The Meditative Power of Water

   It is a natural impulse for most people to use water for relaxation and many of us retire to the bath to unwind, solve our problems, daydream or think creatively. Here we can be alone, let the body go and the mind wander and enjoy the sensual pleasure of the warm water.

   We can share the experience with our sexual partner or children or we can make the most of the opportunity to enjoy some solitude. The time you spend bathing can also be used creatively to deepen your ability to relax and calm your mind through meditation.

   Practised regularly this will have profound benefits in pregnancy and will also prepare you wonderfully for the change of consciousness that occurs during labour. After the birth you can continue to calm, restore and energise yourself and your baby with the healing effects of bathing .

      Preparing for relaxation and meditation in the bath

   Choose a time of day when you will be undisturbed and are free to relax for up to an hour, whether in the morning, afternoon or before going to bed. Prepare for the bath so that you can immerse yourself completely in the experience. Try to fill the bath if possible so that your belly is covered by the water.

   This will allow you to make the most of the feeling of weightlessness caused by the buoyancy of the water. You may need to boil up one or two additional kettles of hot water to fill the bath up to the top.

   Make sure that the water temperature is comfortable. It should be warm and not too hot., Adjust the lighting, add any essential oils and put on a tape of quiet meditative music if you want to. Enter the water slowly and allow yourself to float comfortably.

   If you like, wet your hair and immerse your head under the water for a few moments (do not use any essential oils other than chamomile if you are putting your head under water as they might irritate your eyes). Wax earplugs are not necessary but may be used if you prefer, or if you are not used to putting your head under water. They can be obtained from a pharmacy.

   This is a very useful exercise for overcoming any fears of water. When you get used to putting your head under the water, try blowing bubbles or making sounds underwater before you come up to inhale. Try opening your eyes when your head is under the water so that you realise you can see through water.

  This will be especially useful when you are teaching your baby to swim . In the section that follows a few meditations are suggested which you may enjoy doing in the bath.

   Your partner may also like to try them. Work with one meditation for a few weeks before trying another to give it time to deepen. Before you start you can prepare for the experience by doing the following relaxing visualisation.

       Relaxing Water Visualisation

   Allow yourself to sink down into the bath and experience the feeling of buoyancy and weightlessness in the water. Close your eyes and let your breathing flow comfortably. When you are ready, use your imagination to visualise yourself stepping onto a beautiful beach on a perfectly warm summer’s day.

   The beach has soft white sand and is surrounded by tall palm trees and lush green vegetation. The leaves are stirring softly in a gentle breeze and you can hear the sound of the waves lapping gently on the shore. Imagine yourself lying down on your back in the soft and at the water’s edge so that the waves break gently over your lower body.

   Feel the warmth of the sun and the soft caress of the water and the air on your skin. Allow yourself to relax completely as you look up and see the blueness of the sky with a few wisps of pure white fluffy clouds moving slowly across your view. Now imagine closing your eyes.

   Feel your body sinking down slowly into the softness of the water, supported and caressed by the waves. Breathe deeply and feel that you are getting lighter and lighter until it feels as if your body is floating, completely supported on the water’s surface, like a baby in a cradle. Have a feeling of perfect harmony with the natural world around you as if you are resting in the lap of mother earth.

You are now ready to begin the meditation.

Meditation on the breath

   Place your hands gently on your lower belly over your womb. In Chinese medicine this is known as the ‘Tantien’ or centre of energy.

   Keep your eyes closed and breathe slowly in and out through your nose. Don’t try to alter the breath in any way, must concentrate on observing it. When you exhale you will notice your belly moving downwards as the air is expelled from your lungs, so that the air seems to empty from your centre.

   At the end of the out breath there is a pause, or an empty, still space. When the breath has reached the bottom of the still space, wait and allow the in-breath to come in gradually by itself, like a gift.

  As the breath comes in, the centre of ‘Tantien’ expands and becomes full. Then there is a pause fat the top of the breath, until the next exhalation begins slowly. Continue like this, focusing your awareness when you are ready, return your awareness to your breathing.

   It may take weeks or even months to be able to sustain your concentration, so don’t be despondent if you find yourself easily distracted at first.

   With practice, your concentration will improve and your meditation will deepen. This will be very useful during labour when you need to let go of thinking and be in your body and at many other times in your life.

Seeing yourself and your baby meditation

   The purpose of this deeply relaxing meditation is to come into contact with and to relax every part of your body in turn as you focus your awareness from top to toe and from front to back. While you are pregnant, the meditation can also be used for becoming aware of every pat of your womb and also of the placenta and your baby.

   Relax in the water with your eyes closed. Begin wherever you like in your body, for example you may begin at the crown or top of your head, where the soft spot of a baby would be. breathe gently, letting the breath come in and out on its own as you focus your attention on that spot and consciously release any tension.

  Now move very gently towards your left ear. Focus on the shape of your ear, the warmth and the sensation in your ear and let go of any tension in your ear. Now continue like this all the way down your body including your face, the back of your head, the outside and inside of your throat, the outside and inside of your chest, the outside and inside of your abdomen, the outside and inside of your pelvis and your legs, and so on all the way down to your toes.

   It does not matter whether you start at the top of your head or whether you start in your abdomen or your fingers, as long as you ‘brush down’ and release the energy throughout your body as you breathe. Some people find it useful to imagine a spot of light, soft and beautiful, moving slowly over the body from head to toe.

   When you have gone through your whole body, focus on your baby and use your imagination to do the same thing, from head to toe, front to back, inside and outside as she floats in the nourishing waters of your womb.

   When you first begin you may want to make quick jumps, for example top of your head, your ears, front of your face, back of your head, etc.; whereas later on, when you become more used to this, you may want to go in much smaller, finer steps. This meditation can be made to last anything from five minutes to an hour or more.

Calming your mind meditation

   Most of us find that, when we begin to meditate, our minds are full of thoughts and it can be difficult to let go of thinking.

   Over time this meditation may help you to quieten your mind and experience the blissful peace this is to be found when the ‘internal dialogue’ we have in our heads becomes quiet. It is done in two parts.

   1. Relax in the water and breathe deeply and comfortably. For the next five or ten minutes, consciously observe your thoughts as they come up in your mind. Acknowledge them and watch them, but try not to follow, stop or alter them in any way - just remain conscious of the thoughts and watch them come and go. Continue doing this daily for a period of 14 days and then progress to the second part.

   2. When you are relaxed and observing your thoughts, try to ‘freeze’ the thought and keep looking at it as long as you can. Stay alert and conscious, and when your next thought arises do the same thing. Continue like this, ‘freezing’ the thoughts as they arise. With some practice you will notice the thoughts becoming less frequent and the calm peaceful spaces in between will occur more often as your mind becomes quieter and more tranquil.

   When you have learnt to access the meditative powers of your mind, it will help you to feel calm and centred and to experience inner harmony and equilibrium. Meditation can be particularly useful if you are afraid or anxious about the birth, or about becoming a mother.

   The ability to calm yourself, even for a few minutes each day, is an important step towards enjoying and accepting this new phase of your life. Meditation can, of course, be practised on land as well as in water.