What is a doula?

A doula is a labor partner. She is a support partner for parents as they go through the process of bringing their new little life into the world. Labor has been labeled such for a reason...it is a process that requires attention, strength and stamina. It can be one of the most challenging times of a woman's life. It can be aided by such things as trust, patience, a cultivated sense of inner calm and strength, an ability to relax and surrender to the process. The job of the Doula is to foster a place that allows the mother to reach those places, to help keep parents and extended families focused and relaxed. She serves as an advocate, labor coach and support partner. Her attention is focused mostly on the comfort of the laboring mother.

In the distant past women came through their journey of childbirth surrounded by women of support. The job of the Doula has brought back into the lives of women the feeling of having a woman / a sister at her side. Someone who is there just for her, someone who understands what she is going through and doesn't have any other job...just the focus of caring for her. It can be a highly invaluable assistance.

The mind and body are amazing tools. We have within us a virtual pharmacy at our disposal. We can access nature's pharmacy through strengthening the mind/body connection and learning to be in control of our parasympathetic nervous system. The practice of breathing with intention and the tools of meditation and guided visualization are highly effective during childbirth. You might say there is a "yoga" to childbirth. My holistic approach to labor and birth looks pretty similar to my approach to yoga or the other mind/body modalities I practice. Learning to find calm and peace on the inside, regardless of what is happening around you, to find a place inside your breath that builds strength, the kind of strength that comes from inner peace and self awareness, to be in touch with your body so that you are listening to the messages that are coming from within. During labor these tools prove to be your greatest support. There is nothing more important in the laboring process than a woman's ability to listen to her body and the connection to the new life within her. It is a beautiful thing to watch that relationship as it moves through the various stages from conception, through pregnancy, labor and birth.

It is been said that many of the cultural dances that we know, such as belly dance or african dance are based in the birthing cutlures of women. Women came together to bleed, to birth and to share the knowledge of other women. We called them Red Tents. Labor is a dance in so many ways. How your baby is aligned and presenting itself is a crucial factor of labor and ease of birth.

This class is designed to

• Bring timeless female support and wisdom into pregnancy and early postpartum.
• Connect with other women
• Support your baby and your body to prepare for birth in a fun and heathy way.
• To get your body back to its pre-baby state.

Meet the developer of this program: Stephanie Larson
and read more about Dancing for Birth™
Class schedule

Also
Check out my
Birthing Ball class