So taking a moment to get comfortable first.
That might be standing or swaying,
Leaning on something,
Sitting down.
Maybe you change positions throughout this practice.
That's all okay.
If you're listening to this practice,
It means that things are beginning,
That your body is starting to move into labor.
You're beginning to step through that powerful threshold.
And know that however you're feeling right now,
Physically,
Mentally,
Emotionally,
It is all okay.
You don't need to change anything.
We're just going to work together to create a steady place for you to return.
Riding this phase breath by breath and wave by wave as they come and as they go.
As you settle in,
Allow your body to move the way that it wants to.
There is no one right way to be right now.
And bring your awareness to your breath.
There's no need to change it yet.
You don't need to do anything specific with it yet.
But just notice it.
Notice the inhales and the exhales as they come and as they go.
Just breathing in and breathing out.
Allowing your breath to be your anchor.
Your breath is something that you can return to again and again.
And as you breathe,
Begin to notice where you might be holding tension.
Maybe the jaw,
The hands,
The shoulders,
The hips or low back.
And on these next few rounds of breath,
If you're in between contractions,
Try to let those places soften,
Even if it's just a little bit.
Even one percent.
You don't need to relax everything.
But maybe on each exhale,
You imagine one place softening at a time.
Just breathing in,
Breathing out,
Softening.
And at some point,
A contraction will come.
And when it does,
You don't need to brace against it,
But instead,
Just trying to meet it.
When you feel a wave,
A contraction beginning,
Take a slow breath in and out.
Inhaling as best you can.
Exhaling long and steady.
As you breathe,
Inhaling as best you can.
And trying to let the exhale be longer than the inhale.
And you might imagine as you do this,
That you're riding the wave.
You're not stopping it,
You're not pushing it away.
You're staying with it,
Riding the wave breath by breath.
As the wave builds,
Just stay with this rhythm.
Inhaling as best you can,
Exhaling long and slow.
Just inhaling and exhaling long and slow.
Maybe reminding yourself on the inhale,
This is a wave.
And on the exhale,
I am moving through it.
Imagining with every inhale,
Bringing in that nourishing breath.
And as you breathe out,
Trying to soften even by one percent.
Maybe inhaling,
Thinking,
This is a wave.
And exhaling,
I can breathe through this.
Inhaling,
My body knows what to do.
And exhaling,
This wave will pass.
And as these waves come and go,
Notice the space in between.
Let yourself rest in those small moments.
The flat,
Easy tide before another wave begins.
Let yourself rest in those moments.
Your body is working,
But it's also giving you moments to recover.
Allow those moments to recover.
And take a deeper breath in and a long breath out.
Allowing yourself to have these little moments of calm,
Of reset.
And every time a new wave comes,
You return to your breath.
You can breathe in as best as you can.
And take that long,
Slow breath out of the mouth.
Riding the wave.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Softening the jaw.
Releasing the shoulders.
Steady breath.
Riding the waves.
You don't need to think about what's ahead.
You don't need to manage the whole process.
You just need to breathe and be present in this wave right here.
Your body is not working against you,
It's working with you.
Every wave is doing something important.
Every wave brings you closer to meeting your baby.
Every wave is doing something important.
Your body knows this rhythm.
Just stay with your breath and stay with this moment.
This is where I will leave you.
With my guidance.
But stay with your breath and good luck.
