RELAXATION

Yoga Nidra literally translates as ‘sleep of the yogis’, it is one of the deepest meditations and a way of gaining the benefits of relaxation without losing awareness.

Often called “psychic sleep”, 1 hour of yogic sleep is said to be the equivalent of 4 hours of regular sleep. This is due to the fact that during Yoga Nidra you remain in a state of consciousness while you focus your mind and relax your body totally. You will find you will have a feeling of relaxation as well as one of clarity and calmness. Yoga Nidra is an effective technique before and during pregnancy, during childbirth, and also afterwards. The practice can help restore physical and mental relaxation during the early weeks after child birth when sleep is often broken and irregular.

Yoga Nidra is also recommended for managing complaints such as asthma, high blood pressure and as a tool for stress management. If you find you suffer from pre-menstrual symptoms such as cramping, PMS, fatigue and insomnia, or other complaints such as constipation, endometriosis and sexual tension, Yoga Nidra can have positive effects on these conditions as well.

The most important thing is to try to use this relaxation technique as often as you can, even if you only have 10 minutes or so to spare. Any relaxation/meditation time will leave you feeling calm and refreshed.

As you lead up to your due date, when you may well be feeling more tired and anxious, this would be an ideal way to take some time for yourself to relax. Try to build relaxation time into your daily routine. When your baby arrives your routine will obviously need to adjust, but an established practise will be easier to maintain once in place. It may be that while baby is sleeping you can grab some precious time to relax.

Yoga poses can also help relaxation. These poses are a vital part of a yoga practise as they will enable you to ‘warm down’ after your session, teach you how to truly relax your mind and body, and give your body the opportunity to absorb the benefits of the movement as well as relaxation.

The following poses can be used to aid relaxation, and can be adapted depending on what stage or trimester of pregnancy you are in. Again, it is advised that you consult with a yoga teacher, or attend a class so you practise correctly and safely.

Poses to try:

Corpse Pose (savasana)

Child’s Pose (balasana)

Thunderbolt Pose (vajrasan )

Goddess Pose (supta baddha konasana)

Pelvic tilts