Garbhsanskar is an ancient Indian practice which provides details on ways to care for a pregnant woman and her baby. It focuses on helping a pregnant woman create a healthy and nurturing environment for the baby while maintaining the mother’s well-being to ensure a joyful pregnancy experience.

Ayurvedic Indian texts mention that for a healthy start to pregnancy, both parents should focus on their physical and mental well-being even before copulation. High stressors or an unhealthy life can significantly decrease the chances of pregnancy or cause complications during pregnancy and childbirth. That is why, it is recommended in Garbhsanskar that both parents should perform Yoga and Meditation before, during and after pregnancy.

Benefits for the Baby

If both parents, especially the mother, perform Yoga and Meditation as a part of pregnancy care, she can create a healthy environment for the baby to grow in. During pregnancy, the mother’s womb is the baby’s world. So, everything that the mother consumes, whether it is food or knowledge, directly impacts the baby’s physical and mental health. This is why, it is very important for the mother to have a healthy mind and body.

Ancient Indian texts, as well as, modern scientific research suggest that Yoga and Meditation have tremendous benefits for everyone, but especially a pregnant woman and her unborn baby. Some of them include:

• Aids Healthy Growth

  When the mother performs Yoga, it enhances the blood and oxygen flow in her body, which benefits the fetus a lot and ensures that all the vital organs of the body are developed properly.

• Prevents Premature Birth

  By regularly performing Yoga and Meditation during pregnancy, the mother can reduce the risk of having a premature delivery. This ensures that the baby gets appropriate time to develop safely in the uterus.

• Stimulates Brain Development

  Pre-natal meditation also helps manage the level of cortisol (stress hormone) in the mother’s body. This stimulates the healthy development of the baby’s brain. Research also suggests that infants of mothers who perform pre-natal meditation have a better temperament and have less chance of developing cognitive disabilities.

Benefits for the Mother

During pregnancy, your body undergoes a tremendous amount of changes. The body works hard to ensure that your baby develops healthily in the womb. These changes also prepare you for childbirth. But, if you don’t look after your body appropriately during this time, it could cause some lasting negative changes. Yoga and Meditation along with other practices of Garbhsanskar are designed to prevent this. Some of their benefits include:

• Pain Management during Pregnancy & Childbirth

  There are specific Yoga poses which help manage the pain that a pregnant woman experiences. Pre-natal Yoga also helps prepare the mother’s body for a healthy delivery and reduces the pain that she experiences during childbirth.

• Stress Management

  Pregnancy causes many hormonal changes in women that may increase their stress levels and cause mood swings. Regularly performing pre-natal Yoga and Meditation helps reduce stress and its impact on your body and mind.

• Promotes Physical Health

  Both Yoga and Meditation help keep your body in shape during pregnancy and even after that. They also help reduce cravings for unhealthy foods during pregnancy which could be harmful to you and your baby.

Pre-natal Yoga and Meditation can make a tremendous difference in the mental and physical health of the mother, as well as, the baby. But, it is also important to be very careful here. If performed without adequate knowledge, they could also have negative impacts on your pregnancy. That is why, you should always perform all pre-natal care activities, including Yoga and Meditation under the guidance of a certified Garbhsanskar trainer.