I'd like to share with you now a very short relaxation technique,
Part of our inner resources that also helps to build this confident and fearless mindset.
So when you feel ready to take this journey,
Feel free to just close your eyes and allow your awareness to rest back down into the body.
Allow yourself to take just a few longer and deeper breaths.
Allow the chest and the belly to fully move with each inhale and with each exhale.
You can allow the fingers to release and perhaps let go of any crossed legs.
Start to just notice.
Notice how you feel in the body.
You can gently become more aware of all the sounds around you,
Not just my voice,
But perhaps some of the quieter sounds,
Other sounds in the environment.
And then when you feel ready,
Just allow more of your attention now to be drawn inwards.
Start to bring more of your attention to the sensations of your breath.
Just simply bringing your focus to sensing around the nostrils and the upper lip.
Just watching each breath,
Each inhale and exhale.
Feel the sensation of each breath.
See if you can notice the temperature of the inhale and the exhale.
Seeing how the mind is continually drawn away from that focal point.
And at some point you become aware of the mind going off in different directions.
And when you become aware of that,
Gently draw your focus back to the sensations around the nostrils,
The upper lip.
This is what we call our soft sleep breaths.
Just observing and allowing everything to be exactly as it is.
You can let your awareness slowly scan down through the body.
Become aware of the top of the head,
Forehead,
Feel the eyelids.
Just allowing your awareness to come into the body allows it to move back into its more natural and relaxed state.
Allow the jaw to relax,
One of the most important places to let go of during our pregnancy and our birth.
Even allow the teeth to part slightly and allow the tongue to rest in the bottom palate of the mouth.
Feeling all the way down through your neck,
Aware of shoulders.
Start to become aware of the chest and the subtle movements of the breath.
Noticing just how the chest rises and falls,
How it ebbs and flows in the body without any effort from us whatsoever.
How it flows in and out ebbs and flows just like the ocean,
Continually flowing in and out of the shore.
Gently allow your awareness to flow down even further,
Right through into the belly.
Feel the whole of the abdomen,
The whole of your middle and lower back.
Notice the hips,
Your pelvic floor.
Allow yourself to breathe even wider into the belly.
And as you're exhaling,
Let go any tension and allow yourself to relax even deeper into your seat.
And then in your own time,
Start to let your awareness move even deeper into the body and connect consciously with your baby resting there in the womb.
See within your own mind's eye,
Your little one.
Noticing how still,
How peaceful,
How receptive and calm they are.
Allow yourself to connect with your breath and with your baby in one moment.
With each breath,
Feeling more and more calm and more and more connected.
Allow yourself to absorb these benefits for a few more moments.
Notice the experience within the body mind.
And in this place,
You will start to access all of the strength and all of the resources that you need for creating a beautiful birth experience.
And the more you come into this place,
Stronger,
Calmer,
The more confident you'll become in both body and mind.
In a few moments now,
We'll be leaving this relaxation,
This breathing practice,
This visualization.
Notice how you feel right now within the body and the mind.
And in your own time,
Just slowly let your awareness come back up to the sensations around the nostrils,
The upper lip.
Feeling how the breath is the connection between the inner,
The outer worlds.
And then when you feel ready,
Just very gently allow the eyelids to open,
Keeping the gaze quite low.
And in your own time,
Gently bring your awareness back into the room and back into this moment here with me.
Hope you enjoy that taste,
That experience of relaxation.
Feel free to utilize it at any time that you need.
I will be sending through audio gifts for you also,
For listening to our video,
For sharing this video that I hope you also download,
Use in your iPods,
Smartphones,
Whatever you have.
And again,
Take time to enjoy,
Relax and connect with your baby because this is where you'll continue to deepen in your relaxation and also find your strength for birth.
