Creating Balance and Flow, Be fore , During and After Pregnancy

Creating Balance and Flow Before, During and After Pregnancy

By Michelle Greenwell

As a new Grandma, I have marvelled at the difference it is to watch your next baby come into the world. Times are different, the world is different, and of course, I can snuggle my grandson and then send him back when I need a rest. It is a beautiful position to be in, to watch someone you love to grow and be nourished by new parents. Those new parents need love and nourishing too, and I now have the tools to assist with that process. Of course, I didn’t know about these bioenergetic supports while I was having my own children, but I have taken notes and waited. I wanted to make sure others would benefit from what can provide balance and flow through all those precious days of creating a new person. For those of you who work in the wellness industry, you likely have a list of tools that you would use from a clinical perspective, that is, when they come to visit you for support. I am going to provide some tools that can be used at home for daily self-care and can be offered and shared.

Vagus Nerve Reset – With all the buzz around the Polyvagal Theory and creating regulation for the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system, the advice is often to do deep breathing, meditation, and mindful activities. These all work and are very important and effective, but here are three others that can be done to create an instant calm. Eye reset – Turn your eyes to the corner and hold them there until an involuntary action occurs (blink, sigh, twitch, yawn). Then repeat to the other corner. Rub the ears – Some variations: Rub the ear three times from the top of the ear around and down to the lobe, moving closer into the ear with each sweep finishing with a gentle tug as you go around the ear. Same hand as ear. Rub the ear as above but use opposite hand to ear crossing the hand at the front of the body. Rub the ear as above, using the opposite hand crossing behind the head. While the head is turned to the left, hum for the duration. While the head is turned to the right, count for the duration.

Holding the head – Placing the hands under the chin with the fingers pointing up towards the ear. The thumb will fall on the side of the neck and the pointer finger will nestle into the soft dip behind the ear. The elbows can be rested on a table if you are sitting. Hold until there is a deep sigh, or the breathing deepens and is regular. Massaging the Sacrum – For a new mom there are a lot of changes happening throughout the body. The pelvis is no exception. This movement is very gentle and should have only a slight shift of the tissue, so no big moves or strain.

Place the feet firmly on the floor shoulder width apart, toes forward and the knees at a 90-degree angle.

Sitting as lifted through the body as possible and relax the head so the chin is straight, rather than lifted.

You can pull on the top of the ears to find the alignment of the head if necessary. The weight will be between the sitz bones and the tailbone and will feel a little like it floats between the points. Bring awareness to the feet and think of moving the toes forward. This will apply a little pressure across the back of the sacrum or lower back.

Notice if there is tension or tightness. Continue to breathe deeply. Bring awareness to the heels and think of moving the heels back towards the chair. The hamstring will engage and the weight on the chair will shift to the sitz bones from centered over the “sweet spot.” Repeat back to the toes and to the heels

Your inner compassion is your super-power for all you do.

slowly and gently for several repetitions.

You will notice that when you move towards the toes the tension or tightness across the sacrum fading.

When it feels open, relax, and do a few spine rotations just to let the body marvel at this new freedom.

Take a walk to let the body reset. Choose Love - The ability to experience emotions and ‘let them go’ throughout the pregnancy and beyond is paramount to the well -being of the baby and the family. Utilizing the Choose Love Movement’s Formula, this is an easy way to release experiences that could get tangled up or stuck in a thought loop in the head or be held in tension. The Choose Love Formula Check-In Make a connection with your inner self and tune in with your heart, perhaps even place your hands over your heart. Breathe deeply and fully. If you are with a group, make eye contact and hold hands in a circle to connect to the others. Or hold your baby close and feel the warmth of this embrace.

Consider your goal or intention. Speak the intent aloud or imagine the outcome in the fullest experience with the senses and awareness. If your hands are free, you can place your fingertips on your forehead, emotional stress release points (ESRs) for this vision time. You can continue to hold the ESR’s or return the hands to cross at the Sea of Tranquility, holding hands with others, or holding your baby. Acknowledge how you courageously tried new actions today to open yourself to new awareness, experience, growth, and possibility. With gratitude, bring awareness to what that feels or is experienced like. Forgive yourself the past that has kept you safe and created patterns of support and survival for you. Shift your perception to how forgiveness can provide you with new choices and the awareness to support your well-being to move forward. Reflect on how your willingness to offer inner compassion and care has moved you into balance and flow with ease. Your inner compassion is your super-power for all you do. Honor and respect this gift daily. It is your happy dance!

(Cont.)

When we use the formula pillars in this special order, we create a way to thoughtfully respond to situations and to ourselves. By taking the time to bring focus inward, we can transform how we are feeling, the lens of emotion that we may be experiencing our world at the moment, and the way that we can choose to react to our situation and opportunity. For tired new parents, the lens can be clouded by fatigue and sleep deprivation. Be gentle with yourself, nourish you and the baby, and the rest will happen as it can. Footnotes:

These tools have been passed to me in discussions, so unfortunately, I am unable to provide the original source. For anyone reading that may know the source, please be sure to update KinesioGeek Magazine and myself. The ear rub has been passed through Touch for Health and Brain Gym. There are more foot activities that can be found in the “It’s in the Cards” deck that Michelle coauthored. These foot sensor resets can support the entire body while setting the reflexes for grounding, centering, stability, balance, and gravity. This exercise Michelle has used in her Tai Chi and Qi YINtegration classes. Picture created by Yvonne Waines for the BioEnergetic Essentials book and It’s in the Cards deck.

Michelle Greenwell is currently the Program Coordinator for the Choose Love Movement and is the recent co-author of Self-Care Essentials for Educators, Modalit BioEnergetic Essentials, It’s in the Cards wellness deck, and Affirmations for the Body and BioField wellness deck. These are located in the shop at ChooseLoveMovement.org along with the Choose Love tea she co-created with her tea company. Michelle is currently sharing her expertise and experiences on her BeWell with Michelle Greenwell podcast on Buzzsprout and Spotify, and her playlists on YouTube. Currently finishing her PhD in Integrative Health, Michelle has been focusing on the language and skills we share for self-empowering others with bioenergetic tools for wellness, you can find classes and events at www.canbewell.org and more about Michelle here.

Additional resources: The ChooseLoveMovement.org has a special program for Neonatal care and for Homes that are free. Deborah McNelis at BrainInsightsOnline.com has a new series called The First Sixty Days, as well as NeuroNurturing Cards to assist with nurturing newborns and toddlers. Lastly, Havening is an excellent tool to provide soothing care to the family anytime. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhdYh_uJeD8&t=49s These programs will be added to the Choose Love Movement in the coming weeks and provide excellent resources for sharing with clients and students supporting new parents.