Kapotasana (Pigeon Pose)

To begin the pose, step forward with your right foot and lean into a lunge position, keeping your back leg straight behind you.
Slowly move your right foot to the left side and drop your knee to the right onto the ground while flexing your toes outward. Try to keep your shin perpendicular to your back leg but if you feel discomfort, bring your foot closer to the groin area.
Square your hips by transitioning your right hip back and your left hip forward. (If your right hip drops too much use a blanket to prop it up to keep your hips level.)
Your left leg should still be stretched out straight behind you, but now resting on the ground.
As you sit in this pose be aware of your breathing - inhaling and exhaling deeply - and imagining all the tension in your buttocks and hips to be spacing out and relaxing. A myriad of emotions and sensations will arise the first few times you practice this pose. It's important to stay focused as you observe these changes while they pass through you.
You will find that the longer you sit in this pose the more it will deepen; releasing tension that you didn't even know existed in the depths of your buttocks and hips.
Stay in the pose as long as you need and then repeat with the left leg.
To Extend the Pose: While you are in the pose, slowly bend forward to lie on top of your bent knee, bringing your face toward the ground.

Learn about the benefits.

** If you have knee injuries such as damage to the ligaments or tendons, lift the hip of the back leg a little bit. Generally though, knee problems often stem from tight hip muscles so the pose may decrease knee pain.

Utthanasan (Squat and Rise Pose)

Stand up straight with your feet about three feet apart, with toes pointing out.
Hold your hands in a prayer pose in the middle of your chest.
Keeping your spine straight, bend at the knees and lower yourself until your buttocks are only inches from the floor.
Slowly rise to a standing position.
Repeat as desired.

Benefits:
Strengthens and tones muscles in the knees, legs, middle back and buttocks.
Increases circulation in the legs and pelvic region.
Stretches buttocks and back muscles.
Increases balance and concentration.
Opens the pelvic region for easier delivery.

http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol26/pregnancy_exercise.asp

Lotus Flower Meditation

"Bright but hidden, the Self dwells in the heart. Everything that moves, breathes, opens, and closes lives in the Self-the source of love. Realize the Self hidden in the heart and cut asunder the knot of ignorance here and now." ~ The Upanishads
Sit in your meditative pose and breathe deeply and slowly. Relax your entire body. If you feel any tension, focus on the feeling of space in that area to relax it.
Inhale and move your consciousness up slowly from the base of the perineum up to the center of your chest. Continue to focus on your chest as you breathe deeply.
Allow your awareness of the sensations in your chest to deepen. As you breathe in, breathe into the heart.
As you focus on the heart during your breath, imagine a lotus flower slowly opening its petals as you inhale. As you exhale, just rest your awareness inside the lotus flower.
As feeling and thoughts arise, imagine them like drops of water on the petals of your heart flower that will drip down or evaporate as the seasons change.
As you rest within your lotus flower, feel the abundance of unconditional love emerge. Continue to breathe steadily as you exist harmoniously within your bountiful heart flower.
Once you feel comfortable in your heart flower, bring your palms together in the Salutation Seal or prayer pose and take a moment to feel gratitude for the benefits you've received.

http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol23/pregnancy_meditation.asp

Lotus Pose (Padmasana)

The Lotus Pose is said to have been routinely used by Buddha and is a popular meditation pose. It may be uncomfortable at first until your ligaments extend. It's a common misconception that meditation should be done in the Lotus Pose, so if it is too difficult, any other seated pose will work well. This is one of the basic yoga postures, so take your time becoming comfortable in it.
How to do it
Bring your right foot onto your left thigh. Bounce the right knee and, if it touches the floor with ease, bend your left knee and grab your left foot with both hands and place it on your right thigh. Your hands should rest on your knees, either open or forming a mudra.

Benefits of this pose: http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol11/pregnancy_exercise.asp

Go Bananas

Bananas aren't just a convenient and tasty snack, they're loaded with nutrients. Their high levels of potassium and vitamin B6 as well as their ability to calm stomach acids and improve digestion make them a perfect pregnancy snack.
The banana plant belongs to the same family as the lily and orchid and grows 10-26 feet high. The fruit of the banana plant is not the only edible or useful part of the plant. The banana flower is often used in Southeast Asian cuisine and the tender core of the banana plant's trunk is used to make a Burmese dish. In addition, the banana's leaves are large, flexible and waterproof, which is why they are often used to wrap food during cooking and serve as make-shift umbrellas in tropical regions. The Japanese use the fibers of the tender leaves and shoots to make textiles and yarns. In Nepal, people use the fibers of the trunk to create fine hand-crafted rugs.
The banana is packed with dietary fiber as well as approximately 467 mgs of potassium (pregnant women need 2000 mg of potassium daily). Bananas are also a significant source of vitamins A, B6 and C, pectin (a soluble fiber), and manganese.
Studies have shown that a mixture of banana and milk suppresses stomach acid secretion significantly, helping to protect against ulcers. Researchers have also found that fresh bananas help to protect animals' stomachs from wounds. Bananas promote the production of the cells that make up stomach lining, producing a thicker mucus shield against acids, and so-called "protease inhibitors" in bananas help to eliminate the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers.
Bananas can help promote colon health as well, due to their fructooligosaccharide content. Fructooligosaccharide is called prebiotic because it has been found to nourish the probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These bacteria improve your colon's ability to absorb nutrients and protect it from unfriendly microorganisms. In a study of male babies between 5 and 12 months old who had persistent diarrhea, researchers found that green banana and apple pectin decreased stool weights by 50 percent, indicating more nutrients were being absorbed before elimination.
During pregnancy, eating foods high in potassium, such as bananas, can help reduce pregnancy-related swelling of the extremities. It's believed that leg cramps, one of the most unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy, might be relieved by increasing the intake of potassium-rich foods. In addition, the vitamin B6 found in bananas has been shown to help relieve morning sickness. They also balance electrolytes and are a great source of energy.
Vitamin B6 is also essential for the development and operation of our bodies. It is vital to the development of your baby's central nervous system, is a key component during the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters GABA, dopamine, and serotonin and is essential for proper immune system functioning and the ability of hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues.
The increased calcium loss produced by the typical American high-salt diet can be combated by consuming more potassium-rich foods such as bananas. The heart and circulatory system require potassium to maintain normal blood pressure and heart function. The vitamin A carotenoids found in ripe bananas can also help protect from certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes. Look for vibrant golden bananas, which contain the most carotenoids.

Learn more about bananas: http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol31/pregnancy_health_fitness.asp

Attracting the Life You Desire

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have all the luck? Good things always seem to happen to them: they are promoted at work, they succeed at every new thing they try, they have a fabulous spouse and great kids. Are some people truly luckier than others, or is there more to it than mere luck? One theory, called the Law of Attraction, claims our personal energy vibration attracts similar energy vibrations, and this attraction can help you become happier, get ahead, and even cure illness.
According to the Law of Attraction, everything vibrates at a certain frequency and magnetically attracts similar vibration frequencies. In essence, like attracts like. According to this theory, if you are angry with the world, you will attract angry people and aggravating situations; conversely, if you are at peace and happy with the world, then you will attract like-minded people and experiences. Believers insist this attraction can even help you attain your life's goals. For instance, if you desire more financial wealth, believe that you already have more money and your new frequency will attract financial gain. However, keep your thoughts positive. Thinking too much about what you don't want can change your frequency to attract exactly what you were trying to avoid.
There is evidence that ancient civilizations were aware of the magnetic power of positive vibrations. For example, Cleopatra wore a large naturally magnetic lodestone on her forehead to slow down the aging process. Author Wallace D. Wattles, in his book The Science of Getting Rich, refers to the theory as having a "…Hindu origin, and has been gradually winning its way into the thought of the western world for three hundred years. It is the foundation of all the Oriental philosophies, and those of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Schopenhauer, Hegel and Emerson…." Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and the ancient Babylonians also make reference in their texts to this powerful secret.
In modern society we often refer to this theory as positive thinking or self-fulfilling prophecy. And the energy and vibrations we all emit can even be used to cure illness and disease, according to believers. The method, called magnetic therapy, uses very strong magnets (a generic refrigerator magnet is about 10 gauss while magnets used in healing range from 450 gauss to 10,000 gauss) and practitioners believe the magnets can improve circulation, relieve muscle pain, and treat depression and other mental illness. Until recently, modern medicine viewed the Law of Attraction and magnetic therapy as quackery and mere placebo effect, but several key studies of their positive effects are causing many to rethink their position.
A recent study at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, showed that magnetic stimulation of the brain can ease severe depression. The technique, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), works on the principle that the brain can be manipulated by small electric currents because brain cells communicate with each other and pass instructions by pulses of electricity. The trick with TMS is to set up the fields over the particular area of the brain that needs retuning. After two weeks of treatment, half of the patients showed a 50 percent improvement in symptoms. Half the patients also had no need for further treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), while all those who had been given a placebo treatment continued to need ECT. Researchers at Imperial College in London have used electromagnets placed over the cerebral cortex of people with incomplete spinal-cord injuries and have reported improvement in the patients' ability to move their limbs and feel sensation. Additionally, in a study at the Medical University of South Carolina, 20 depressed patients who had not been helped by medication underwent treatment for 20 minutes a day for two weeks while 10 had a magnet applied to their scalp but no treatment. In half of the 20 patients, symptoms were reduced by 50 percent, while none of the group of 10 improved.
Critics of the Law of Attraction and magnetic therapy argue that the studies cited by proponents are flawed and un-scientific, that there is no solid evidence for their effectiveness, and believe all the hype is a marketing scheme to sell books, products and movie tickets. Other skeptics raise troubling questions such as: If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way? Or, if I want to improve my relationship but my spouse doesn't, what will happen?
Read more: http://parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol27/pregnancy_health_fitness.asp

Memory Recall

Every species of animal stores some form of memories in its brain, but how and where memories are stored is still poorly understood and hotly debated. Recent studies support the hypothesis that memories are sets of encoded neural connections and to recall a memory, one must simply stimulate the part of the brain where the neural connection for that memory occurs. As scientists learn more about how the human brain works, our understanding of how we remember events and learn new skills and information is enhanced.
We are constantly receiving sensory information from our environment. Some of this data is held for a few moments and then forgotten, while some is moved into short-term memory, and some is stored in our long-term memory. Short-term memory has a limited storage area - able to hold only about seven independent items at one time and for only about 30 seconds - making this area good for information we need now or will need in the near future. Information that may help us in the future is sent to our long-term memory, where it can last a lifetime.
There are two basic types of long-term memory: procedural and declarative. Each uses different parts of the brain. Procedural memories, also called implicit memories, are the "how-to" memories we use when riding a bike or playing an instrument. It is generally difficult for people to communicate their procedural memories because they are based in a non-conscious understanding. For instance, most people can easily characterize a face as "attractive," but they have a hard time explaining why and cannot provide a definition of attractive. So if you are trying to learn to play a musical instrument and it seems as if you are practicing the same thing over and over again with little to gain, a non-conscious understanding and memory are most likely developing.
Declarative memories are made up of the information we accumulate through repetitious practice as well as events and experiences. Declarative memories are so-called due to our ability to communicate them, and are best maintained through repetition or frequent recollection, as well as systematic methods such as mnemonic devices. There are two sub-categories of declarative memory: episodic and semantic. Semantic memories are based on knowledge and understanding and are not related to any one experience. Episodic memory is the memory of an event or experience and incorporates time, place and emotions during the experience. Most people who suffer from amnesia have deficits in episodic memory and studies have shown that episodic memories are more prevalent in women than men.
When trying to learn a skill, we now know that practicing something well is more important than doing more of it or doing it faster. The non-conscious absorption of a skill is recalled correctly when it has been practiced accurately. This is because non-conscious memories are stored as action sequences. If you mess up a sequence, it is better to continue through the mistake, rather than to start over because the memory of it will end when you resume the sequence.
Memories are not hardwired, meaning a memory can be replaced or imaginarily enhanced through suggestion very easily. This is why memories recalled through hypnotism can not be used in a court of law.
The next time you are trying to remember something, think of what type of memory it is. Is it procedural or declarative? If it's procedural, you may be able to simply start the activity, such as riding a bike, and the memories should return. If it's declarative, then you have to ask yourself if it's episodic or semantic. If it's episodic, recalling one aspect can usually bring back the entire experience. If it's declarative then you just might need some more repetition to get the answer right or you can find an episodic memory that relates to it. For example, if you had an emotional relationship around the time that you learned about the American Civil War, remembering details of that relationship might lead you to forgotten information about the Civil War.

Read more:

http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol26/pregnancy_health_fitness.asp

The Power of Omega-3

In today's diet-conscious culture, many people try to eliminate every kind of fat from their diet. However, omega-3 fatty acids, also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, are good fats that can improve cardiovascular health, prevent diabetes, improve brain function, and may even help you lose weight.
According to the American Heart Association, omega-3 fatty acids can improve cardiovascular health by decreasing blood pressure, minimizing the hardening of arteries, stabilizing heart rhythm and preventing the development of clots and plaque, thereby decreasing the chance of stroke and heart attack. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase DHL ("good") cholesterol.
The high blood glucose levels associated with diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels and lead to increased deposits of fatty materials on the insides of the blood vessel walls, which can lead to complications such as heart disease and stroke. Omega-3 fatty acids help lower blood sugar and reduce plaques and clotting, helping to prevent heart disease and keep diabetes at a manageable level.
In addition, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), one kind of omega-3 fatty acid, has been found to boost insulin function in people who are obese and at particular risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In one study, 70 percent of patients with insulin resistance who took a daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids showed a marked improvement in insulin sensitivity.
Omega-3 fatty acids may even contribute to weight loss, although additional studies are needed to confirm initial findings. According to several small studies, it appears that omega-3 fatty acids may increase oxidation of fat by activating genes that break down fat and reduce the number of fat cells, especially in the abdominal region. And due to regulated blood sugar levels, omega-3 fatty acids may make you feel fuller longer, helping to curb those snack attacks.
Inflammatory disorders such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBD) may be at least partially relieved from omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center gave patients suffering from chronic pain fish oil supplements for 20 to 30 days and found that nearly two-thirds of the patients no longer needed to take other anti-inflammatory pain medication. At Indiana University, patients taking fish-oil supplements were found to have reduced symptoms of asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
Omega-3 fatty acid's ability to improve brain function has been the focus of a lot of attention. A particular type of brain wave that is linked to memory and learning has been found to transmit significantly faster when supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids. These brain waves typically slow down with age and are slower in people with dementia. But within two hours after taking the supplements, test subjects showed an increased rate of transmission. DHA is also critical to proper visual and neurological development in babies and infants who do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids from their mothers during pregnancy are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems.
The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the brain may also contribute to psychological stability. DHA makes up about 25 percent of the body's brain fat and manages the production and flow of serotonin. People battling bi-polar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia have been found to be DHA deficient, although more studies are necessary to determine the connection between psychological health and omega-3 fatty acids. This finding may be particularly helpful for women suffering from postpartum depression and those going through menopause.
Read more:
http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol22/pregnancy_health_fitness.asp

The Third Eye Meditation

Breathe deeply. Inhale, slowly filling your abdomen up to your collarbone and exhale until the last breath is out. Relax.
Close your eyes. Place your attention on the area between your eyebrows. After a short time, a point of light will present itself in the center of your inner field of vision. Keep your focus there. For some people, it will be beneficial to raise their eyeballs as if they were looking up at about a 25-degree angle. For others, just directing their attention upwards will be easier and less distracting. After some experimentation, go with one of the ways exclusively. In the beginning of third eye practice, it may help to place your thumb at the outer edge of one eye and your middle finger on the outer edge of the other, while placing your index finger at the mid-point between your eyebrows. This gives you a point of focus to place your attention. It also allows you to prevent your eyelids from fluttering. This commonly occurs and can be distracting until you get used to the sensations that accompany this technique.
Let the light come to you. Be available to be filled. The more you continue practicing this meditation, the more layers of the veil of illusion will peel away and Reality will reveal itself to you. As you perceive the Truth, your understanding of the delusional concept that you are apart from the rest of the universe will lose its grip on you, and the knowledge that you are a part of all and everything will become undeniably apparent. Your chattering mind will eventually dissolve in the unspeakable transcendent light of love that is now and forever within and without you...

Read more: http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol19/pregnancy_meditation.asp