The Yoga Birth Method: A Step-by-Step Guide for Natural Childbirth - Softcover

Guerra, Dorothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738736651 ISBN 13: 9780738736655

Publisher: Llewellyn Publications, 2013

Synopsis

Plan a childbirth that's calm, natural, and self-empowered with The Yoga Birth Method. Applying the wisdom of yoga throughout the stages of pregnancy and labor, author Dorothy Guerra presents an eight-step pathway for connecting with your mind, body, and spirit from start to finish.

This easy-to-use guide will help you prepare for a positive and joyful childbirth. Learn how to manage pain, eliminate anxiety, and encourage labor progression with breathing and meditation techniques, affirmations, and yoga poses. Couples choose an intention that becomes a focal point for embracing a calm state of mind throughout the physical and emotional challenges of labor. You'll also find guidance in drafting a birth plan, labor-support techniques for birth partners, helpful illustrations, information on medical intervention, and a "go-to" chapter with detailed advice on all stages of labor to use when the big day arrives.

Praise:
"A beautiful mind-body-spirit approach to birth!"―Penny Simkin, PT, author of The Birth Partner

About this title

About the Author

Dorothy Guerra (Toronto, Canada) is a registered prenatal yoga teacher and a registered birth coach (doula). She owns two yoga studios, teaches the Yoga Birth Method to couples, and trains instructors and hospital staff in prenatal yoga across North America. She is also the director of the Yoga Network of Canada. In addition to hosting the Canadian television program Yoga Life, she frequently speaks at conferences organized by the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA), Lamaze International, and the International Childbirth Association.

Reviews

Prenatal yoga teacher, doula, and childbirth educator Guerra has created a natural birthing method using the principles or eight limbs of yoga as its underpinnings. She explains techniques to manage attitude, pain, and physical and mental energy. Using safe asana (pose) sequences for each stage of labor, as well as breathing techniques to help manage pain and encourage progression, Guerra guides readers toward an enlightened birth that emphasizes connection between mother and baby. Encouraging laboring mothers to get into the yogini groove, the author claims her method decreases fear and anxiety, and helps women avoid pain medication by improving pain tolerance. Also included are 40 mantras (one for each week of pregnancy), appropriate asanas for each trimester, and a chapter on partner support (though a partner is not required). Readers also hear from a number of women who have used these techniques. Experienced yoginis will no doubt find Guerra's enlightened approach easy to follow; the instructions and helpful illustrations also make the technique accessible to women who have never practiced yoga. Yoga practitioners and those seeking to avoid medical intervention and manage labor through natural methods will welcome Guerra's gentle, natural, and mindful birthing approach. Agent: Jeff Herman, Jeff Herman Agency. (Aug.)

Edition details

• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738736651
• ISBN 13: 9780738736655
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240