound.  It really seemed to boost my energy levels.  

Meditation

Deep belly breathing, relaxing your whole body.  Imagine pulling energy from the sun, yellow and golden filled with vitamin D.  The light is humming and buzzing as the rays enter the crown of your head.  You are open, the sun shinning into you raising your alertness and stimulating your muscles and skeleton.  Release tension from our scalp, forehead, eyes, cheeks, jaw and lips.  Gently lift the corners of your mouth up in a slight smile.  You feel the suns rays warm, giving life and feelings of joy to you and your baby.   Breath deeply as the light circulates allowing your spine to sit up straighter, your shoulders back and lungs expanding.  I am a happy person, seeing humor in circumstance, always choosing joy, to smile and laugh.  Your happiness flowing from your body into your baby.  Milk flowing endlessly, energy to your happy baby.

Spa Meditation

Goal of Meditation:  Building strength of character and trust in self.

Affirmation:  I have a generose heart     

When I would feel disconnected from my new role as breastfeeding Mom I would get discouraged about not having a corporate job.  Now being at home feeding my baby every two hours with the feedings lasting 60 minutes is a little stressful and you begin to feel like a giant boob?!?!  I kept asking myself, this was what I wanted wasn’t it?   

I was breastfeeding for my baby and for myself.  We have all read the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child and they are amazing.  I had friends that too were breast feeding and running into issues and these supporting women, breast feeding support groups were key in my life during these rough times.  Meeting other Moms who were in the same situation were key at building a support group and reaffirming my situation.  I joined a Yoga Mama/Baby class.  And later a Mom/Baby hiking group.

I knew that I had to mentally get back on the bonding track with my baby and my Self.  So the spa meditation or white warrior meditation was born to fight off these thoughts and allow me to mentally pamper my baby and myself at a day spa. 

Meditation

Begin breast feeding, start deep belly breathing.   Imagine you and your baby have stepped out of a steam spa and you skin is open, clean and clear.  There is a stack of white towels.  Take as many towels as you need.  Gently dry you and your baby off with the white towels.  Taking time to dry the little folds of babys skin around the neck, groin, wrists, fingers, ankles and toes.  Lift the towel and hide your face, peeking occasionally at your baby.  Your baby laughs as you play peek a boo with a towel.  His face all shiny and glowing with health and wonder.  There are white robes waiting for you to put on.  Select your robe taking care to put it on and wrap it correctly.  It fits perfectly and the material is delicate yet strong.  It feels like silk against your skin.  Select your babies robe, take care at wrapping your baby in the white cloth.  It is pristine and you would not dress him in any thing less due to his importance.  Your baby is an extension of your self.  You trust in your judgement and your baby trusts in your judgement.  The silk wraps, bonding you two.  Recognize that your baby will follow your lead.  You have a generous open heart and your decisions reflect compassion and a giving character.

Oasis Meditation, Palm Sunday

Goal of Meditation:  Sweep away previous nights stress and relax.   

Affirmation:  I live in Abundance 

Imagine yourself sitting in an oasis in the middle of the desert.  You and your baby are happy healthy and focused on each other.  The breeze wafting thru your tent is warm and fruitful.  Palms are being fanned, wisking cool air onto you and your baby.  The circulating air caresses your cheek, neck and chest.  Your baby too is gently caressed by the palms releasing any stress from the previous nights frequent feeding schedule.  Breath deeply filling your lungs with the fragrant breeze.  Release tension from the sleepless night, clearing your mind.  Bring you focus back to feeding your baby.  Recognize that you are provided for just as you are providing for your baby.  Breath deeply.  The cool breezes from the palms brush against your skin allowing your mind and body to go limp.  Just be in the present moment.  

Pregnancy Meditation

Deep Belly Breath. Sit in comfortable upright position with eyes closed.  Focus on breath flowing in and out.  Your pulse slowing down in turn slows down your baby’s pulse.  You are connected thru the umbilical cord your pulse feeding your babies pulse.  Start by taking a deep belly breath and slow down your bodies chemisty and circulation.  Deep smooth slow breathing is a way of letting your baby know that everything is all right. 

Meditation is a way of communicating your confidence and relaxed state of mind in the pregnancy.  You can communicate to your baby while in the womb not only by talking to your baby but thru your heart beat and the slow monitored breathing techniques.  This technique can be practices out of the womb as well.  The baby can be placed on your chest, feeling your heart beat and your breathing patterns, the baby will relax and slow down, he too will be coaxed into relaxing.

Now breast feeding, I learned the latch from Nurses, lactation consultants and experts first in theory while pregnant in a breast feeding class at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley, CA.  November 2007. I got to put that practice to the test when my son was born three weeks early.  At birth my son weighed only 5 pounds and 4 ounces and was 18 inches long.  He was considered a “Chicky Premie” by the nurses.  When I asked the nurses what the term meant, they answered that a Chicky Premie was a newborn with a low birth weight but all his systems are functioning normal and his drive to breast feed is strong. So William Andrew Dougherty was ready to eat, ready to be touched and loved, he was just small. 

In the hospital I made it a priority that he was going to latch and we would leave the hospital Breast Feeding Champions.  So the next few days we practiced breastfeeding, latching until we were both comfortable with breast feeding.  It was not until we were discharged and went home that I started to meditate during breast feeding. As I mentioned before that my son was born early and only 5 pounds 4 ounces.  The last month in the womb is when babies tend to gain a lot of weight fast, since my son was born early he missed this monthly growth spurt.  Had he stayed in my womb full term he would have gained those last months pounds and been around 9-10 pounds. 

Now as his mother I wanted him to get the maximum benefit from my breast milk and make up the weight so that he would not be at a disadvantage.   The nightly, hourly feedings were emotionally draining.  Removing negative thoughts and experiences during breast feeding from my psyche was a huge relief that allowed me to pick up strong and continue positively addressing my baby’s needs. Meditation allowed me to remove negative preceptions and be strong.  It also allowed my son and I to bond in such a wonderful way.   I would meditate during the first week at home once a day.

The following seven meditations, one for each day were done depending on what I physically needed that day.   It was not until after the first month that I started to do a specific meditation a day and expand develop each meditation writing them down in a meditation diary.  Make each beginning of breast feeding meditation a fun connection process.

A good latch is most important so latching takes priority but I found happens best during the be present process.  I have an incredible comfortable couch that allowed me to sit comfortably and yet be supported.  Able to keep my baby feeding with the aid of pillows under my arms.  My feet are on the ground giving me a grounded presence.  

1.  Be Present.

2.  Slow your breath and breath into your belly, feel the air filling and raising your stomach.

3.  Connect with your baby thru eyesight and skin on skin touch.

4.  Close relaxed eyes - as baby closes his eyes close your eyes.  

When it comes to babies not many things are free.  The meditation and massage techniques are two gifts that I was able to successfully give my son that were free and in my opinion worth millions in gold. I have always been a high energy person, always have something on my mind or something brewing.  Like many women my age I wanted to be superwoman,  wanted to have it all and a family.  It is an exciting desire but if you have a new born you need to learn techniques that allow you and your infant to relax.    In the following week I discuss techniques that allowed me and my baby to relax.  I found that my brewing nature had a tendenanacy to disrupt the natural process of breast feeding my new born son Will and would cause conflict in my son that would develop into a colicky behavior.   I needed to quiet my mind and body, grounding and centering myself in the present moment to help my son relax and breast feed.   Additionally I found that having my son feeding every two hours at night sometimes for an hour at a time proved to compete with my sleep patterns.  The frequent night feedings might sound familiar to those seasoned parents but I was naieve to think that my child would be different with all the yoga, meditation and massage I had planned.  This was not the case, I was up feeding four times a night.  I had to find sometime for myself amongst the breast feeding intervals for two reasons.  One to connect to my self and two to quiet my mind.  So begun my breast feeding meditation practice which proved to be beneficial for both my baby and myself. In the beginning these techniques should be practiced after the baby has latched successfully during the breast feeding process.  These techniques should in no way be considered priority to the breast feeding process or experience.  Once latch is learned by both Mom and Baby you can incorporate the meditation and massage techniques.  The techniques that are in this blog are meant to compliment the breast feeding and bonding experience. I do not pretend to be a Guru, I have not traveled to India on a spiritual quest.  But I am a Mom presently seeking out rest and peace in thought.  I love the experience of breast feeding my baby.  I thank God and The Universe everyday I am able to breast feed my son.  The bonding like nothing I had ever experienced.   In this blog are meditations and massage techniques that were done regularly during breast feeding sessions with my baby.  I truly hope that these practices will help you and your baby in love and health.