Educating the Fetus in the Womb & Yoga

Yoga Sanskar Niketan, Mumbai

FOREWORD

The Birth of My Sons Vivekanand and Vinayak

As with any new life, Vivekanand and Vinayak brought lots of happiness to all my family members especially to us (the parents). Their deliveries were very beautiful and fast, with only three pushes. I believe that the presence of the father during delivery is very important. Babies are conceived by two people and these same two people need to be there to receive them during their birth. We did not make use of an epidural, which helped my wife Vijaya to have a faster recovery.In the delivery room we were praying and doing relaxation exercises. Right at the moment of birth I was helping my wife Vijaya, giving her strength.

My first son, Vivekanand was stimulated with reading and music during his gestation and we were able to have many different prenatal experiences. My wife use to read Swami Vivekanand’s various literatures, besides Swami Vivekanand’s philosophy too! We could appreciate the results even before our baby was one month old. We played different kinds of music tunes on a varied day/evening schedule which contain ‘Shanti Rasa’ (peace) as well as “Veer Rasa” (courage). For example, I used play music of ‘Veer Rasa’ every morning while waking up, used different selections music which contains ‘Shanti Rasa’ when Vijaya was going to sleep and still other pieces for our prenatal stimulation exercises. This music had a pleasant relaxing effect on Vivekanand. We have found that the ' philosophical ' temperament has increased. Vivekanand is more alert, attentive, receptive and intelligent. We observed the cumulative effect on character, behavior and personality.

My second son, Vinayak was stimulated with reading of freedom fighter Swatrantryaveer Vinayak Damodhar Savarkar, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, Maharana Pratap Singh and other courageous stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata etc. when he was in my wife’s womb. My wife used to read Swatrantryaveer Vinayak Damodhar Savarkar’s literatures, as well as to recite Savarkar’s courageous poems. All these poems, literatures had courageous effect on Vinayak. We have found that the 'courage' temperament has increased. Vinayak is more alert, attentive, receptive and intelligent. His character is like a courageous patriot like Swatrantryaveer Vinayak Damodhar Savarkar, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, and Maharana Pratap Singh. Thus, we observed the cumulative effect on character, behavior and personality.

An important thing we realized that educating the fetus, Yoga and music facilitated the family's adaptation and preparation for the arrival of my both sons.

Yogeeraj, V.G.Karnataki

E-mail:

Yoga Sanskar Niketan, Mumbai

Educating the fetus in the Womb & Yoga

“Pregnancy should be by choice and not by chance,

Should be by appointment and not by accident”!

If you want a “whole”(Alert, Attentive, Brilliant, Healthy, Receptive and Intelligent) baby, you (parents) must be “whole” parents!

It is very essential to educate and imbibe good values to the parents so that they can educate and imbibe good values to the fetus in the womb. The care of a child’s health does not start after his/her birth. Even before the baby is conceived in the mother’s womb, both the parents must take care to see that they themselves are in proper healthy condition of body and mind; so that the coming child does not inherit any disease of the body or the mind.

The History of Prenatal Sanskar

The story of Abhimanyu is well known in the Mahabharata. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, learned how to enter the Chakravyuha (the strategic arrangement of warriors to entrap and defeat the enemy) when he was in his mother’s womb. He had heard and remembered the narration of the technique by Krishna to Subhadra during her pregnancy.
Before the birth of Buddha, his mother, Mahamaya had followed certain specific rituals. In the month of Ashadha, she celebrated the seven-day festival and gave alms to the poor. She did penance by giving up some of her pleasures. After the festival, Mahamaya had a dream in which, Bodhisatva, by the name of Sumedh, asked permission to take birth in her womb. She happily consented. Later, a brilliant son was born to her in the pleasant environments of Lumbini. He became Lord Buddha.
Before Krishna was born, his mother, Devaki had a dream that Lord Vishnu had entered her body.
When Pralhad’s mother was pregnant with him, she used to listen to devotional songs. Therefore, even though Pralhad took birth in a Rakshasa family, he became a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
The mother of the freedom fighter, Veer Savarkar used to read the courageous stories from the Ramayana and Maharana Pratap to her son when he was in her womb.
Rishi Udalak was a great saint. He had an able disciple called Kahod. The Rishi gave his daughter, Sujata in marriage to Kahod. Once when Sujata was pregnant, Kahod was reciting some shlokas. The baby in the womb realized the recitation was incorrect and asked him to correct it. Kahod was livid with rage. He put a curse on his son so that he would be born bent in eight places. The child, Ashtavakra was born bent in eight places. The father’s angry thoughts affected the baby.
When tabla maestro, Zakir Hussain was in his mother’s womb, his father, Ustad Allah Rakha used to beat lightly with his fingers on his mother’s abdomen.
Sister Lorna Zemke has found that the fetus will respond rhythmically to rhythms tapped on the mother’s belly.
The famous British violinist Yehudi Menuhin believes that his own musical talent was partly due to the fact that his parents were always singing and playing music before he was born.

Goal of the Prenatal Project

To welcome the baby with good thoughts.
To impart Sanskar to the fetus.
To improve the emotional health of the parents.
To increase the active participation of the father during pregnancy.
To increase the courage and confidence of mother during labor.
To have a “whole” baby. (Alert, Attentive, Brilliant, Healthy, Receptive and Intelligent)

The intention of behind this project is to mould the future generation and the society at large. This is the work of a nation, of building humanity. Along with the welfare of the child, the parents will be able to reduce tension in their lives. The project aims at building healthy, intelligent, honest, responsible individuals and a united society.

Pre-natal Sanskar and its focal points of this course are the communication with the fetus, in order for him to absorb good values (Sanskar) and the education of the parents in regards to their thinking and behavior during the prenatal period. Simultaneously, importance of Yogic practices is explained and Live-Demonstrations Pre-natal (Ante-natal) and Post-natal are carried out.

The central object in the preparation of this project work is to provide combination of scientific foundation of imbibing and/or educating good values to fetus as well as Yogic practices during pre-natal (ante-natal) and post-natal period; some of which are the preventation of and immunity against diseases, the maintenance good health, longevity and above all, the mental sanity and psychic purity must rest.

Characteristics of a good health may be traced to the parents. This adds social significance to a mother’s personal good health. As the mother is the first guru of the fetus, mother’s influence on the fetus is paramount. Mother’s self-concept - preferably positive- helps fetus to learn better in the womb. The fetus’s social environment base is its mother! Educating the fetus rightly begins with a healthy (in all respect) motherhood.

An environment of the family as well as the personality of each family member exercises a great influence upon development of fetus in the womb. The blessings of good health are indeed, many and universal; biology further asserts that they apply uniformally to both man and woman.

In the first part of this project, I have explained and elaborated different methods of educating & imbibing the good values to the parents, positive effects and impacts of rational and collective prayer.

Music has a pleasing appeal to humans and animals but also living-bushes, plants and trees too! We have observed tremendous impact of different music on living-bushes, plants and trees. Music helps to grow living- bushes, plants trees very fast, fruits are large in size and very sweet, get more corps, etc,

Many people says, Music is my religious, music is my expression, music is my soul, music is my language, music is my prayer etc …., but rather I would say “Music is Magic” (MM) which has a tremendous power to change one’s mind and mood. Music helps human to cultivate a new temperament.

And with the help of Music Therapy, we have developed our “Yoga- Garbha- Sanskar” programme. Educating the fetus in the womb is based on Science, latest Technology, music Therapy, Pre-natal Yogic Programme and Spiritual.

The Importance of the Pre-natal sound and music which included sound environment in the womb, music aids development in the womb, pre-natal brain stimulation, hearing at the birth, the maternal womb is the first school of music, music and Pre-natal stress reduction, Pre-natal memory & learning, communication before language, sensitive to touch. This music had a pleasant relaxing effect on baby in the womb

Soft music of string instruments such as Sitar, Santoor and Violin played in particular ‘Raaga’(Tunes) produce “Shanti- Rasa” (peace) and “Veera- Rasa” (courageous) which helps to increase the “peaceable” as well as “courageous” temperament of the baby.

The importance of the Pre-natal sound and music includes sound environment in the womb, musical aids for the development in the womb, pre-natal brain stimulation, hearing at the birth. The maternal womb is the first school of music, music and pre-natal stress reduction, pre-natal memory & learning, communication before language, sensitive to touch.This music has a pleasant relaxing effect on the baby in the womb. Soft music of string instruments such as Sitar, Santoor, played in particular ‘Raga’ produce “Shanti- Rasa” (peace) and “Veera- Rasa” (courageous) which helps to increase the “peaceable” as well as “courageous” temperament of the baby.

The effect of stress during pregnancy is also explained.

In the later part of this project, I will explain how Yoga helps the pregnant woman in Pre-natal & Post-natal period. The ante-natal/pre-natal and post-natal Yogic practices bring integrity in those functions and develops the wholeness of mother as well as fetus in the womb too. It helps to relax and calm-down the mind and cultivate serenity, mental and spiritual levels.

Pre-natal yogic practice is a wonderful way for the mother to connect with the baby, and prepare for the journey towards birth and motherhood. Pre-natal Yoga gives women the opportunity to deepen their relationship with their body and baby’s body while experiencing the ever changing process of growth during pregnancy. The Yogic practice focuses on postures and breathing techniques and facilitates a healthy pregnancy and child birth.

Pre-natal Yogic Programmes helps pregnant woman for easy, natural and painless delivery.

Yoga says, “What a fetus learns in the womb can not learn on the earth.” Pre-natal Yogic practice is a bond with mother’s unborn baby and preparation for labor. Ensuring a healthy baby is every woman’s dream and Yoga helps you do just that.Post-natal Yogic Program is a must to prevent chronic backache following delivery so as to avoid the woman from becoming a chronic invalid.

As it is said ‘The structure is adapted to the function,’ the pregnant woman adapts a body-structure suitable for pregnancy and smooth delivery. After the wonderful process of childbirth is over, nature starts the work of rehabilitation in its unique way. The post-natal Yogic Programme assists nature in this work of rehabilitation and quickens the pace of rehabilitation. It improves the muscle-tone, the body structures, the breathing capacity and digestive and excretory functions. Practiced regularly, ‘Post-natal Yogic Programme’ enables the mother maintain mental and physical fitness.During pregnancy, Yoga Diet is the most suitable form of nourishment.

These “HI-Tech,” Pre-natal and Post-natal Yogic Programmes are designed and implemented by Yogacharya ‘Padma Shri ’awardees Shri S.P.Nimbalkar, Founder & Director of “Yoga Vidya Niketan,” Mumbai.

During the implementation of this programme, I have found many astonishing and positive results. Many parents (families) were quite satisfied with the outcome. In many cases, where the process has been adopted, the delivered babieshave been found to be ‘courageous,’ ‘philosophical,’as well as ‘peaceful’ in nature. The baby is more alert, attentive, brilliant, receptive and intelligent.

This project has become a tool for social revolution in order to spread good values in our society. The baby in the womb is affected by the thoughts and emotions of his parents. Therefore, it becomes essential for them to avoid negative thoughts, bad habits and to maintain a cheerful atmosphere.

The process continues after delivery. Thus, you will find a gradual but steady change in the social environment as well as a strong coherent society based on unity and sacrifice.

Yogeeraj, V.G.Karnataki (e-mail: )

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Your Fetus As An Active Learner

By Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.

Recent research indicates that the growing fetus is more than an unfeeling organism, but that it is actually an active learner!

Experiments done with fiber optics, for example, show that the fetus turns away when light is shined on it; other studies show an increase in heart rate and changes in the movement in the fetus when loud music is played, or when the mother is experiencing states of stress. These observations suggest that even before birth there are specific behaviors being modified and changed in response to experience, and that the fetus is in the process of learning all about them.

You can take advantage of these findings and use your pregnancy as an opportunity to begin the process of educating your child.

Sing or hum softly to your fetus; the sounds provide an introduction to rhythm and tone that will be important to later language development.
Avoid highly stressful situations which can expose your fetus to hormone levels that block pre-natal learning.
Finally, pursue your own learning activities, whatever they are. While the fetus will not learn directly from these experiences, your own mental attitude will be a kind of comfort and security to her that will provide her with the basis for a positive attitude toward learning after she is born.