Relaxation During Pregnancy

Pregnancy relaxation technique to help reduce stress, bring about a feeling of calm and increase a sense of ease. Use this technique when you want to feel rested and welcome in feelings of serenity. The use of relaxation techniques during pregnancy may help with sleep disturbances, anxiety, stress, and fear.

Transcript

Relaxation during pregnancy is safe and effective for reducing stress,

Feeling calm and increasing physical and mental comfort.

Use relaxation techniques to help with nausea,

Headaches and minor pain.

If in doubt consult your doctor.

The best position for this exercise is seated in a supported chair with head and back support.

Slightly reclined.

A couch or reclining chair can work well for this practice.

This relaxation during pregnancy practice uses progressive muscle relaxation and meditation.

You can use this practice during pregnancy or after the birth of your baby to feel calm,

Comfortable and at ease.

To begin the relaxation during pregnancy practice find a comfortable position sitting in semi reclined in a comfortable chair is best.

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 begin to soften.

Breathe in,

Breathe out,

In,

Out.

Breathe slowly and naturally.

Allow a little bit of tension to be released each time you breathe so that with every breath you take you relax more and more deeply.

Raise your shoulders towards your ears and then let your shoulders relax.

Dropping even more into that comfortable position feeling yourself almost sinking into the surface that you're on.

Allow your jaw to drop slightly letting the muscles of your face and jaw become more relaxed,

More at ease.

Give the toes a little wiggle.

Notice your feet.

Sense feel or imagine your feet and legs and a sense of relaxation coming in here.

Gently open and close your hands and again maybe even wiggle the fingers here and then invite that ease into your hands and arms.

Take a deep breath in feeling the tension of your chest and stomach as you hold that breath and allow your chest and stomach now to relax to let go as you breathe out slowly.

Allow the muscles of your back now to soften from your neck to your upper back,

The middle back,

Lower back.

Feeling your whole body relaxing.

Notice any areas of tension in your body now and choose to release these areas.

The body continues to soften deeper and deeper,

Melting and softening.

Allow your awareness to come to your eyelids.

You may sense feel or imagine heaviness now in your eyelids.

That's okay.

Just think about your eyelids and allow your eyelids to become even more relaxed.

Blink your eyes slowly.

Close your eyes and then opening your eyes.

Closing and opening.

Slower and slower.

With each blink of your eyelids,

Your eyelids become even more relaxed.

Heavy.

So heavy it's hard to even open your eyes.

Think about how good it would feel to close your eyes.

Just a little bit longer.

Gently allowing your eyes to close.

It feels good to close your eyes.

So deeply rested.

You can safely use this relaxation practice during pregnancy to feel calm and at ease.

It allows you to learn this skill of relaxation and with practice you can relax quickly at any time you want to.

Relaxation during pregnancy is an excellent way to promote health and well-being and to feel calm.

Can you sense feel or imagine how your body is at the moment?

Is there any tension in the body at the moment?

Allow the muscles here to let go.

To let go of their hold.

Becoming loose and comfortable.

Releasing tension.

Becoming smooth and at ease.

Sense feel or imagine where the body is most at ease.

What does this sense of ease feel like?

Allow this ease to grow.

Moving out this ease more and more to the rest of the body.

Letting the ease become bigger.

The body becoming more restful.

Bring the awareness now to the core of your body.

Allow your body to be filled with ease and peace.

Focus on increasing the ease and comfort.

Directing this calm,

This ease to you and your baby.

Feel the peace,

Calm and ease.

A feeling of serenity shared by you and your baby.

Both of you resting comfortably and with ease.

Feeling so calm and peaceful.

Completely serene.

By keeping this feeling of ease and calm so completely at ease.

Bring to mind the upcoming birth of your baby.

This will be a happy and calm time.

You can be completely at ease and comfortable when it is time for your baby to be born.

Let's practice relaxing right now so when the time comes it will be so easy for you to be completely at ease and relaxed and calm.

Continue with your stomach and pelvic area.

As you breathe in imagine directing your breath to this area.

When you relax allow all tension to be released.

Releasing more and more deeply with each breath.

Focus on your back.

Relaxing 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.

Relax all the muscles of your back.

Feeling so comfortable.

Now imagine a feeling of ease.

Sense,

Feel or imagine ease.

So comfortable.

Completely easing 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 ease may feel warm or may feel cool.

It might feel tingly,

Light or heavy.

It may feel like nothing at all.

But this ease,

This ease is a wonderful feeling of calm.

Releasing any discomfort.

Leaving only ease.

Can you notice how your body feels right now?

Completely absent of feeling except for comfort and ease.

You can direct this feeling of ease wherever you like.

You can relax your forehead and scalp so completely at ease,

Cool and comfortable.

The whole body at ease and calm.

You are completely in control of your relaxation and can relax whenever you want to.

It is so easy to relax too quickly and deeply relax and feel peaceful and calm.

Scan your body right now for any sensations of tension or discomfort.

Notice that you can change the feeling of discomfort perhaps to a feeling of warmth or heaviness or gentle pressure or coolness or ease.

Perhaps simply to a feeling of calm.

Feel the sensations in your body changing.

Becoming calm,

At ease,

Comfortable.

If you find any areas that may be holding tension focus on that area.

Sense,

Feel or imagine directing your breath to this area.

Sense,

Feel or imagine that when you breathe in the ease flows into the area that you want to relax and as you exhale sense,

Feel or imagine the tension leaving with your breath.

Breathing in peace,

Breathing out and then just calm.

Breathing in peace and ease and exhale calm.

Keep breathing like this.

More at ease and comfortable with each breath.

Now you can relax even more deeply as you focus the mind on a calming word.

If you like using the word serenity.

Every time you breathe out 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.

Keep repeating serenity every time you breathe out.

Focus again on the word serenity.

Keep focusing on the word serenity.

Finding that the longer you focus the more at ease you become.

Keep repeating the word serenity each time you exhale.

Focusing completely on the word serenity.

Being at ease allowing your mind to drift.

Enjoy this ease,

This calm.

Hearing the word serenity allows you to relax,

To be at ease,

To be calm.

Every time you think of the word serenity allow yourself to be at ease.

Thinking about the birth of your baby invites you to be at ease instantly and deeply.

Thinking about your baby invites you to feel completely at ease,

Comfortable and confident.

We are now coming to the end of our relaxation practice.

Begin to welcome yourself back and know that you can use this relaxation during pregnancy and after the birth of your baby to help you feel calm and at ease.

Doing this practice may help you feel calm,

At ease and serene.

Beginning to welcome in sounds now that you can hear around you.

Welcome in that sensation of the whole body where you rest.

Invite a little bit of movement into the fingers and the toes.

And if you like gently pinching up along the ears.

Inviting yourself to be fully awake,

To be fully present.

And when you feel ready taking a deep breath in and out.

Reviews

Love listening to you Brenda - thank you! Had to make sure I didn’t drift off this time so I could leave a review... it was tough! Too relaxing 😊

Thank you for this special moment.

A beautiful reminder of your own inner power and ability to promote relaxation in your body. Thank you!

So calming - exactly what I needed during this time! I’ll come back to this one!

Lovely relaxing voice! The part that didn't fit for me was being calm and relaxed while giving birth. My first birth was fierce and powerful and I needed every ounce of that! Maybe trust and confidence would be better words for me. Thank you for this!

a wonderful meditation to ease my busy mind

Blissful! Thank you for sharing. Namaste 🙏🏼.