Focus Your Energy

Sit in a comfortable position and begin breathing deeply. Relax and slow your breath. Breathe as if you are right next to a tree branch that can not be swayed by your breathing.
Close your eyes and put your hands out in front of you. Feel each hand and notice the life force that pumps through them.
Continue breathing deeply but breathe as if you are breathing into just one of your hands. You will start to feel an increase in energy in the hand on which you focus.
If you have a certain place in your body that needs healing, try focusing your breath on that area, as if you are breathing with that body part. If you are feeling depressed, try focusing your breath on positive thoughts. For example, if you are feeling down about your appearance or something you've done, try focusing on what is beautiful about your appearance or something good you've done by breathing into those thoughts.
Lastly, focus your breath on your unborn baby. Breathe into your womb, giving your baby rich oxygen and life force.
Take your time breathing into places that need healing or more life force. When you are finished, slowly open your eyes and return to the outside world.

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The Great Outdoors

Spending time outdoors is a cherished tradition for many people, while others avoid the outdoors due to allergies, phobias, a lack of access or just a lack of interest. So many of us are surrounded every day by man-made technology designed to simplify our lives - such as cars, computers, and cell phones - but which can ultimately increase the pace of life, leaving us harried, stressed and sick. Sometimes we lose track of the peace and happiness that can be achieved just by taking a walk in the park or spending a day at the beach.
The psychological and physical affects of looking at or being near nature are more profound than most people realize. Studies have found that nature scenes help students perform better on tests, relieve anxiety in patients recovering from open heart surgery, help patients recover faster after gall bladder surgery, and reduce headaches and sickness in prison inmates. It's also been shown that spending time outside lessens fatigue in breast cancer patients and reduces outbursts from Alzheimer patients. And a recent study at the University of Illinois revealed that playing outdoors, particularly in lush green areas, can reduce symptoms of ADHD in children.
Sunlight is important for the production of serotonin in the brain, as well as for the production of vitamin D. The cells that make up our skin are built much like solar panels in the way they convert sunlight to the vitamin D necessary to maintain calcium levels in our blood and ensure strong bone structure. Vitamin D can also reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and osteoporosis. Although many foods contain vitamin D and many others are fortified with vitamin D, it is not as readily and safely absorbed by our bodies as the vitamin D that comes from pure sunlight. Approximately 80 percent of our daily vitamin D requirement is met through direct sunlight. However, 42 percent of African Americans between the ages of 15 and 29 and 36 percent of Caucasians ages 18 to 29 are vitamin D deficient. A vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing hyperparathyroidism, type 1 diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers and heart failure. Spending a few minutes outside a few times a week can ensure you get enough vitamin D, and any excess vitamin D is stored by your body for several weeks.
Spending time outdoors can be especially beneficial during pregnancy. The vitamin D you get from the sun helps promote fetal bone growth and reduce maternal bone loss during pregnancy, while the vitamin D found in breast milk is necessary for your child's skeletal and mental development. Walking near a body of water or taking a stroll in the woods can lower your blood pressure and improve your mood, which can help you relax and have a more comfortable pregnancy.
If you can't easily access a natural area or if you simply don't enjoy being in the great outdoors, you can purchase many items to help you bring a bit of nature inside your home. CDs featuring the roar of the ocean or birds singing in the forest can help you relax, while natural loofahs, mud masks, salt scrubs, seaweed wraps, light machines and natural light bulbs imitate some of the relaxing and healing qualities of the outdoors.

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Hypnosis

Many Eastern religions and cultures use deep meditation as a form of self-hypnosis to attain enlightenment and serenity. This method of relaxation and focus has also helped many women to remain in control and calm during childbirth, thereby decreasing their pain and speeding their labor.
There is a significant difference between an entertaining hypnotist and a medical hypnotherapist. Hypnosis is intense, focused concentration with partial or complete unawareness of peripheral activity. Entertainment-quality hypnosis depends greatly on a person's openness to peer pressure and suggestion. A hypnotherapist, on the other hand, develops a relationship with a person in order to deepen their hypnosis practice and truly help the individual tap into their unconscious for therapeutic purposes.
Self-hypnosis is very similar to meditation. Both require practice to effectively master and they both increase alpha brain waves, which promote relaxation. The primary difference between the two is that the individual usually counts down into and out of the state of hypnosis. Self-hypnosis can be a powerful tool if used properly. However, some people may have a hard time letting go and losing control. In these cases, a trained hypnotist may be necessary to reach a hypnotized state.
Hypnosis has been shown to help people quit smoking, alleviate pain, minimize anxiety and nausea, promote relaxation, and to interrupt an intense emotional state. Contrary to popular belief, a state of hypnosis is not a state of unawareness or sleep. If you've ever been engrossed in a good book to such a degree that you are completely unaware of your surroundings, then you have been in a state of hypnosis. Nothing can be done to you without your consent, it is simply a shutting down of your conscious mind in order to tap into your unconscious or subconscious.
The first step in practicing self-hypnosis for labor begins before labor ever begins. It requires you let go of the common perception that childbirth is the most painful process a woman ever experiences. The idea - the reality - that should be implanted in your mind is that labor and delivery is perfectly natural and that your body is designed to release hormones to reduce pain. A confident and relaxed approach to childbirth can result in an empowering and beautiful experience.
Many women who have used hypnosis during labor claim to have a "pain free" experience. This is not a guarantee but an absolute possibility. In order for you to recognize the sensation of pain, your brain has to process it. During hypnosis, the brain is able to identify a painful sensation and choose not to register it as a threat or something that needs alleviating. This can actually reduce or block the painful sensation. It also allows you to relax instead of tensing up in fear, which only results in more pain. The outcome truly depends on the individual.

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Blue Light Breath

Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight as an arrow. Close your eyes and begin breathing deeply.
Notice which nostril is most open and exhale as if only through that nostril. Imagine a blue-white light flowing in that nostril and reaching the point between your eyebrows. Exhale the same blue-white light out the most open nostril.
Now shift the breath to the other nostril. Imagine a blue-white light as you exhale, focusing on the more closed nostril. Inhale the blue-white light to the point between your eyebrows and out from that point again. Repeat the process until both nostrils are fully open.
Next, focus on breathing in the blue-white light through one nostril, to the point between the eyebrows, and out the other nostril. Then switch on the inhale, breathing in through the one you've just breathed out and exhaling through the other.

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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.

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Acupressure to Relieve Pregnancy Discomfort

Acupressure is an ancient healing art developed in Asia over 5,000 years ago, using the fingers, hand, elbow or other device to apply pressure to specific points on the surface of the skin to stimulate the body's natural self-curative abilities. Proponents believe that acupressure may reduce muscle pain and tension, improve blood circulation and release endorphins. It is thought that when an acupressure point is pressed, muscle fibers elongate and relax, allowing blood to flow more freely and toxins to be released and eliminated.
Acupressure uses rubbing, light pounding and gentle massage to direct energy to different parts of the body. It focuses on pressure points along the nervous system's meridians that are connected to various organs throughout the body. It is believed that when an organ stops functioning correctly, it is due to a lack or excess of energy. Acupressure can be used like a faucet, to slow or increase the flow of energy to wherever it is needed. Acupressure can help relieve pregnancy-related discomfort because it is low impact and the body's heightened sensitivity during pregnancy responds well to this kind of treatment.
According to acupressure theory, a pressure point will become painful and hard when an organ malfunctions. When there is too much energy, the point will be sore and sensitive to the touch. To relieve bottled up or excess energy, the point needs to be calmed through slow, deep and sustained finger pressure, in an outward or counter-clockwise direction. The pad of the thumb works best. When there is a shortage of energy, a light, superficial pressure using the fingertips in an inward or clockwise direction will restore balance. An initial worsening of the condition might be felt, but it is part of the healing process and will resolve itself quickly.
Concentrations of pressure points are located near the extremities, around the elbows, fingers, knees and toes, while the wrists contain the most sensitive points. Bending the wrist and fingers back gently can indicate how great the need is for circulation and stimulation in the rest of the body.
Although more research is needed, initial studies have found acupressure to be an effective treatment for many ailments, including nausea and motion sickness, insomnia, sleep apnea, obesity, bedwetting in children, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression and drug addiction.
One of the most effective acupressure points is the Neiguan or pericardium 6 (P6) point, used to relieve nausea and vomiting. It is located on the inside of the wrist, three fingerbreadths above the crease of the wrist between the two tendons. The bracelets sold to relieve motion sickness and other forms of nausea use this pressure point.
To relieve pain during labor, have your partner use their knuckle to apply pressure to the Ciliao BL-32 point, located one finger width up from the crease of your buttocks and one thumb width to the left or right side of the spine. There is a small depression where the point lies. You should feel numbness, warmth or tingling when pressure is applied. If you feel a sharp pain, your partner may be pressing the bone near the point. The pressure points on either side of the spine might not line up perfectly during labor, due to muscle contractions, therefore it's important to communicate with and guide your partner until he or she finds the right spot. This point has been reported by many as being extremely useful for pain relief during labor.

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Apples

You've probably heard the old saying "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away," and may have dismissed it as another archaic old wives' tale. But as scientists are discovering, there may be some truth to it! This popular member of the rose family may help fight cancer and heart disease; protect against sunburn, asthma, and diabetes; and relieve constipation. And a recent study found that eating apples during pregnancy can protect your unborn baby from developing asthma and other lung problems later on in life.
Apples' antioxidant flavonoids may help prevent certain types of cancer. When scientists at University of California at Davis added apple extracts to cultures of human endothelial cells (the cells that line our arteries and are the first defense against cancer), the human cells were protected against the effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a compound that triggers cell death and promotes inflammation. The apple extracts actually blocked the signals sent from the tumor that kill cells. The high antioxidant content in apples also helps to eliminate free radicals from the body.
The phenols found in apples may also provide UV-B protection. Studies found that Braeburn apples in particular help protect the skin from sun damage. So eating an apple before going to the beach might be a good way to reduce the risk of sunburn.
Recent studies have discovered apples may have a beneficial affect on lung function in adults and fetuses. One study found that men who ate apples had a lung capacity 138 milliliters greater than those who did not. While another study found that mothers who consumed apples during their pregnancy were less likely to have children who suffer from asthma and wheezing. Scientists believe that the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory flavonoids, such as quercitin and catechin, are responsible for apples' beneficial affects on lung function, bronchial hypersensitivity and asthma.
Apple season runs from late summer to late fall in the northern hemisphere...

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