Breath
in the HypnoBirthing program I teach three different types of breath:
Calm Breathing
Surge Breathing
Birth Breathing
Just
Breathe
Each of these breaths has a role in regulating the nervous system and helping promote a smooth birth.
When we are anchored in our breath, we are anchored in the present moment. When we are anchored in the moment, we can better tune into the flow of labour and birth. Our breath can facilitate peace, ease or excitement and activation, depending on how we do it.
Our breath is our power source.
This is why it plays such an important role in sports that require a lot of concentration and finesse, think Tai Chi, boxing, swimming, and yoga, among others. By controlling the breath, we can control different aspects of our experience and have a strong effect on our physical performance. And let me tell you, birthing is probably the most physical feat you can do.
When we breathe effectively, we help our bodies to process the oxygen we’re taking in and regulate our systems for a more effective labour, by keeping the nervous system in the calm zone, rather than in the emergency zone (for more on this, read my blog about the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle).
However, breath is not just about maintaining our physical wellbeing.
It’s also a tool to manage overwhelming emotions. It’s a tool to connect you to your baby and the essence of life, on a more spiritual or philosophical level.
It seems silly to tell you that I teach you how to breathe. You might be thinking, “but don’t I already know how to breathe?” In effect, what I teach is how to use the breath in different ways to deepen the connection between the mind and the body. By focusing on the different ways of breathing throughout the different phases of labour, we can sink into the process, feeling empowered rather than trying to control the experience from a place of reaction. It’s a relationship to our bodies that we build throughout the program. I give you exercises to practice daily, so come birthing time, you can easily slip into embodying them. You learn to support the flow of your breath, so that your breath can support the flow of birth. The body births. You breathe.