So how do we enjoy ourselves – we enjoy ourselves when we are with friends and family having a good time, when we have time to pursue our passions in life, going to the theatre, dining out, making love – yet do we truly enjoy OUR SELVES – being who we are, where we are in our lives … right now?

It was only when I was self-practicing Yoga the other day that I really considered this phrase.  Am happy with who I am right here?, right now? am I enjoying myself?.

So I surrendered to the moment, gave myself permission to let go of who I thought I was, who I thought I want to be and simply enjoyed myself for being me.

From delving within and accepting myself for who I am in the moment with honestly and authenticity I realised I created an open-ness from my heart for expansion and until I did this I wouldn’t be able to move on and grow as a person.

So I invite you to celebrate who you are right here, right now and enjoy YourSelf.

A Guided Meditation for Yourself

Take a  rest in a comfortable seated position, softly close your eyes and relax.
Take your awareness into your pelvis and ground your pelvis down towards Mother-Earth. Allowing her to support and nurture you. Through this sense of grounding drop the base of the spine through the pelvis and anchor it down. Lengthen the spine as you inhale and as you exhale relax.

Connect with your breath, following the ebb and flow of your breath as you take a journey inside.

Letting go of everything you ever thought you knew about yourself and take a moment to feel how it feels to be you, right here, right now. Without thought or judgment, just feel and enjoy being you right here, right now.

Visualize your body like a map. Being aware of all the places you tend to visit and those places you tend to avoid. Feel them from the inside, touch them with your breath, embrace them, taking time to enjoy yourself.

Stay here for a few minutes before opening your eyes.

Namaste x

Being with your growing baby on your yoga mat is a sacred time, a time to come away from your day and be with your unborn child. A place to connect, to enjoy togetherness and to  feel empowered within your pregnancy. It is a place to let go of any fears, anxieties or holdings and connect with your inner power. A place to find your breath, to be quiet and to cultivate a presence of mind, body and soul which you can take with you into labour and into the birth and the more we practice cultivating these during our pregnancy the more instinctive they will be for the birth of our baby.
It takes time, its takes patience, it takes practice.

So it is important to create a beautiful space, free from distractions and interruptions which can become your special place for you and your unborn child to bond.

Into this space bring some flowers, photos of loved ones, light a candle and form an altar to honor this time you are sharing with your unborn child.

By moving your body in the asana practice you can become aware of the needs of your body and your baby. You can learn to listen and trust your intuition, and prepare your body physically for the demands of labour, so your body is open and ready to receive the birth of your baby with grace.

By meditating on the breath, using different breath techniques and incorporating sound in your practice you can become familiar with how your body can naturally release tension, and ease discomfort.

By bonding and uniting with your unborn child through the practice of affirmations, intentions and visualizations you can prepare yourself emotionally and spiritually and tune into your inherent motherly instincts.
These gifts are the lessons you can learn on the yoga mat during pregnancy and take with you into labour, the birth and motherhood.

This is the Yoga of Pregnancy.

The following is adapted from my book ‘The Yoga of Pregnancy‘ Week 34: Gratitude

Cultivating feelings of thankfulness, I will bow to my heart and find ways to express my feelings of gratitude.

You are now almost like a newborn baby.

Your internal system is almost fully functioning, just awaiting the finishing touches to your liver, kidneys and lungs.

The millions of connections within your nervous system are communicating, responding and interacting with your mind and body.

You have established a rhythm to your sleeping patterns and you respond to touch, taste, sound and light.

The hair on your head is growing and the wrinkles on your skin smoothing themselves out, effortlessly disappearing as you fill out.

I hope they weren’t worry lines – there’s no need to worry, my little one, we are almost there!

Your skin acts like a quilt, keeping you warm and safe, and your complexion becomes a shade of rosy pink.

Each day you are becoming more beautiful as you get ready for your birth-day.

The ‘Yoga of Pregnancy’ is also available as a DVD