is a complete joke for medical science (or any expectant mother for that matter) to pretend that childbirth is merely a clinical procedure involving the non-sexual aspects of the female reproductive system!
   So what is the solution to this? Firstly, prior to the birth, there should be resolution of past sexual or reproductive traumas which might stand in the way of an easeful birth. For many, this is not an easy journey, and may take quite some time of healing. This topic was previously addressed in Chapter 4 –“Resolving Previous Reproductive Traumas”, page 152. Secondly, one must learn to perceive these muscle-memorised emotions for exactly what they are – history, and not relevant to the here and now of labour. Thirdly, one must prevent the chance of any secondary side effects upon the labour from such “junk” by seeking refuge inside the mental detachment and meditative state of mind intended by nature. The best pre-natal practices to help with this management of wayward feelings which can get in the way during labour are: Yoga Nidra, any of the yoga asanas which unblock pelvic energy such as Shakti Bandhas and backbends, Bhastrika Pranayama (prior to pregnancy), and Chakra Anusandhana meditation.

Increasing Energy Levels
   Pranayama is a must for increasing energy levels before, and maintaining them during, labour. Many people think their energy is just something they have in varying quantities from time to time, and that at some stage during strenuous events, “it just runs out” with no more to be found until food fills it back up again, sleep replenishes it or else “it just comes back”. But this is a very naive view. Our energy levels can be easily manipulated with Pranayama. In addition to daily ups and downs, we all have, stored within our body fat, enormous reserves of energy. And a pregnant woman has even more stored up than anybody! What is needed are the skills to be able to draw upon those reserves when needed.
   Many people are unable to mobilise their stored prana – yes, their fat! All that potentially useful energy is stagnant and frequently well locked up, and this is something a pregnant woman has to be very careful of, that the fat she puts on during pregnancy is utilised for her own daily needs and the baby’s, and does not just sit around making her tired and feel overweight. Come labour, this fat, this energy, this prana, is meant to be mobilised. During childbirth you have to know how to make a big withdrawal from your fat bank!

 
   The regular practise of pranayama during pregnancy actually keeps your prana circulating more freely so that during labour it is not in a state of inertia. That is why a successful active and natural birth depends very much on an active pregnancy. Sitting around too much in pregnancy, means your fat has beaten you and will do nothing but slow up your labour. Your energy will get to some point and then you will feel like stopping as you hit that wall, usually around about transition phase. Of course there will need to be times of rest and recovery – I don’t mean to make it sound like a race, or that one should be constantly pushing themselves. Extended times of low energy can, for some, be rectified by just applying a bit more willpower, awakening a bit more energy and plodding on. For others they need some extra physical support and lots of “you can do it” encouragement. For others, it is the end – in goes the epidural and out come the forceps or the scalpel.
   The practical solutions are: Firstly, maintaining a free flow of your bodily prana during pregnancy with a good diet, a regular routine of yoga asanas and an active but relaxed life. Second, learning the pranayama techniques so that during labour they will just come right out of you as required. Thirdly, setting up your venue so that you have access to high levels of environmental prana (like fresh air rather than recycled hospital germs). Fourthly, conserving your energy during labour by not wasting it relating to other people, being anxious about things, breathing poorly, trying too hard, fighting the process. And most important of all, is maintaining your meditative mindset. OK, it will always be tiring, but in this way you won’t run out of energy. How can you? It is all there, already inside you. You’ve just got to know how to tap into it.
   The best pre-natal practices for increasing your overall quantity of available energy during labour are any of the dynamic asanas along with dynamic breathing techniques like Bhastrika Pranayama and Agnisar Kriya, both of which must be done prior to pregnancy. In the last weeks of pregnancy, good eating; plenty of sleep; daily Yoga Nidra; plenty of Full Yogic Breathing; a lifestyle that helps you conserve and loosen up your stored energy – rather than one which dissipates it with overwork or anxiety – are the keys to energy management needed for labour.

The Breath Cycles
   Yoga students know, that whether it be in moving exercises or in static poses, each breath is used to create dynamism and strength during the inhalation whilst