Begin by finding a comfortable position to be in,
Either sitting or lying down.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Let yourself arrive here.
Allow your breath to move at an easy and natural pace and then gently encourage your breath to grow slower and deeper in a way that feels truly relaxed and easy.
If at any point your mind becomes distracted by thoughts,
Just return to your breath.
Give yourself permission to be fully here in this moment.
With every inhale,
Draw in calm and steadiness.
And with every exhale,
You release tension and fear.
In yoga we speak of tapas and dukkha.
Tapas is the fire of transformation,
The challenge that brings growth,
The sacred effort that creates something new.
Dukkha,
However,
Is suffering.
It is the struggle that comes from resisting what is,
From fearing the past or the future.
In birth,
There may be pain,
But pain is not the same as suffering.
Pain belongs to tapas,
To transformation,
To the powerful process of bringing forth life.
Suffering,
Or dukkha,
Comes from the mind,
From thoughts like,
Something is wrong,
I can't do this,
I am afraid.
You can have pain without suffering.
You can breathe through anxiety without fear.
Each contraction is a wave of tapas,
The fire that opens you,
The power that brings your baby closer.
When you meet this wave with trust,
It transforms into energy,
Into movement,
Into birth.
Your breath is the bridge between your mind and your body.
When the mind is calm,
The body can open.
When the body feels safe,
The mind is clear.
So breathe deeply now.
Inhale in strength.
Exhale and surrender.
Inhale in trust.
Exhale and soften.
In the midst of your birth,
You can remember that this contraction is not dangerous.
My body knows what to do.
Now notice your breath and notice your body.
Can you make your breath feel smoother?
Can you make your body feel softer?
This is the power of awareness,
The mastery of the mind that yoga teaches.
You are rewriting your story of what is possible,
Meeting each sensation not with fear,
But with trust.
You are transforming effort into grace,
Pain into purpose.
Intensity into birth.
Now place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
Feel the warmth beneath your palms.
Two hearts connected.
Two souls moving together.
Birth is the epicenter of a woman's power.
Let that truth echo softly within you.
You are powerful.
Your body is wise.
You are safe.
Rest now in this calm trust,
Knowing that every breath,
Every wave,
Every moment is guiding you and your baby towards each other.
Namaste.
