Hi and welcome to relaxation during pregnancy.
Relaxation during pregnancy is safe and effective for reducing stress,
Feeling calm,
And increasing physical and mental comfort.
You can use relaxation techniques to get rid of nausea,
Headaches,
And minor pain without taking medication.
The best position for this exercise is seated in a supportive chair with head and back support in a slightly reclined position.
A couch or reclining chair can work well for this exercise.
This relaxation during pregnancy exercise uses progressive muscle relaxation and meditation.
You can use relaxation during pregnancy or after the birth of the baby to feel calm,
Comfortable,
And relaxed.
To begin the relaxation during pregnancy exercise,
Get comfortable wherever you are.
Focus your gaze on one spot in the room.
Look at this one spot as you begin to relax.
Take a deep breath in and as you exhale allow your body to relax further.
Breathe in and out.
Breathe deep into your womb,
Feeling the breath come all the way through the body.
Exhaling the breath out,
Breathe slowly and naturally,
Allowing tension to release with each breath so that with every breath you take you relax more and more deeply.
Raise your shoulders up toward your ears,
Then let your shoulders relax,
Dropping into a comfortable loose position.
Feel yourself sinking into the surface you are on.
Allow your jaw to drop,
Relaxing the muscles of the jaw and the face.
Wiggle your toes once or twice,
Feel your feet and legs relaxing.
Gently open and close your hands and relax your hands and arms.
Take a deep breath into the belly,
Feeling the breath flow into the chest and belly as you hold that breath.
Now allow your chest and stomach to relax as the breath escapes slowly.
Allow the muscles of the back to relax from your neck down to your upper back,
Middle back,
Lower back,
Feeling your whole body relaxing.
Notice any areas of tension in the body.
Breathe in and fully relax those areas now.
Your body continues to relax deeper and deeper.
Focus on your eyelids.
You may start to notice a feeling of heaviness in your eyelids and that's okay.
Just think about your eyelids and allow your eyelids to become relaxed.
Blink your eyes slowly,
Closing the eyes and then opening the eyes,
Closing and opening.
Slower,
Slower with each blink of your eyelids,
Your eyelids become even more relaxed,
Heavy with relaxation,
So heavy it is hard to even open your eyes.
Think about how good it would feel to close your eyes just a bit longer.
Gently allowing your eyes to close now.
It feels so good to close your eyes,
So deeply relaxed.
Notice how the body is feeling.
Where is your body the most tense?
Allow the muscles here to relax and let go of their hold,
Becoming loose and comfortable,
Releasing tension,
Relaxing.
Where is your body the most relaxed?
What does the relaxation feel like?
Allow this relaxed area to grow,
Spreading to relax more and more of your body.
Let the relaxation take over your whole body,
Growing more relaxed.
Direct a feeling of relaxation to the core of your body.
Allow your body to be filled with relaxation and peace.
Focus on increasing the relaxation and comfort,
Directing this relaxation to you and the baby.
Feel the peace,
Calm and relaxation,
A feeling of serenity shared by you and the baby.
As both of you rest comfortably and relax,
Feeling so calm and peaceful,
Completely serene,
While keeping this feeling of relaxation and calm.
So completely relaxed.
Think about the upcoming birth of the baby.
This will be a calm,
Happy time.
You can be completely relaxed and comfortable when it is time for the baby to be born.
Let's practice this right now,
So when the time comes it will be so easy for you to be completely relaxed and calm.
Begin with your belly and pelvic area.
As you breathe in deeply,
Imagine directing your breath to this area.
Breathing deep into the stomach and pelvis,
Relaxing more and more deeply with each breath.
Focusing your awareness on your back.
Relax the muscles of your back,
All the way from the top of your neck,
All the way down,
Down,
Relaxing to the bottom of your spine.
Complete relaxation of the back,
Feeling so comfortable and supported.
Now imagine a feeling of numbness,
So comfortable,
Completely numbing and relaxing your lower body.
Allow your body to relax completely,
All the way from the bottom of your rib cage down to the tips of your toes.
This numbness may feel warm or may feel cool.
It might feel tingly,
Light or heavy.
It may feel like nothing at all,
But this awareness of numbness is a wonderful feeling of relaxation,
Erasing any discomfort and leaving only relaxation.
Notice how your body feels different now,
Completely absent of feeling except for comfort and relaxation.
You can direct this feeling of numbness wherever you like.
You can relax your forehead and scalp,
So completely relaxed,
Cool,
Comfortable.
You can relax your body inside and out.
You are completely in control of your relaxation and can relax whenever you want to.
Scan your body right now for any more sensations of tension or discomfort.
Notice that you can change the feeling of discomfort with your own mind,
Perhaps to a feeling of warmth or heaviness,
Gentle pressure or coolness,
Numbness or perhaps simply to a feeling of relaxation,
Feeling the sensations in your body changing,
Becoming relaxed,
Comfortable.
If you find any areas that need to relax,
Focus on one location at a time.
Imagine directing your breath to this area.
Imagine that when you breathe in,
The relaxation flows to the area you want to relax.
As you exhale,
Feel the tension leaving with your breath.
Breathe in relaxation,
Breathe out tension,
Breathe in relaxation and exhale tension.
Keep breathing like this,
Becoming more relaxed and increasingly comfortable with each breath.
Now you can relax even more deeply as you focus the mind to meditate on a calming word.
Let's use the word serenity.
Every time you breathe,
Mentally say serenity.
Concentrate all of your attention on the word serenity.
When thoughts arise,
Let them pass as you refocus on the word serenity.
Serenity.
Serenity.
Keep focusing on the word serenity.
Finding that the longer you focus,
The more relaxed you become.
Keep repeating the word serenity each time you breathe,
Focusing completely on the word serenity.
Keep relaxing.
Allow your mind to drift.
Hearing the word serenity causes you to relax.
Every time you think the word serenity,
You relax instantly and deeply.
Thinking about your baby and the birth of your baby causes you to relax instantly and deeply.
Thinking about your baby causes you to feel completely relaxed,
Comfortable and confident.
Rest here for a moment in silent awareness.
Now it is time to reawaken your body and mind.
When you are ready,
Start to move your muscles a little,
Feeling each muscle reawaken.
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Open your hands,
Then close them and open them once again.
Roll your shoulders forward and back,
Up and down,
Feeling the muscles reawaken.
Leaning the left ear toward the left shoulder.
Returning to center and move your right ear toward your right shoulder.
Then return to neutral.
Begin to stretch,
Feeling the energy flowing through your body.
Take a deep breath,
Reaching the arms up above your head as you inhale.
Lowering your arms down to your belly as you exhale.
Bow the head down toward your heart space and your belly and your baby.
Lift the corners of the mouth and smile in gratitude for this moment,
For the to relax and allow serenity to go deep into the body and the mind.
Take one more deep breath in,
Feeling fully alert and awake as you inhale and exhale.
Thank you for sharing this practice of meditation with me.
Namaste.
