Tuesday, December 08 2015

Interview with Nadia Raafat

To celebrate the launch of Nadia Raafat's latest DVD Yoga and Mindfulness for Pregnancy and Birth, we interview Nadia on her top tips for mindfulness during pregnancy and beyond. We're also offering 5 lucky people the prize of Nadia's latest DVD, simply visit our twitter page and RT the competition tweet to enter – good luck!

Mindfulness describes the awareness that arises when we pay attention purposefully to the present moment as it unfolds within us and around us without judgement. Although we are all born with the capacity to be mindful, it is a way of being we need to cultivate. Mindfulness is best developed through the ancient practice of Meditation.
With Mindfulness one learns to embrace with equanimity all aspects of the pregnancy experience - not just the pleasant ones. Developing the mindful state during pregnancy will help you to navigate your journey to motherhood with greater self-awareness; to remain receptive and attentive to the joyful moments and to bring about the kind of birth, family and mothering experience that you consciously wish for.

Learn to meditate
Learning to meditate during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It is through the practice of meditation that we start the process of looking inwards. Through meditation we become aware of our thoughts and our feelings.
Thoughts are like noisy children distracting you from the other important communications of the quieter children in the room. Those other children might be your deeper buried, protected feelings, your body communications, your instincts and your intuition.
What we think and feel drives our actions and creates our experience. Change your thoughts and you literally change your experience. It really is as simple and profound as that.

A much-improved Present Moment Awareness (PMA); the ability to remain in the here of your body and the now of this moment without allowing yourself to be distracted by either your own thoughts/sensations or the environment outside you. This really comes into its own during childbirth. I have watched tens of women, including myself, brace themselves against the contractions they expect will hurt them. How many women have I heard after 10 hours of labour and the news that they are just 3 cms dilated look forward and say: “Forget this! If I'm struggling now how can I possibly go on?” Without presence of mind, labour is very easily overwhelming - especially in circumstances which do not support its efficient unfolding. Labouring without presence will inevitably lead to suffering. Mindful Childbirth is an ongoing moment by moment experience, contraction by contraction and breath by breath. Some moments will be challenging but they will pass and be replaced by moments of ease, lightness, rest and moments too of great grace and beauty. This is the only sane way to travel through it.

For me childbirth has always been very mentally, emotionally and physically challenging; it is just the most incredible dramatic and transforming experience you will ever undertake. I am always amazed by how little mental and physical preparation there is for such a powerful experience. Without the clarity, deep trust and inner strength that Yoga and Mindfulness brought me, I doubt I would have been able to carry myself through the challenges I faced during some of my births or equally experience the depths of joy my birth experiences brought me.

There are so many different ways in which you can weave a more mindful attitude into your day. Choose one or two simple everyday tasks like showering or chopping vegetables, eating, cleaning, or even standing at the traffic lights waiting to cross and see if you can bring your full attention to them without allowing yourself to be distracted by your thoughts. Mother of small babies can practice breastfeeding mindfully or pushing the buggy along mindfully.

When I embarked on producing a DVD I knew wanted to offer the kind of product I would have liked to use myself. My mission was to weave the teachings of mindfulness, specific to pregnancy and childbirth, into my yoga classes.
The other aspect of the DVD I am proud of are the stand-alone mindfulness practices. If you don't feel like doing a physical class then just go straight to the guided body scan meditations, pelvic meditations or breath awareness practices all of which will help you develop the mindful state, connect with your baby and rest deeply within yourself.

Nadia's Double DVD Set: Becoming Mother Yoga & Mindfulness for Pregnancy & Birth is now available via www.amazon.co.uk and www.yogamatters.com For more info on Nadia's Mindful Birthing Courses visit www.nadiaraafat.com