allowing softening and relaxing during exhalation. Full yogic breathing is the best kind of breath to use to accomplish this. Yoga students holding strong asanas are helped by their teacher to breathe through the discomfort (OK, some call it pain) until surrender creates release. In exactly the same way the labouring woman must use her breath upon each position she adopts and during each contraction she receives, just as if it were a yoga pose she was not very flexible at in her class. The way of using the breath is exactly the same, differing only in degree of discomfort (OK, I’ll call it pain). If there is a restriction in the breathing, the tension cannot be released, the pain increases and the mind wants to escape from the situation. Seen in this context, dilation of the cervix in the first stage of labour is the gradual and rhythmic repetition of the same asana over and over again. Once again, this is not something you can just read here in the last few weeks of pregnancy, try once or twice to see how it is done, and then have it on a list of things to “see how it works” during the birth. It takes months of practise to get your body and your breath working in a team-like manner and for the technique to be an integral part of the way your body does its stretching.
   In terms of the breath, always what goes in must come out. Any excess or deficiency of gasses in the lungs or bloodstream is unhealthy, and the rate of breathing must be correctly proportional to the activity being performed. During labour heaps of oxygen must be drawn in and heaps of carbon dioxide must go out. So, all the way through, vitalisation through good inhalation is necessary, as well as relaxation provided by proper exhalation.
   Holding the breath is not advisable at any time. It heats the body, raises blood pressure and stagnates the breathing. Fast, shallow breathing is not advised either. That causes hyperventilation and exhaustion. And mouth breathing is best reduced to only those times when vocalising (exhaling) necessary sounds. Mouth inhalation causes dryness of the mouth and disturbance of body metabolic rates. Now I know there are millions of health educators all over the world today telling people in general (as well as in pre-natal classes) that when they breathe heavily, such as when exercising or in labour, they should breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Well I’m sorry, but this is wrong.
   Unless you are moaning or screaming or crying or shouting or cursing or chanting out through the mouth in a total burst of primal force, keep it closed and use your nose to always breath in and
 

  
out. 90% of your labour time this is possible. There are many reasons for this which were described previously in the Pranayama section in Chapter 2, but in specific relevance to labour, nose breathing is the proper way of balancing the breath in and out to help keep the brain relaxed and closer to the desired state of meditation. Apart from any compulsive vocalisation, or impassable nasal congestion, there are only a couple of instances in the whole yoga system where you should breathe through the mouth.

Focussing Between Contractions
   A lot of words and effort are spent by child-birth educators and labouring women on how to cope with contractions, but of equal importance is what to do in between contractions! Most people think of this period as a rest, as an escape from labour. It is a rest period but rather than waste it, it is important to use it to best advantage. In these welcome times, it is important that you stay focussed inside your body. This may be hard as you will be happy for the respite from pain and may want to interact with those around you. Insensitive companions may use this time to have a chat, do your “obs”, or whatever, but unessential fussing by doctors, midwives or well meaning companions just dissipates the energy, and guess what, the next contraction is like being knocked over at the beach by a wave you had your back turned to!
   By staying wholly focussed inside your body, you prepare yourself for each new contraction by “listening” for the changes in body sensation that pre-empt another contraction and riding each wave as it comes. This very precious time should be used to build strength and resolve. The simplest way to stay focussed is to breathe slowly (in and out the nose remember) and use any combination of Ujjayi Pranayama, Anuloma Viloma and Ajapa Jap with which you feel most comfortable.
   Ujjayi is the whispering psychic breath sound which draws the mind inwards, and has the added benefit of helping to lower blood pressure. Anuloma Viloma is the mental alternate nostril breath which focuses awareness at the eyebrow centre and Ajapa Jap is the spontaneous (mental) repetition of mantra with breath awareness in the spinal column. All of these techniques, if well ingrained from your pre-natal practice, should come easily as soon as you close your eyes and go inwards. You will be amazed at how effective they are in assisting transcendence of the contractions by stimulating endorphins.