<![CDATA[serendipity birthing - blog]]>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:51:14 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[How to reclaim your body after giving birth?]]>Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:29:59 GMThttps://www.serendipity-birthing.com/blog/how-to-reclaim-your-body-after-giving-birth
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Many new mothers are eager to get back into (or start) an exercise routine once the baby arrives. 

It is important to keep in mind that it may take your body several weeks to recover from the changes of pregnancy.  Adequate rest and good nutrition are a vital part in your recovery during the first weeks after birth.  

Before starting any postnatal exercises, breathing techniques are not only easy and safe to do right after giving birth, but can be helpful to start the process of strengthening and toning the belly and back muscles . 

Practice the following two breaths lying on your back on the bed or the floor.  If needed place a support under your head and under your lower back.  Relax your arms. Bend the knees, feet hip width apart. Walk the feet closer to or further from the hips until your pelvis is level, neither tilted forward or backwards.  

Abdominal breathing
Deep abdominal breathing will help you regain the strength in your abdominal muscles and help you relax.
  • Lie on your back.
  • Inhale and feel your chest and abdomen expand. 
  • Slowly exhale while pulling your belly button toward your spine and your tailbone toward the ceiling. 
  • Hold this position until you run out of breath. 
  • Repeat this exercise five to ten times, each time feeling your abdominal muscles engage and your stomach flatten.

Reverse breathing 
Tones deep muscle layers of abdomen and spine.  Practicing reverse breathing regularly can prevent prolapse and stress incontinence caused by overstretched pelvic floor muscles.
  • Lie on your back. 
  • Breathe in and pull the abdomen inwards. 
  • Breathe out and pull the abdomen in a little more. 
  • Relax at the end of the exhale. 
  • Take a normal breath and repeat.  Practice until you can do 6 reverse breaths in a row.

 “S”,  “F” & ” H” sound breathing 
Helps strengthen abdominal muscles and synchronize the movements of the pelvic floor muscles with the abdominal muscles.
  • Lie on your back.
  • Take a deep breath in through your nose.   
  • Breathe out with the “SSSSSSSS” sound, contract the pelvic floor, followed by the lower abdominal muscles.  At the end of the exhalation, instead of relaxing, hold the contraction and breathe in again using the diaphragm, inflating all but the lower part of the abdomen.  
  • Repeat as before, making the “FFFFFFFF” and “HHHHHH” sounds.

I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

What helped you the most to start reconnecting with your body and yourself during the first few weeks after giving birth? 

Leave a comment and let me know. 

Thank you  for reading and contributing.
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]]><![CDATA[prenatal yoga playlist]]>Sat, 04 May 2013 02:01:49 GMThttps://www.serendipity-birthing.com/blog/prenatal-yoga-playlist
I love using and selecting songs for my prenatal yoga classes.  Music has a way of influencing and changing the tone of class.  It can lift up the students and inspire them to do a pose for one more breath or help them completely surrender in savasana.  

I always get a lot of requests to share the songs I play in my yoga classes.  So I have decided to make a music playlist for your home yoga practice, which you can also use for your "birthing day" and postpartum to sooth your baby.  Enjoy!

(click on the image to the right to be taken to the playlist on iTunes)

  • Bathe In These Waters (Sanctuary) by Donna De Lory
  • Aad Guray (Dakshina) by Deva Premal
  • He Ma Durga (The Lover and the Beloved) by Donna De Lory
  • Shivoham (Sattva) by Manish Vyas
  • Bliss (Stillness –Divine Meditation Music) by Girish Wadhwani & Sham Mohan
  • Chidananda (Love Is Space) by Deva Premal
  • Kissing (Bliss – Greatest Hits) by Bliss
  • Samba Sadashiva (The Lover and the Beloved) by Donna De Lory

Do you have more of your own favorite tunes to practice to? Leave us a comment and let us know what they are!
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click here to be taken to the playlist on iTunes
]]><![CDATA[welcome to the serendipity birthing blog!]]>Fri, 03 May 2013 03:16:17 GMThttps://www.serendipity-birthing.com/blog/welcome-to-the-serendipity-birthing-blog
As a firm believer in creating community, I thought putting together a blog for the Serendipity Birthing community would be a great way to share useful and relative information concerning aspects of women's and children's health and wellness.  Please check back regularly and feel free to share your thoughts or questions with me at adriana@serendipity-birthing.com.
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