Take a Few Breaths: Some Tools for Life & for Birthing
But, wait! How do I breathe during each stage of labor? What should I avoid? What if I forget what was mentioned in my childbirth ed classes? What if I forget how to count?! Okay. Whoa. Take a deep breath!
Inhaaaaaaaaale through the nose. Exhaaaaaaaaaale through the mouth.
Raise your hand if any one of these questions has crossed your mind at some point during pregnancy. Or something similar? Eek! Guilty over here. Those darn movie portrayals of labor & birth with the holding of the breath and the hee-hee-hoo’s... I promise there are more/ safer options! To start, definitely avoid holding your breath (more oxygen = better for body & baby!), AND the best way forward…practicing different breathing techniques!
I am often asked about effective breathing strategies for labor & birth, and I’m happy to share that there isn’t just one answer. Pumped to explore a few of my favorite breaths that I learned in my 200 hour yoga teacher training. These breaths can be practiced prenatally and may become go-to strategies throughout your labor & birth.
What’s the best part about the breath techniques below? This breath work is great for life in general. Being human is messy. Breathing makes it more manageable. You don’t need to be expecting to practice tuning in to your breath. You don’t need to be expecting to be kind to your body and mind. You don’t need to be expecting to grow more aware of this pretty rad body carrying you through life every day! What a vessel?!
The benefits of breath awareness are pretty fantastic. How did you navigate through the most recent stressful/ demanding event or experience in your life? My guess is that, even subconsciously, your body turned to a certain breath pattern. If you’re looking for more agency with this, different types of breaths and accompanying postures are really wonderful to explore.
NOTE: These invitations to move your body are written with the idea in mind that variations and adjustments are possible for all differently abled bodies. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via the “Contact Us” page if you would like to connect about getting creative with any of the breath work or poses suggested here. I am particularly passionate about serving all bodies. I would like to ensure that all my clients and Wind & Water friends feel supported as they practice this breath-work and movement! On another note, this breath-work is meant to support folks who are experiencing ANY type of labor and birth: medicated, unmedicated, or cesarean (with appropriate variations and adjustments).
I’d love to help you get started. Let’s take a deep breath and begin…
For all of the following breathing strategies, you can follow this general invitation to arrive in your space.
Find yourself in a comfortable seated position. Lengthen the spine. Relax the shoulders.
Place your hand(s) gently resting on the thighs or palms facing up toward sky.
Invite your eyes to close.
Notice the foundation of the Earth beneath you/ supporting you.
Release any lingering tension in the body.
Turn your attention to your breath, and for a few moments just breathe.
PARTNER CONNECTION OPPORTUNITY: Invite your partner, or a loved one (or hey, maybe even record your own beautiful voice!) to read these guiding steps aloud with a soft, calming voice. Why not? You’ve been deciding what your next date night is for quite a while…might as well give breath-work a try. I’m guessing nobody put that in the creative date night ideas at your friend’s bridal shower!
Now, on to the cool stuff…
How to practice THE COOLING BREATH:
After you arrive and have turned to your breath for a few minutes…
Begin by forming an “O” shape with your lips.
Curl your tongue lengthwise into the shape of a straw, and push it out of your mouth.
Inhale deeply through your tongue like you’re drinking through a straw.
Notice the cool breath across your tongue as you fill your diaphragm.
Bring your tongue into your mouth and exhale slowly and completely through your nose.
Variation: During each exhalation, press your tongue to the roof of your mouth to send coolness to your upper palate. You may lift your chin towards the sky on your inhale and draw it back into your chest on your exhale.
Start with a few minutes of the cooling breath and increase to 10 mins over time.
You may want to follow this practice with several minutes of silent meditation.
COOLING BREATH Notes for Labor & Birth: This would be fantastic to do if you are feeling overheated and need to cool down! Ayurvedic tradition encourages this breath to be practiced more regularly during the summer months, so if you have a baby due this Fall…this might be one to practice on a hot, summer day. Create your own cool!
Okay, time to work on courage, folks…(and I’m not talking about the courage that it took me to publicly share this funky and fierce lion face I’m making below)! Lioness status.
How to practice LION’S BREATH:
After you arrive and have turned to your breath for a few minutes…
Start by coming into vajrasana, thunderbolt pose (modeled in the image below) or a simple seat (modeled in the image above). You can sit on a bolster or a few blocks if sitting on your heels is uncomfortable. If expecting, always make more space for baby and body. Open the knees a bit wider if you choose to sit in vajrasana.
Bring your hands to your knees, palms facing down, and spread your fingers wide (it’s just a bit more fierce!).
Tune in to your upper body for a moment. Head, neck and torso should be aligned.
Lean your torso forward a bit, but be sure not to lock your elbows here.
Invite yourself to close your eyes and turn inward.
Open your mouth wide, and stick your tongue out as far as it will possibly go down toward your chin.
Inhale down the back of your throat. Now exhale very strongly while letting out an audibly fierce Lion breath!
LION’S BREATH Notes for Labor & Birth: Turn to this breath in those moments where you feel like you need to summon courage, strength, and power. This breath is meant to empower you and propel you forward through negative thought patterns that may arise during labor & birth!
Alrighty, this is going to be a crowd favorite. I have a feeling! Speaking of feelings…if you’ve got a lot going on and you are just wanting to shake the stress of the day away, give this one a try…
How to practice HORSE LIPS BREATH:
After you arrive and have turned to your breath for a few minutes…
Start by opening your mouth and softening your lips, so that your upper and lower jaw separate.
Then, close your lips, without closing your jaw.
Inhale through your nose and exhale forcefully through your mouth with loosened lips. Allow your lips to vibrate together, creating the sound of a horse. Repeat as you surrender to this breath.
HORSE LIPS BREATH Notes for Labor & Birth: This is a breath of letting go. Truly! Letting go of tension and of negative thought patterns. We often hold tension in our jaws, shoulders, and throat. As I say to many of my clients, jaw is to pelvis as throat is to vagina. Think about it! The shapes are incredibly similar, and they are connected in such a gorgeous way. Releasing tension in your throat and jaw will ultimately relax your pelvic floor allowing for a smoother descent for baby. This is an awesome breath choice for when labor gets REAL. Why not add a sound to it, too?! I promise that your support team has seen weirder stuff! If this is your second or third baby, maybe get the whole family involved in practicing this one! It’s funny, effective, and it’s bound to make the toddlers smile.
So Now What?!
Of course, there are many other ways you can incorporate breath into your prenatal breathing practices or just in your daily life in general. Why not allow breath to be more of an anchor in your life? I can’t wait to teach our little one the power of breath.
Breath is truly incredible. It’s cosmic. It’s our first moment here and our last moment before we leave. Breath is life, people! We are just casually going about our day and some sort of miracle is happening…our bodies are just breathing us along. Thanks, body! Thank you, breath! I not-so-secretly wish everyone could take a meditation class in elementary school. Maybe some day.
If breath-work intimidates you, and my partner will tell you…there are still moments when I don’t want to turn to the power of breath out of sheer stubbornness…just start somewhere. Start simply.
Wake up with a BIG stretch and a BIG BREATH! Have you seen a newborn wake up recently? Their adorably honest, instinctual, GIANT, baby body stretching from here to there. DO it. I dare ya! And why not then just step out of bed, wiggle your toes into the ground. Inhale. Stand up with a cute exhale. Pour yourself a hot cup of whatever, step outside, and breathe. This is practice, too. You’re even practicing here. Right now.
