This is the birth story of Dhyana’s second baby, her daughter. A story of true surrender to God’s will, and the reclamation of a mothers destiny to be the authority over the birth of her child. When mothers truly and deeply trust their body’s primal intuition, God’s beauty can unfold. Follow Dhyana’s inner journey as she dreamed of a freebirth, surrendered to the idea of a hospital birth as pregnancy complications arose, and then reclaimed her power as birthing mother and followed her intuition to birth her baby alone with her husband, hands and knees on the Earth, under the Oak tree in their backyard, with her birthkeeper watching over them from a distance.

According to Ayurveda, there are certain practices that can be implemented during labor to assist the birthing process as well as give relief and support to the birthing mother.

“At the time of conception, a woman offers her body as a vessel to bring a Soul into this world. In complete surrender, she allows her body to be the vehicle in which a new Soul grows and flourishes. It is as if she gives up all rights of ownership to her own body and fully offers it up in service. ..”

Indigenous cultures across the world have ancient care practices to nourish a mother after giving birth. One common thread amongst almost all cultural postpartum practices around the world is an easy-to-digest meal immediately after giving birth. Different cultures have their variations on first foods, but they all are very moist, oily, steaming hot and rich in spices that rekindle digestive fires weakened from fatigue after giving birth.

You may be thinking, “There’s even an Ayurvedic way to pack my hospital bag?” Well, not exactly. But there are items you can bring with you to incorporate Ayurvedic principles and recommendations for your birthing environment. Whether you are giving birth in the hospital, a birth center, or having a home birth, you can use these tips to create a birthing room that is aligned with supporting the natural rhythms of your body while you birth your babe.

The Lunar Effect is an old wives tale that more women go into labor around a full moon. Despite not having a clear culture of origin, this story is well known around the globe. Midwives and delivery nurses often expect the delivery room to be full around a full moon, and many women will tell stories to each other of being in labor on the full moon.

It is simple to make ghee on your own once you learn how. It takes several hours of monitoring the stove with your attention, however it is much cheaper to make your own ghee than it is to buy pre-made ghee. Here is a simple recipe for how to make ghee from Divya Alter’s Ayurvedic cookbook. When making your own ghee, source unsalted organic, grass-fed, and/or cultured butter.

Ghee has been used in India for thousands of years. Ghee can be infused with herbs and taken as medicine, or used as an everyday household cooking oil. The Charak Samhita, an ancient Ayurvedic authoritative text states “Out of all the oils fit for human consumption, ghee is the best to eat.” Ghee is known as “liquid gold.” It is glorified throughout the ancient texts of Ayurveda for its taste and health benefits. Many nutritionists and naturopaths today are noticing the value of ghee’s nurturing and nourishing qualities and considering it essential to a healthy diet.

Yoga & Ayurveda teach us that experiences begin to imprint themselves on the babies mind and body at the moment of conception. Based on the emotional, spiritual and physical environment that the child is developing in, these impressions will either serve to uplift the child and create patterns of harmony, trust, and connection, or they will create patterns that will play themselves out in the future through dysfunctional relationships, addictions, violence, fear, and anxiety.

The real work of a mama is the inner work. Especially in the moments that you feel depleted, undernourished, or disconnected from yourself, it’ll be easy to get triggered by the monotony (or unpredictability!) of your days. As with all close and conscious relationships, the relationship between you and your little one is meant to refine you.