Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa - Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful: Experience the Natural Power of Pregnancy and Birth with Kundalini Yoga and Meditation

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Contents

THE LAW OF LOVE

L OVE GIVES YOU POWER TO MERGE ,

F ROM FINITE TO INFINITY.

L OVE GIVES YOU POWER TO TRUST ,

F ROM NOTHING TO EVERYTHING.

L OVE GIVES YOU POWER, THE POWERFUL PRAYER

B ETWEEN YOU AND YOUR CREATOR.

L OVE GIVES YOU VASTNESS ,

A S VAST AS THERE CAN BE.

L OVE GIVES YOU THE HOLD, THE EXPERIENCE ,

A ND THE TOUCH WITH YOUR OWN INFINITY ,

A S BEAUTIFUL, BOUNTIFUL AND BLISSFUL AS THERE CAN BE.

YOGI BHAJAN

FOREWORD

I came to Gurmukh through a friend of mine who had been a student of hers for years and swore by her teaching. When I became pregnant with my first child, my friend told me, You have to take this class. It will be great for you and the baby. She was so enthusiastic that she actually went to my first prenatal yoga class with me, and she wasnt even pregnant!

Its impossible to tell you everything I took away from the experience of going to Gurmukhs prenatal classes, because there was just so much. One of the first things that struck me was the sense of community among the pregnant women. There is nothing like sharing time with women who are in the exact same place you are. No matter who you are, having your baby is the most important thing in the world at that point in your life, and that unites you with every other pregnant woman. It was such an incredible time for me, and everyone in my class became really good friends. Were still close. In fact, we jokingly call ourselves the yoga babies group and continue to get together every week, even though weve all long since given birth (and half of us are on number two).

The ideas and issues about pregnancy and childbirth raised by Gurmukh and the other women in class were wonderful catalysts for conversation. I found that it was a great place to share information and for questions to be raised. The topics we discussed in class spurred me to do my own research and investigate other options besides the conventional childbirth experience.

What I learned put me on the path to having a home birth, which was the most transforming experience of my life. When I became pregnant, I assumed I would simply go to the hospital, sign up for an epidural, and that would be that. I thought thats just how everyone did it. I didnt even know women had babies at home anymore. Through referrals in my yoga class, I found incredible midwives who were there to help and guide me, but what I found so meaningful about working with them was that they never tried to manage me or contain my labor within some predetermined experience. I recently had my second child, again at home. Though this birth was so different from the birth of my son, what the two experiences had in common was that the midwives did not try to control the process or make it into something other than what it was. They allow your birth to be your birth.

A big part of why I did decide on a home birth was the faith and trust I got from Gurmukh that womens bodies contain the knowledge and the fortitude to bring children into the world. Knowing that I am part of a long lineage of women who have experienced the same dramatic event not only kept me from being terrified of the process, but gave me the confidence in myself as a woman and in my bodys natural ability, as well as the tools I needed, to deal with natural childbirth.

My advice to you? First, go hang out with other pregnant women. If you dont have a yoga class or another group in your area, get one of Gurmukhs videos, find other pregnant women, and invite them over! Its so important to be around others who are going through the same changes and feelings as you. Only another pregnant woman will let you talk about it for as long as you need to talk about it.

Second, and perhaps most important, dont wish your pregnancy away. Whatever youre going through, you will never be in that particular moment again. During the first few weeks of pregnancy, dont wish you could already feel the baby move. If you can already feel the baby move, dont wish you were already giving birth. Dont wish to be any place other than where you are. Even when youre feeling morning sick, enjoy that time. Enjoy the time during the last few weeks before your due date when you feel nervous and jittery with anticipation. Enjoy it all, because every moment is part of the experience.

Honestly, I wasnt one of those women who loved being pregnant, in the sense that I didnt feel I was at my sexiest or most beautiful, as some do. In Gurmukhs class, there would always be a point at which we would sit with our hands around our bellies and sing to our babies. In that moment, I always felt the tremendous power we as women have to bring new life into the world. Its awe-inspiring.

Finally, I want to say a few things about Gurmukh herself. Its unfortunate the whole world cant come to her class and feel her energy directlyalthough sometimes it feels like it, her classes are that popular! Her radiance lights up a room. The strength and confidence she imparts to us is just so wonderful. I have no doubt the essence of her wisdom and caring will be filtered to you as you read these pages.

I wish you all the best for your journey into motherhood.

CINDY CRAWFORD

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

A PROGRAM FOR LIFE

When a child comes into your life, it is as if a small stone is thrown into a pool. You will see the ripples spread outward, touching not only your own existence but that of your immediate family, your friends and extended family, your community, and, ultimately, the entire planet.

The Khalsa Way, the name of the program we teach at Golden Bridge, our center in Los Angeles, is based in this simple metaphor. The program is rooted in the ancient science and techniques of Kundalini yoga and meditation, a yogic practice developed to provide the most profound results in the shortest possible time to families and individuals. More than a prenatal yoga class, The Khalsa Way is a program for life that addresses childbirth education and parenting, as well as community-awareness issues.

Birth is possibly the greatest time of transformation in your life: A baby is born, a woman is born as a mother, a man as a father, a family as a family. From this point forward the ripples reach out to touch the community at large.

What youll find in these pages is a blueprint for emotional, physical, and spiritual health for the nine months of pregnancy and beyond. I offer it to you regardless of whether you are simply thinking about having a child, actively trying to conceive, or are pregnant with your first baby or your fifth. The book is broken into sections that cover the trimesters of pregnancy, delivery, and life with baby. In each section youll find little chapters offering inspiration, advice, and information to help you along the way.

At every point in the journey of motherhood, youll face many opportunities to grow and strengthen yourself, your baby, your relationship, your family, your contributions to your community, and, above all, your spirit. This book offers you tools to help you explore and, when necessary, heal your own history and unconscious attitudes about pregnancy, birth, and parenting. These tools will help you develop an even deeper, more conscious bond with the soul growing inside you. And like that ripple from a pond, this swells to include more fully your partner and other children in the process, and honor the connection among all of you.