Being with Baby Practice.
Mindfulness is about a way of living,
A skill practiced for being more present,
Connected,
Kind,
And wise,
With yourself and others.
Though there is no substitute for formal meditation practice as you are learning on these recordings,
Bringing mindfulness into your everyday life is as important as sitting on a meditation cushion or in a chair.
For as you may come to see,
Your life is your mindfulness practice.
A wonderful practice for bringing mindfulness into your daily life when you are pregnant is the Being with Baby Practice.
Being with Baby Practice is an informal mindfulness practice,
A way of being more awake and present before the baby is born.
Being with Baby Practice can be a very short practice,
Maybe a breath or two or three.
Or you may want to do this practice for a more extended amount of time.
A minute,
Three minutes,
Even five.
It's up to you.
As your baby grows,
You feel the movements becoming stronger and more frequent.
Eventually you can feel your baby's movements many times during the day and of course sometimes during your nights too.
Your baby's movements offer you a wonderful opportunity to stop and come back to the present moment.
Perhaps you're rushing to get to an appointment and your baby is moving.
Stop,
Perhaps in the parked car before getting out,
And take a moment to be with your baby.
Perhaps you're about to send an email or in the middle of writing one and you feel your baby move.
You can stop and just be present,
Letting your baby call you back to the present moment.
The primary instruction for this Being with Baby Practice is that whenever you become aware of the movements of the baby during your day,
Pause and bring your full attention directly to the physical sensations you are feeling in your belly.
The movements you experience will undoubtedly vary.
Sometimes you might feel a quick little poke.
At other times,
You may experience a dramatic wave-like movement that changes the shape of your entire belly.
Or maybe you'll feel some short rhythmic pulsings as when the baby is having hiccups.
Whatever you are experiencing in the moment,
Let the sensations from this small person,
Your baby growing within,
Be a way to bring your attention right into the here and now.
As you pay attention to the sensations of the baby's movements,
See if you can also be aware of your breath at the belly,
The rising of your belly on the inhalation,
And the release of your belly on the exhalation.
You may want to bring your hand to your belly so that you can feel both the baby's movements and the breath under your hand.
While you are practicing Being with Baby,
Thoughts or feelings may arise.
Perhaps curiosity may arise,
Or wonder,
Or disbelief,
Or even some discomfort.
Notice any thoughts or feelings that arise as you do this Being with Baby practice.
When you become aware of them,
Just take note,
Let them go,
And come back to the sensations of the baby moving within.
If your partner is present,
You might want to practice Being with Baby together.
Have your partner gently bring a hand to your belly,
Letting them focus their attention on the sensations under their hand.
You can bring your awareness to the point of contact between their hand and your belly,
Noticing sensations of warmth or heaviness,
Perhaps,
And the movements of the baby within and the breath.
So let's take some time right now to practice Being with Baby.
Settling into a comfortable posture,
Bring your attention to the breath at the belly.
Notice the rising and falling of your belly with the movements of the breath.
It very well may be that your baby isn't moving at this particular time.
That's just fine.
See instead if you can have a felt sense of your baby growing within.
And of course,
If the baby is moving,
Just notice those movements right here,
Right now.
And each time the mind wanders,
Take note of the thought or the emotion that's arising and gently and kindly bring your attention back to your belly.
The experience of having another being growing within.
And now wiggling your fingers and toes,
Stretching a bit,
And moving on in the next moments of your life.
