Let go and let God! That’s what birthing is. Easy said – than done. As much as you want to be in control and be aware of all the magic cooking inside of you, you’re also scared of the pain and afraid that you wouldn’t be able to pull through naturally, without pain relievers. The good news is that you don’t have to. Whether you choose to have an epidural, or need to get pitocin (an oxytocin injection causing uterine contractions) to speed your contractions in order to dilate faster and shorten the delivery hurdle you can still enjoy your natural birthing experience fully.

While in labor I tried to hold on to all the tips I had read in books or simulated in birthing courses. I wanted to be conscious and awake to witness my baby’s arrival. But it didn’t go exactly as planned. My water broke first. Which made the dilation take forever. After 10 hours of intense labor and perpetual contractions that made me moan and groan, I suddenly gave up. I just surrendered to the flow. Only then, was I able to actually make good use of my yoga practice.

Instead of dreading every contraction as it came and went, I envisioned each contraction as a wave that was through the pelvis and washing away any pain. I could see the wave picking up, cresting and then descending. And I knew the climax was the highest point of ecstasy. Once I shifted the mind into the flow of the contraction the pain went away. All I felt was elation and an anticipation to arrive at the peak. I tested the old adage “pain is in the brain” on the spot. The moment I relinquished control, my body began to move in its own uninhibited way. My arms spiraled and curved, my hips swayed and swirled. My voice reached its most velvet timbre. I could feel all cavities opening up to receive the light, all cells inviting the change and celebrating their renewal. Once I gave up, all the fear dissipated. I only traced the undulation of the ocean wave as it rippled through the pelvis. Every contraction became a moment of tapping my creativity, a sacred act of inner withdrawal before a wild explosion. In fact, I was re-wilding the heart and tapping the virgin power of nature in all its fury and beauty.

I was amazed at how such a simple visualization exercise transformed my labor into sheer exaltation. Once I got comfortable with the contractions, I added a mantra and a yantra to amplify the experience. I chanted the seed vibration LAM that corresponds to the first charka – the center responsible for procreation. In between I fluttered my lips to help the cervix dilate faster, I swayed my hips to let the baby drop deeper into the birth canal. I pictured a triangle piercing the birthing passage and anchoring the baby into the Earth. I gave in to gravity and I yielded to the suction of the Earth. I felt the Earth was a vacuum that was sucking the baby to cradle it in its womb. And I had to open up and let nature do the job. It was that one time in my life, when I literally did nothing. I would naturally track the wave bucking like a beautiful white horse, cresting and then dissolving into the foam of consciousness. The chants welled up naturally from within. I don’t remember any pain, but recall only the rupture and ecstasy. I just felt the need to receive the breath as if it was raining down from the sky and let it release with each contraction into the ocean water.

Then came the last stretch of the journey – the actual labor. With all my yogic breathing experience I was not prepared for this. The birthing courses that I took while pregnant did not come handy either. My labor lasted 3 hours and towards the end the baby’s heart rate was dropping and my blood pressure was hiking. And suddenly I found the knack. Instead of pushing in general, I started pushing as if I was going for a bowel movement. The engaging of the rectum actually pushed the baby deeper into the birth canal and the crowning took place. I could feel the pelvic bones opening to let the head trough. The baby came out a minute later with a healthy cry. When I got the gist of having to push through the rectum, the pain ceased immediately and I could enjoy the whole process of the natural delivery. I remember towards the end the gravity pull was so strong that I could feel the final thrust like a “gravity vacuum”. The baby had descended form sky to Earth. The joy I felt was unimaginable and the fact that I was pain-free throughout the entire birthing was a miracle. Only because I gave in, repeating the affirmation:

“I surrender to the flow

I relinquish control

I suspend all fear

I give in and let go

I allow and flow

Flow with the waves of the ocean.

I am a drop of the ocean

The ocean in a single drop”

And these words of sweet surrender sailed me through the most wondrous experience of my life. I felt a link in the chain of motherhood, humbled by the magic of nature to create life.

Yogea Birthing Tips: Relinquish Control

This is not a yoga routine but a combination of yogic tools and tips for enjoying a natural delivery. These poses and exercises can be practiced once the water breaks and the dilation of the cervix takes place. The standing positions coupled with arm movements and lip flutters will help you dilate faster, ease the baby into the birth canal and alleviate the pain. Please, bear in mind that you can try these techniques even if you choose to get an epidural. Your pelvis and legs will be numbed, but the mind will be lucid and open to the meditation and visualization, which facilitates a smooth ride through labor and delivery. Take any of these techniques that appeal to you and feel free to use them separately or together as demonstrated in this video. Have a beautiful and ecstatic birth!