It’s common for pregnant women to have feelings of stress and anxiety. And while it’s easy to succumb to these feelings, you have to remember that your little one is dependent on your healthy body. The more you are able to find peace, the better the both of you will feel throughout the pregnancy.
So, how is any of this even possible? If you’re like most mums-to-be, you feel overwhelmed at just the thought of being pregnant. But when you practice early pregnancy meditation, you can find peace and be free of a lot of your stressors.
Just What is Meditation?
In short, meditation is a relaxation technique that centres on focused breathing and clear thinking. Many people have found great success in meditation, as it can help you melt away life’s stress and find inner peace with yourself.
When used during pregnancy, meditation can help you learn how to cope with the many worries and anxieties that childbearing brings with it.
There are many different types of meditation techniques that you can try. Each one offers varying degrees of relaxation and peace. Here, we will discuss some of the most popular early pregnancy meditations that you can start right away.
Additionally, you might want to consider taking meditation classes with other pregnant women. You can check online to see if there are any in your area. Or, if you prefer, you can practice meditation in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
Benefits of Early Pregnancy Meditation
Meditation is known to provide many benefits for those who regularly practice it. Some of the most common benefits include:
- Less risk for postpartum depression
- Connect with your body changes
- Positive labour preparation
- Lower stress levels
- Reduced tension
- Reduced anxiety
- Improved sleep
- Peace of mind
As you can see, there are plenty of good reasons why you should consider implementing early pregnancy meditation in your daily routine. So let’s explore some of the techniques you might want to try. You never know; they could hold the key to your peace and relief!
Early Pregnancy Meditation Techniques:
Practice Mindfulness
While you’re pregnant, you’re going to experience a series of emotions and physical sensations. This meditation technique helps you to focus on these different feelings. And when you can do that, you will often find that it’s far easier to make sense of why you’re feeling the way you are.
This can be highly beneficial in overcoming depression and sadness. It’s also a wonderful way to experience reduced stress.
Walking Meditation
When practising walking meditation, you can benefit from having free time to focus on your thoughts while burning away stress and anxiety. As you are walking, consider focusing on the number of steps you take or your breathing if you’re unable to make sense of your thoughts.
Deep Breathing
This is one of the most popular meditation techniques, and for good reason. Deep breathing offers many of the same benefits that you get from deep tissue massages, as it relaxes the muscles and lowers your heart rate.
Not only will this technique help you relax and lower your stress levels, but it can also help you fall asleep and stay asleep. If you notice you’re having trouble getting a good night’s rest, try deep breathing meditation.
Muscle Relaxation Meditation
This is a technique that requires plenty of practice to master. But once you do, your body and mind can benefit greatly from it. To start, lie down flat on the floor facing up. Pick one group of muscles that you want to focus on and start with them.
Tense that group up and then let them relax. Continue doing this for your other muscle groups until you have completely relaxed all of your body’s muscles. Many pregnant women swear by this meditation technique and claim that it helps them sleep better than ever.
If you’re just starting out, you might want to focus on the muscles in your hands initially. Once you are comfortable with getting them relaxed, you can move on to your forearm, then bicep, and so on. Continue the Muscle Relaxation Meditation technique until you finally reach your feet.
You are likely to find that using this technique to sleep only requires a few steps. You will probably fall asleep before you are able to complete each muscle group.
Healthy Meditation for Mothers-to-Be
The benefits of meditation are too many to overlook, especially if you are struggling with anxiety, stress, or depression. You may find that these meditation techniques provide you with the peace and relief you need to get you through your pregnancy.
If you’d like to learn more about meditation and mindfulness, please see our other blog posts and mindfulness courses.