Empowering women to embrace their inner Lamb & Lion. A gathering place to learn about fit minds, bodies, and spirits through yoga speak, green living, and more...just for women.
Both blogs are excellently written, focusing on positive change for women in America. Their founders are experienced women and mothers who are experts in their field. This blog, BITL, has in the past been featured on both of these blogs.
This week I have two posts featured for those seeking to improve the status and health of women everywhere.
Our current approach in women’s health care in the US is not working.
In the US, there are more women living in poverty and suffering from chronic diseases than men. (1,2) ...women need better access to and better health care... they need and deserve the empowerment that comes with enjoying better health. Part Two in this series will show you how you can self-empower your way to better health through a 5000 year old practice. ...Read the full post
Life is painful. We all struggle...I have two dear friends...women who inspire every person’s life they touch. They are Alaha Ahrar and Shannon Johnson – two women from opposite corners of the globe...My own struggles pale in comparison to Shannon and Alaha’s, yet it doesn’t lessen the reality that I (and everyone else) have to wage battles and claim victory over my own losses and tragedies in life everyday. It’s embarrassing to admit we don’t have it all together, but I think if we share our pain with each other, it lessens the burden. Which is why I can say that I am now in the middle of a struggle...Read the full post
Taken during a breathing exercise, kaki mudra,
at one of the Professional Yoga Therapy
training intensives I instructed in 2008.
Women need, let's face it, more than 24 hours in a day to accomplish all that is expected of us. We manage the majority of households in the US, perform the overwhelming majority of all house related tasks and work, and oh yes, hold down full time jobs in and/or outside the home.
Since WWII, when women left the home for the workforce, we have had to shoulder more than 2 full time jobs. And if you are a mother, then add a third full time job.
Gender equality is still a far off notion, although the pay gap is decreasing (only if you are childless) and men are increasingly taking on roles as involved fathers and partners who share in household management, chores, and childrearing. The portrait of a father differs largely from the snapshot of one from the 1960's, for example. Today's father is more hands-on than ever, many opting to be stay-at-home dads while moms go to work - and with the advent of telecommuting, more men and women are finding new (and long overdue) flexibility in the workplace.
Today's post can help you maintain sanity in your busy life and come closer to attaining that enigma of work/life balance - through learning to breathe better. A complete breathing practice - beneficial for men and women alike - is available for free. For your education and information, you can download these free excerpts from my texts on medical therapeutic yoga, previously available only to health care professionals who studied with me at Professional Yoga Therapy.
Guidelines for Practice
Each of these breath practices serve a specific purpose. For that reason, they cannot be practiced all at the same time. Instead, choose which ones best suit you and follow these 3 guidelines:
Always begin with the abdominal breath. When in doubt, return to the abdominal breath for calm relaxation.
Always use the TATD breath for performing active tasks, such as yoga postures, exercise, lifting, or playing sports. The TATD creates a powerhouse of trunk/ab strength and spine control - whether you are a runner, golfer, kayaker, or a mom who lifts and chases toddlers all day long.
Always finish with at least 5 minutes of relaxation pose. This can be done lying down or reclining - generally relaxing - anywhere. (except while driving in your car). Take the 5 minutes to decompress and clear you mind.
The gold standard breath in medicine for what is known as relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing. This breath is a daily staple for thriving. It should be mastered before attempting any other breath type. A word of caution though: this breath is not to be used for a yoga practice because it does not support the spine and puts you at risk for injury. The TATD breath should be used for all vigorous exercise, yoga postures included. Download Abdominal Breath
This breath can be practiced once you have mastered the abdominal breath. It increases alveolar ventilation (breathing) and O2 exchange. It can dramatically raise energy levels, so much that you have to take care not to become dizzy (hyperventilate) while practicing this breath. Take special care not to chest breathe, but only use the abdominal or TATD breath to complete this more difficult breath technique. Download the Three (or Four) Part Breath
A breath technique which prevents and treats hyperventilation and states of anxiety or panic. It brings calm and deepens the breath, thereby increasing O2 exchange which ultimately brings better nutrition and vitality to the tissues of the body and mind. It can be practiced any time. Download Sandbag Breath
The TATD breath is a technique I developed for active yoga posture practice and exercise. It creates ideal spinal stability and stiffness, a quality needed to create a strong, injury/pain free spine. It should be used during any exercise or activity that makes demands on the spine. Download TATD Breath
A breath technique which brings focused energy to your system by stimulating the left hemisphere of the brain. Only use this breath when you want to increase concentration, energy, or prepare yourself for a big event or day. Download Sun Breath
A breath technique which brings calm energy to your system by stimulating the right hemisphere of the brain. Only use this breath when you are trying to decrease nervous system activity when you are trying to rest or decrease feelings of anxiety or worry. Download Moon Breath
As promised, I would like to elaborate on the breathing program I use for laboring women.
Here is last week's excerpt from Tip #2:
2. Practice and know Yogic breathing for labor and delivery. I have a concise Breathing Through Birth Practice I teach women. It helps with alveolar ventilation, which is crucial during labor; and, it minimizes the fight or flight reaction and helps a mother stay calm and focused. The birth coach should also know the breathing routine, in case you forget or lose focus during hard labor or transition. I will be sharing this routine with you in future blogs.
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My complete breathing program will be shared in my upcoming book,Fit & Fearless Birth. However, here is a sneak peek of important points to prepare you for the breath program I use with women during labor.
Know what an improper breath looks like. In order to learn to breathe properly - you first must recognize an improper breath. Our bellies get big in the last trimester, and it gets tough to breathe. I thought that belly breathing might be impossible as I journeyed into my third trimester. And here I was, a breathing "expert!" However, I soon found out that it was a myth. You CAN belly breath all the way through pregnancy. It just takes practice.
Abdominal breathing is not only possible - it is absolutely necessary. Abdominal breathing allowed me to maintain my mental focus and prevent hypoventilation when my labor become difficult, especially during transition (ouch! - the part right before pushing).
Shallow breathing is also be called thoracic, chest, or clavicular breathing, and looks like this:
When the mother inhales the chest will heave and expand, with very little expansion in the belly area. She will perhaps also breathe through the mouth instead of the nose. The muscles of the neck may pop or stand out when she inhales. The inhale will be short and not very long. This type of breath does not allow for proper oxygen exchange since it only utilizes the upper portions of the lungs and does not allow for use of the respiratory diaphragm. It is very self limiting and quite self defeating.
Know what a proper breath looks like. The gold standard breath needed during labor and delivery is the abdominal breath, otherwise called the diaphragmatic breath.
The abdominal breath looks like this:
It allows for descent of the diaphragm, or the main muscle of respiration/breathing. When the diaphragm works, the abdomen will naturally expand on an inhale. No muscles in the neck or shoulders will be used to take a deep, full, slow breath. The breath will happen through the nose, and there will be little to no chest rise on the inhale. It is important to avoid breathing through the mouth until an abdominal breath is perfected, as it can overstimulate the nervous system and create anxiety, panic, or hyperventilation.
Tip: Watch a baby breathe! We can all be perfect baby belly breathers. To Practice: The abdominal breath must be mastered before progressing to the rest of my Breathing Through Birth Practice. Download a free abdominal breath instructional practice here.
Start a yoga practice. If you are pregnant and not already a yogini (woman who studies or practices yoga), now is the perfect time to begin. Even if you only practice the breath without the poses, yogic breath harnesses the power to prepare you for labor and delivery.
A good yoga teacher or therapist can teach you the ujyaiipranayama, or victorious/overcoming breath. This is an instrumental part of my prenatal breathing program. The breath is aptly named, especially for use during labor and delivery!
The victorious breath I teach, however, is different from the one traditionally taught in yoga. Ayurveda teaches that ujyaii is a heating breath - and moms do not need to create additional heat that would increase maternal or fetal temperature. I teach "non-heating" victorious breath.
Here is my method for using ujyaiiduring labor and delivery. To practice:
Begin by inhaling through the nose and mouth if possible. To avoid creating heat: inhale through a moistened mouth (wet the lips and teeth with your tongue first) as if sucking air through your teeth. Feel the coolness of that breath.
If you have mastered the abdominal breath, you will be able to take this cooling form of victorious breath without getting anxious. The depth of your inhale should last at least 5-6 seconds. Sip the breath in, don't gulp it. The inhale will sound like a "sss" sound. Work up to the longer breath, realizing that it will take some time to master. Be patient with yourself.
As you exhale, imagine you are fogging a mirror or making the "haa" sound. Some women prefer the imagery of making your breath sound like a distant ocean. Whatever imagery you prefer, practice this breath until your exhale matches the length of your inhale.
Now you can perform the breath entirely through the nose. If that is difficult, continue the mouth/nose method as above. The main point in practicing this breath is to not create the "heat" that the traditional victorious breath creates. The breath should not be vigorous or loud like an angry sizzling fire, but cooling and soft sounding, like a deep sleeping breath.
This breath increases alveolar ventilation, promotes calm, can assist with improving mental focus, and can decrease sympathetic nervous system input (decrease anxiety, lower blood pressure, and pulse). All of these benefits work together to help you bring your baby into the world and have the birth you envision - one with less pain and without fear.
My complete Labor & Delivery Breath Practice contains a start to finish, step by step program for every stage of your labor. This practice is just a short excerpt from the complete practice.
I work with moms on abdominal breath from their first trimester, and build on that with a new breath technique every 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. By the time moms reach their 37th week, they can be experts of the breath, which will ultimately help them exercise more control over their body during birth through the following: 1) decrease fatigue (especially important for long or difficult labors), 2) increase mental focus, (important for entering into the "zone" of concentration) 3) manage pain, (perhaps most important, especially since there is such a fear surrounding natural childbirth) and 4) help with pushing during delivery.
*Photo was taken just a few days before going into labor with my second son.
My first son was born after a difficult 36 hours of labor. The labor was hard and fast, with contractions 2-3 minutes apart and no more than 4 minutes apart for 30 hours.
By contrast, labor with my second son was a mere 4 hours - start to finish. However with both births - had I not been well versed in the 5 tips below - I know I would not have been able to go the distance and own the birth I wanted.
Whatever kind of birth you envision - whether a physician attended hospital birth with medications or a natural birth with a midwife, the most important point is your birth is your own and no one else's. Every woman should claim their right to the birth they want and deserve.
Here are my top five must have tips for being prepared for your birth. If you are planning for a birth with pain medications, you can still benefit from this post. These tips will help you progress to the point in labor when it is time for the epidural. These tools have been absolutely necessary for me as a childbirth educator, women's health therapist, and most of all, as a mother of two sons, both born naturally.
Before you get started on this list, make sure you have a birth coach. This person does not necessarily have to be your spouse or partner, but they do have to possess a firm knowledge of the birth process and your wishes as a birthing mother. Another option is hiring adoulaor having the support of a family member or friend. Having a birthing coach is not just important - I believe it is a necessity. Women should not have to give birth without support. Do not depend on hospital or birth center staff to be your support. They are there to provide care in accordance with hospital policy and their job description - they are not there to coach you through your birth. They have many women to attend to and cannot possibly be there for the continuous support that research shows helps women labor best.
After finding your birth coach, there are 5 tools for empowering you and your birth.
Acupressure Points. Know or carry with you (my husband had a mini pocket sized cheat sheet he carried and referred to during my labor with our sons) the list of Acupressure Points for both labor induction and pain relief.
Practice and know Yogic breathing for labor and delivery. I have a concise Labor and Delivery Breathing Practice I teach women. It helps with alveolar ventilation, which is crucial during labor; and, it minimizes the fight or flight reaction and helps a mother stay calm and focused. The birth coach should also know the breathing routine, in case you forget or lose focus during hard labor or transition. I will be sharing this routine with you in future blogs.
Partner Assisted Therapy Techniques. There is a short but very effective list of manual (hands on) techniques to help relieve pain and open the pelvic outlet during labor. I teach coaches to use these while moms are either on a birthing ball or a sidelying position in bed. For the mom: Asymmetrical lungeshave long been used to help open the pelvic outlet and facilitate birth. In general, I use 3 specific yoga postures to assist with pelvic opening, which also help with pain relief, which I will share in future blogs.
Have a birth plan. A birth plan is list of your wishes for your birth. Here is an explanation of a birth plan. An additional tip: In the birth plan, include what labor positions you want to be able to try. Otherwise, you may end up stuck on your back, which is the worst position to give birth in.
Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst (meaning a long or difficult labor).
Know your rights as a woman and a patient. Know the hospital's policy on birth. Most moms enter the hospital or birthing center having no idea of how a birth in that hospital is handled. Read my past blogs on how to interview: your physician, midwife, or hospital. In some hospitals, babies are still (unnecessarily) separated from mothers. Further still, some hospitals still require (yes, require) women to lay in ineffective positions for giving birth. Ignorance is not bliss. Don't miss out on the birth you want. Do your homework.
Know the stages of labor. For example, transition is often the most difficult (and painful) stage. Not surprisingly, even for the strongest willed of moms, transition can be the stage at which the mom demands (not asks) for pain relief. This can be disheartening for those moms who clearly stated their desires for a natural birth in their birth plan. Transition is a critical time for mothers. It is imperative for the birth coach to be attentive and provide the moral support to help you go the distance.
The support of your birth coach, and your own steadfast belief in the power of your body, will provide you with the fortitude and grace to be in charge of your own birth. These 5 tools are part of the process of educating yourself. Knowledge is power - and birth is perhaps the most powerful manifestation of a woman's existence. So equip yourself for the journey with self-education. In next week's blogs I will share a list of resources which can help your birth coach be prepared. I will also elaborate on the 5 tips to help you and your birth coach prepare for your beautiful miracle of birth.
*Photo taken within hours after my second son's birth.
A few weeks ago I was invited to write a guest blog about yoga and parenting. Read the full blog here.
Here is a continuation of my blog on yoga and parenting, with two (more) ways yoga can help us all be better parents:
Two More Ways that Yoga Makes You A Better Parent
1. Don’t underestimate the importance of your breathing habits.
I have seen many mothers whose previously calm demeanor and good breathing habits BC (Before Children) mysteriously vanished into thin air AC (After Children).
Why is this?
Today’s women have fought (hard) for their autonomy and independence. In addition, families are more mobile than ever. However, the deserving achievements of this modern movement (remember it hasn't even been 100 years since women could vote) has left women (and families) with a very flimsy infrastructure – which means we tend to have poor support systems. Most women, myself included, underestimate the importance of the statement “It Takes A Village to Raise A Child.”
Even someone like myself, who has a master’s degree from one of the top physical therapy schools in the United States and specializes in women’s health…was on the edge of sanity after going for weeks with little more than 2 hours of sleep a night with 2 children in diapers, a corporation to (still) run, and with no family in the area who could help.
The nugget of truth here is that women are busier than ever and oftentimes with less support than ever. When women enter or re-enter the workplace after childbirth, they keep 75% or more of household management duties, in addition to their new role as a mother. In addition, the American workplace has proven to be the one of the least "parent" friendly of all developed countries.
All of these stressors can easily lead to depression and poor parenting choices. Postpartum depression always lurks right around the corner – for all women – regardless of their socioeconomic status or education level.
However, good breathing habits have been proven to help battle depressive symptoms. Read my previous blog on improving mood, coping skills and preventing/managing depression with good breathing habits. Learning good breathing habits can ward off depression, improve quality of life, increase energy, and stabilize mood - which all leads to better parenting.
2. If you do not have a mediation practice, start today.
Meditation is called different things across the globe – Meditation, Devotion, Prayer, Quiet Time…the list goes on. However, anyone can practice meditation without conflicting with their spiritual roots. Read my previous blog on how Yoga must be recalibrated to fit the 21st century mother. This post will teach you how to practice a “savasana” (sha-vah-suhn) or corpse pose, which will help facilitate a meditation practice.
Tip: Create a Sacred Space. I have friends from all different spiritual traditions - Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Jain, & Buddhist. They all have one thing (well way more than that) in common – they all have a meditation practice that honors their spiritual belief system. I encourage you to create a Sacred Space to help you meditate. It may be as simple as a converted closet or elaborate as an entire room with an altar or table holding your inspirational quotes, Sacred texts, readings, poetry, figures, as well as everything you need to meditate (which could be as simple as a cushion on the floor or elaborate as a cushioned chair, bed, or other props to help you be comfy).
This Space will not only remind you to mediate, but will make it easier for you to do so. It can also be your own personal chapel – a place to recollect yourself and remind yourself of what is most important to you. I go to my Sacred Space daily, if even for 5 minutes. I actually created 2 rooms and a third small space – because I need physical reminders to keep me accountable – and to help ground me and remind me of my ordered priorities.
These are the last 2 Tips in my Yoga and Better Parenting post. I hope you have been able to glean something of worth for your Journey of Parenting. Remember in the words of revered Afghan poet Rumi: In the end, we will be forgiven for forgetting that what we really want is Love's Confusing Joy. Gamble Everything For Love.
*Photo is of a "Mommy & Me Yoga" photo shoot (and one of his first official yoga practices) with my second son.
Mothers and women - if you polled us a group, how many of you would raise your hand and say you have been overly tired or in a poor state of mind in the past week? in the past month? in the past year?
Perhaps the whole lot of us would raise our hands in the affirmative. It is no secret that women suffer from fatigue and depressive* disorders more frequently than men.
In fact, many of the diagnoses connected to these symptoms were not even "believed" to exist until very recent history.
But as women, we know our bodies. As a health care practitioner, I have long supported many women with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, & longstanding depressive symptoms in my clinical practice. Even as late as the 1970's, grief was not even supported as an actual state of being. So it is no surprise that women have been unable to figure out what was "wrong" with them through the years. Unable to fit into a neat medical chart, their symptoms piled up- exacerbated by their mounting responsibilities as women, mothers, and human beings.
Through the years though, medicine has come to recognize that there is a psycho-emotional body, an energetic body - and it greatly affects the physical body. Women in my practice continue to improve in health when they receive compassionate physical therapy blended with a multi-cultural approach to healing. This approach I call "elemental renewal", the ability to see the person, not just the diagnosis. The ability to see all facets of the person and create a therapy program just for them.
The most common life experiences which can contribute to the "super fatigue" and mood shifts are, you guessed it, pregnancy, post-partum, life changes, job related stress, and the constant state of stress that is associated with child rearing and otherwise existing on this planet as a woman and/or mother.
In my practice, my first line of defense in helping women is teaching them how to breathe. So this week, I am going to dedicate the entire week to teaching you how to breathe - one day at a time, one breath at a time.
Each day this week, you will learn a different breath type so that you can have your own personal energy and mood lifting practice. In fact, sometimes I only need 2-3 minutes of concentrated breathing to turn my day around!
