For those who habitually practice meditation it's natural to continue even during pregnancy. But this very special and unique period may also be an opportunity to start meditating. Doctors continually invite us to listen to our body … but how? And above all how to listen to our spirit? For many answers, the meditation is the answer, too pregnant.

Second Wikipedia, meditation is

a practice which is used to achieve greater mastery from the activities of the mind, so that it stops its usual background chatter and becomes absolutely still, peaceful. (…) Therefore, it is a practice aimed at self-realization

Over the years, several studies have proven that meditation is extremely effective in decreasing anxiety and stress, and for that reason in improving health. Attention: meditation cannot in any way substitute traditional medicine in treating illnesses (including mental ones). But relaxation, concentration and thoughtlessness have such an effect for many people beneficial to be considered indispensable. Why not, then? I am at least 5 reasons to start.

1. #Meditation in pregnancy: calm and positivity when they're more important than ever: the first and obvious benefit of meditation during pregnancy is the strong reduction in stress that unites, if not the greatest, a very large part of women that are pregnant. We are anxious for our baby, for fear that something goes wrong. We are distressed for the future: how will I reconcile everything? Will we allow it to be economically? And as a couple? We will also be often troubled by the concept of labor. We all know as a strong state of anxiety during gestation can have negative effects on the baby we carry: stress hormones, if released for a long time, trigger a response that can have consequences that cause premature birth. So, invest 5 or 10 minutes a day trying new things and absolutely harmless – and for free, which doesn’t hurt!
2. #Meditation promotes a healthier lifestyle: addictions to alcohol or smoking, “nervous hunger”, the habit of smoking of drinking too much coffee or just being tempted by junk food … if you think about it, all habits are largely brought on by stress. In pregnancy, throwing your self on high-calorie food with low nutritional value can be an even stronger temptation, because of false myths such as the infamous “eating for two”, cravings and … anxiety, in fact. Meditation helps us not only to avoid these bad behaviors, but additionally, for example, to enjoy more of our meals, truly savoring the food and enjoying every bite to the full.
3. #Sleep better during pregnancy thanks to meditation: a lot of women suffer from insomnia during pregnancy: we can't find the comfortable position because of the belly, we have to go to pee continuously and perhaps we are woken up with a start by a good kick from our baby. Meditation is among the remedies commonly suggested for those with sleep problems during pregnancy and beyond.
4. #No anxiety about losing control: among the most recognized benefits the type of who practice meditation may be the achievement of greater awareness e self control. Just that control we desperately fear losing. For a lot of women, the fear of childbirth lies less in physical pain, but in the fear of losing self-control. Meditation will help you visualize yourself as prepared, positive, as well as in control. It keeps the negativity away and actually helps to ward off the risk of a traumatic birth.
5. #Meditation may also be about the child: many meditation techniques – such as meditation reflective – plan to to focus about something specific. Usually they are objects, but for a pregnant woman, there is nothing better than visualizing your baby in the belly, and connecting with him or her. We transmit our thoughts, our emotions to the little one, imagine hugging him. This approach we take to will begin to create a fort bond that, thus, it will not have to be built from scratch or almost after the child has come to light. Nothing prevents you, then, from also visualize childbirth, forever in the name of positivity: imagine it as a non-traumatic event, during which you will be master of the situation as well as your body, and finally you will be able to visit your child in the face.

These 5 would be the most common benefits experienced by ladies who started meditating during pregnancy. But where to start, for those who have never done this before? First of there are several texts valid on the subject, which will provide you with all the information you need to start meditating. Nothing is required at all: just find at home or outside a quiet corner where we feel at ease. We have to sit in a single convenient location, keeping your back straight, although many people prefer to meditate while walking or perhaps lying in bed in the evening. The thing is to have enough time available: a minumum of one ten minutes, and the first few times it can be useful to have a mobile timer.

In accessory for a text that shows you the basics of meditation, a guided meditation cd or perhaps a background of relaxing music. There are also several app aimed at meditation for beginners and that will help you master the steps to follow along with and know the best positions to meditate. It is obvious that cell phones, tablets and anything that can interrupt that brief moment of detachment externally world must be banned, and that it must necessarily be only for us, a constant every day, to feel the benefits.

Finally, we cannot neglect to mention the courses, organized in a variety of cities, of meditation in pregnancy. In this case, in addition to the advantage of being followed by a professional, there is also that of getting in contact with other pregnant women with whom to exchange opinions and advice.