I am writing as I listen to great laughter emanating from the Balinese who have gathered for the afternoon Laughing Yoga in the village of Nyuh Kuning. Just hearing the laughter from my room I am smiling and can feel the change in my body. What makes you smile inside and out? What can you do to bring that feeling to you in labor and childbirth? To laugh, releases our stress. It’s hard to stay in the fear-tension-pain-cycle that so many women get stuck in during labor, when you smile and use laughter in labor. It feels so nice hear the laughter. I am drawn to go see them. I join the crowd gathering as everyone smiles and laughs, it is contagious and feels so good! I can feel the beta-endorphins, the hormones of pleasure flowing.The effects of laughter are amazing including a reduction in blood pressure and significant drop in cortisol levels equating to a stress-free experience. When we laugh, more oxygen ends up in the tissues of the body. Laughter also encourages the body to produce oxytocin, the same hormones released during labor which relaxes the cervix. Laughter has also been shown to reduce pain by blocking the message to the brain that pain is occurring. – Guardian Liberty Voice
What does it feel like when you change your hormones? We all know that feeling when we are scared or stressed. You can feel the change in your body as our stress hormones flow and tension takes hold of your body. Check-in with how you are feeling at this moment…. Now watch this laughing baby:
How do you feel now? Within 90 seconds you can begin to understand how there are many simple and subtle ways we can change our hormonal flow and transform pain to power and pleasure in birth.
Recently I spent the day at the Water Temples in Bali with our Eat Pray Doulas. Water is the element of emotion. We could feel our emotions flowing with each sacred blessing, water flowing from deep within the earth poured on us. Each fountain blessing us with it’s element as we held our intention, the water cleansing us and touching us in so many emotional ways. The cool water on our hot skin, we held reverence as we each connected to the divine energy within us in our unique ways. Peace poured over us and again we changed our physiology and released our stress hormones, moving to calm, connection and the hormone of love- oxytocin was released with prayer and meditation.
As I lay by the pool, savoring the memories of our special week together, we talked about Orgasmic Birth. The feelings of surrender, peace, joy and love that we have felt are exactly what is needed to bring us pleasure in birth too. Take time to feel your body, understand what brings you comfort, calm, love and pleasure and find simple ways to bring this to birth is the beginning of transforming pain to power in childbirth and beyond.
Please share in our comments what tips, techniques, or tools have you used, or will you use, to move from pain to pleasure, to transform you hormones from stress, tension, pain to calm connection, love and pleasure?
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