Welcome.
I'm Claire from Bright Beginnings Yoga and I'd like to congratulate you on your pregnancy.
This meditation will help with your connection to your baby,
To feel into how your baby might be feeling and to deepen the ties that you share during this beautiful nine months where you share your environment.
It's most valuable during the third trimester but can be done at any stage throughout your pregnancy.
So taking your time to come to a comfortable seated position,
I usually recommend having a non-stretching a nice comfortable pillow or bolster to sit onto to allow your sit bones to feel steady and your spine to feel supported.
And as you become ready to begin allowing the eyelids to lower or close.
Perhaps bringing one or two hands onto the belly,
Onto your womb space and beginning to feel the breath moving there below your hands.
Feeling that as you inhale,
Your belly and your baby move up and out away from the spine and as you exhale,
Your belly and your baby move back in towards the spine.
And as you exhale,
Your belly and your baby move back in towards the spine.
And we're going to begin a journey now.
A journey into the womb space.
As we begin this journey,
All you need to do to prepare and to come on this journey is to breathe.
Is to continue to let the fluctuations of the inhale and the exhale rock your baby and fill you both with fresh oxygen.
So allowing your mind to come on this journey now as we make our way inside the womb space into the womb space.
And as you with your mind's eye enter into this space,
What is going to happen?
As you move into the home of your baby and as you with your mind's eye enter into this space,
What do you see?
Can you sense the darkness within this space?
A darkness lined with a beautiful deep nourishing red colour.
Beautiful thick lining.
Providing the support and nurturing for this space.
Perhaps as your eyes grow accustomed,
You do sense some light.
Some light that may be filtering in between the fingertips of those hands that you have resting on your womb space from the outside.
Becoming aware of your baby's ability to sense some of the light from outside.
Trickling in between the fingers.
And what can you feel in this space?
What do you feel on your skin?
Can you imagine your baby's sensation?
Or floating in the amniotic fluid?
This salty water like substance in which they are suspended.
Allowing yourself to imagine the sensations of weight loss.
Allowing yourself to imagine the sensations of weightlessness.
The only way that your baby has experienced feeling.
Perhaps you can allow yourself the enjoyment of exploring this weightlessness.
Imagining your baby exploring their limbs and the movement of them,
Of their fingers and their toes.
As they gently move their arms and legs in this space.
As they explore the way that their body can move.
Coming to the sounds of the womb space now.
The deep connection of the womb space to the heart.
This lifeline that connects you with your baby.
Through which you pass fresh oxygenated blood.
And through which the beating of your heart sends a steady comforting rhythm to your baby.
A rhythm of which your baby is keenly aware.
A rhythm that fluctuates with your state of mind,
With your emotions and with your activities.
And with this awareness that this sound that is the backdrop of your baby's environment.
That you have the ability at any point to alter the pace,
The quality of this sound,
Of this heartbeat.
Every time you choose to take time to bring the body to a place of still or calm.
Every time you choose to steady your heart rate.
Steadying the sound that your baby hears,
Sending signals of safety.
And your baby also hears the sound of your voice after a certain point.
The sound of your family's voices,
Your friends,
Of your environment.
Breathing into this thought.
And then coming to the sense of taste.
Perhaps taking a little swallow in your own mouth now.
Imagining your baby tasting the amnotic fluid,
Salty liquid.
Also getting a very subtle taste of anything that you consume.
Anything that you are taking into your body to nourish you,
Your baby gets a little sample of that taste.
Dulled somewhat.
Still there.
Perhaps you can imagine that taste,
What you ate at your last meal.
And so it is with the sense of smell.
The only smell that your baby will know before they enter the world.
Is the scent of their surroundings,
It's a scent of you.
They'll always know that scent,
Whether consciously or not.
A comforting scent.
So just staying here in this environment.
Imagining,
Sharing this environment,
Connecting with your baby.
Through an understanding and awareness of the womb space that they inhabit.
Taking that moment to see their side of the picture.
To experience a little of their world.
And in doing so becoming more aware of how your world affects theirs.
Perhaps as you remain here for a few more breaths,
There's something,
An intention that you'd like to set.
To help make this environment even more comfortable for them.
Is there something you can adjust in your daily habits,
In your surroundings to make their stay in the womb even more comfortable?
To make this time that you share even more special.
But knowing that even by sitting here in this meditation,
You are doing so much.
And that might be enough.
Enjoying breathing and being there with your baby.
Feeling them rocking in and out.
Away and towards the spine.
Feeling them suspended there below your hands.
Feeling them nurtured and supported there.
Feeling grateful for their presence in your body and in your life.
And you may wish to remain here for a little while longer.
When you're ready.
Gently giving those hands a little rub on the belly.
A last caress for your child before releasing the palms.
Beginning to bring your mind back into the world around you.
Perhaps noticing the quality of your breath.
Becoming aware of the sensations and the sounds around you now.
And eventually bringing your eyes back into the room as well,
The eyelids fluttering open.
Thank you for sharing this time with your baby in connectedness.
Namaste.
