You May Breathe Easy Now...

Even something as simple as breathing the right way can prove to be a great help to pull you through the highs and lows of pregnancy. M&B takes a closer look at therapies like meditation and hypnosis, which promise relaxation.

- Debjani Sengupta Arora

IN addition to the joy of carrying a life inside you, pregnancy brings with it some extra baggage too! Apart from the usual morning sickness, cravings and food aversions, mood swings, stress and anxiety become regular ills. Besides, there is the added stress of being extra careful and extra responsible about eating right, walking right and coping right. Not to mention, the fear of childbirth.

How blissful it would be if it were possible to do away with all these stressors! It will truly be a blessing if that stress could be filtered out, giving you ways to enjoy a more relaxed and joyous pregnancy. This is where assisted therapies such as yoga, meditation and hypnosis, among other things,come into picture. They promise to ward off stress and anxiety, soothe one’s mind and body, and also help to cope with labour. Though these have been around for a bit, it is only now that many expectant mums are getting familiar with their benefits.

“These techniques or practices have been around from ancient times. It is just that people are becoming more aware of them now,” says Dr Snehal Shah, homeopath and advanced clinical hypnotherapist, who runs the Viha Clinic at Juhu, Mumbai. Explaining the importance and need of integrated therapies like hypnosis, meditation and yoga, Dr Snehal says, “Nature is always eager to give out the best to you, but you can only receive it when you are in a state of complete well-being. Well-being does not only mean physical health, but a synchronisation of your mental, social, spiritual and physical being. The breathing techniques taught in meditation and hypnotherapy help you connect with the mind, body and soul.”