Guest Blog Series: A Prenatal Yoga Teacher's Perspective on HypnoBirthing by Elise Bowerman

A Prenatal Yoga Teacher’s Perspective on HypnoBirthing®

“You cannot improve upon a natural function. The answer is not to hinder it.”
- Dr. Michel Odent

A natural response to pregnancy is birthing. However, it requires conscious effort to allow this primal response to happen peacefully. Prenatal Yoga puts into practice many teachings HypnoBirthing® students learn.

While there are absolutely no prerequisites for Prenatal Yoga (other than expecting a baby), there are some observational difference with those who invest in HypnoBirthing®, too.

Four notable ways a HypnoBirthing® participant stands out in Prenatal Yoga include:

1. They are informed of the options for this pregnancy.

By understanding their choices, it helps the group greatly. Everyone gets to hear information from other birthers; as opposed to hearing from the teacher 100% of the time.

1. They are confident in building acceptance of the birth they envision.
   When someone is actively manifesting what their inner self knows they are capable of – a sense of gentle understanding and working through the challenges ahead provide great empowerment.

2. They can focus and turn their attention inward quickly.

It’s called a yoga practice for a reason. It’s a life-long practice of reflecting on our own state of being. The more we practice this concept through affirmations, meditations, time alone – the deeper we can understand and honor our own life stories.

1. They are comfortable to explore movement with less worry.

This is mostly accomplished when the first three benefits mentioned above are in a birther’s wheelhouse. By cultivating an ability to move by instinct; rather than relying on someone to demonstrate how to move provides an extremely useful skillset for the birthing experience. 

It’s easy to get caught in our heads about the endless “what if’s” regarding pregnancy, birthing, what and how to move safely. In Prenatal Yoga we are tuning into the primal self. Since it’s not a childbirth education class, gathering this information in HypnoBirthing® beautifully compliments the practice. 

Who doesn’t want to get the most out of the time invested in any program, right?! 

Pairing together HypnoBirthing® and Prenatal Yoga participants receive:

• Informed childbirth education and resources.

• Two birthing and parenting communities of local professionals and friends.

• Confidence to move and stay healthy in pregnancy: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

• The ultimate way to stay connected to oneself while building a connection with this baby(ies.)

“Imagine what might happen if the majority of women emerged from their labor beds with a renewed sense of the strength and power of their bodies, and of their capacity for ecstasy through giving birth. When enough women realize that birth is a time of great opportunity to get in touch with their true power, and when they are willing to assume responsibility for this, we will reclaim the power of birth…”
- Dr. Christiane Northrup

Now is the time to honor the sacred experience of childbirth. When we birth peacefully, we transcend the energy not only in our walk forward as parents, but most importantly – the peace surrounds our children. They start their earth-side experience encompassed in calm… and begins with us. “

Elise Bowerman is a mother of two and founder of Sweet Momma Yoga. As a Prenatal Yoga teacher for thousands of women she shares her testimonial of how HypnoBirthing® compliments Prenatal Yoga to bring greater peace into birthing.

You can learn more about Elise’s class and sign up for her very popular series here: https://www.sweetmommayoga.com/