Labour Preparation
These breathing and relaxation exercises can help you to relax during pregnancy and to prepare for labour.
Practise whichever exercises feel right for you.
Breathing Awareness
Purpose: To observe the flow of breath and do nothing. This breathing is helpful during labour and helps
to increase overall awareness of breathing.
● For a few minutes, observe the flow and rhythm of your breathing without altering your natural rhythm
● Be aware of the ground and the pull of gravity on your body. With each exhalation, imagine yourself
melting into the earth. Release your lower back downwards and let your hips drop toward the floor.
● Observe the natural pause that occurs at the end of an exhalation.
● As you inhale, maintain the awareness of feeling your pelvis being grounded, keep your shoulders relaxed, and
feel your lungs expand as you receive oxygen for your body and to nourish your baby.
● With the next exhalation, feel the breath ripple down your spine towards the ground, and with your inhalations,
continue to feel the wave of breath along your spine as you fill your lungs.
● Continue with this pattern for 5-10 minutes or longer and maintain the feeling of being grounded by paying
attention to the contact that your body makes with the floor. Allow your pelvis to be on the ground and your spine
to lengthen in both directions as you breathe.
Cyclical Breathing
Purpose: Helps to regulate your breathing rhythm.
●Observe your natural breath, breathing in and out of your nose.
● Pay attention to the three phases of breath: the exhalation, the pause after exhaling and the inhalation.
● Now try counting slowly to yourself as you breathe. Exhale to the count of 6; pause for a count of 3;
inhale for a count of three.
Continue this pattern for several minutes and then return to your normal
Interval Breathing
Purpose: Helps individual to use the whole capacity of their lungs
● Visualize your lungs as having three parts- a base, a middle and a top
● With exhalation, empty your lungs slowly from the top downwards and pause for an instant
between each part of your lungs. Inhale passively and continue this exhalation exercise for 6 cycles of breath
● Now with your inhalation, fill your lungs from the base upwards. Feel the air filling all three sections
of your lungs and again pause with each section. Exhale passively and continue for 6 cycles of breath.
● During this exercise, try to imagine gravity pulling your pelvis and hips down to the ground and
keep your shoulders relaxed.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Purpose: Balances left and right and activates energy in the body.
● Place the thumb of your right hand beside your right nostril and the middle finger of the same
hand beside the left nostril. With this exercise you will breathe in and out alternately through each nostril.
● Close your right nostril by lightly touching your thumb to your nostril and keep your left nostril open.
Inhale through your left nostril.
● Now lightly close the left nostril with your middle finger, release your thumb and exhale through the
right nostril. Now inhale with your right nostril and exhale through your left. Then inhale through the
left and exhale through the right.
Continue for a few minutes.
Awareness of the Centre
Purpose: Helps to breathe abdominally with your diaphragm and increase awareness of the center
of gravity in the lower abdomen and the root of the spine. During the last month of pregnancy you
may prefer to exhale through the mouth, which is good practice for labour when the natural tendency
is to exhale through the mouth.
● Place both hands on your lower belly, cradling your baby. Focus your awareness on your breathing,
inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
● Pay attention to your exhalations by exhaling slowly and completely emptying your lungs. Pause
after the exhalation and slowly feel the lungs fill through inhalation on their own.
● Continue until you have a feeling that your exhalation is long and slow and is followed by a passive
inhalation without special effort.
● Continue this pattern of breathing and now focus your awareness on the spot in the center of your
belly, behind your hands. With exhalation, feel the breath empty from just behind your hands, feeling like
it is drawing your baby closer to your spine. Pause. With inhalation, allow your belly to softly expand into your hands.
Continue with this, keeping your body relaxed, for several minutes.
Sound Breathing
Purpose: Practice for labour and birth and helps to extend breathing to its natural limits. During
contractions, this can help you to feel grounded and centred. To practise for labour, you can do this
breathing in different positions. (Hands and Knees, standing and moving hips in circular motion, etc.)
● Pay attention to your breathing. With exhalation, make a hissing sound (sssss) until it feels like you
have emptied your lungs. Make this noise for a couple of breaths and then experiment with different
sounds with exhalation: ooooooo, aaaaaww, aaaah, eeeeee, ehhhhh.
All Breathing exercises are based upon recommendations
from Preparing for Birth with Yoga by Janet Balaskas
These breathing and relaxation exercises can help you to relax during pregnancy and to prepare for labour.
Practise whichever exercises feel right for you.
Breathing Awareness
Purpose: To observe the flow of breath and do nothing. This breathing is helpful during labour and helps
to increase overall awareness of breathing.
● For a few minutes, observe the flow and rhythm of your breathing without altering your natural rhythm
● Be aware of the ground and the pull of gravity on your body. With each exhalation, imagine yourself
melting into the earth. Release your lower back downwards and let your hips drop toward the floor.
● Observe the natural pause that occurs at the end of an exhalation.
● As you inhale, maintain the awareness of feeling your pelvis being grounded, keep your shoulders relaxed, and
feel your lungs expand as you receive oxygen for your body and to nourish your baby.
● With the next exhalation, feel the breath ripple down your spine towards the ground, and with your inhalations,
continue to feel the wave of breath along your spine as you fill your lungs.
● Continue with this pattern for 5-10 minutes or longer and maintain the feeling of being grounded by paying
attention to the contact that your body makes with the floor. Allow your pelvis to be on the ground and your spine
to lengthen in both directions as you breathe.
Cyclical Breathing
Purpose: Helps to regulate your breathing rhythm.
●Observe your natural breath, breathing in and out of your nose.
● Pay attention to the three phases of breath: the exhalation, the pause after exhaling and the inhalation.
● Now try counting slowly to yourself as you breathe. Exhale to the count of 6; pause for a count of 3;
inhale for a count of three.
Continue this pattern for several minutes and then return to your normal
Interval Breathing
Purpose: Helps individual to use the whole capacity of their lungs
● Visualize your lungs as having three parts- a base, a middle and a top
● With exhalation, empty your lungs slowly from the top downwards and pause for an instant
between each part of your lungs. Inhale passively and continue this exhalation exercise for 6 cycles of breath
● Now with your inhalation, fill your lungs from the base upwards. Feel the air filling all three sections
of your lungs and again pause with each section. Exhale passively and continue for 6 cycles of breath.
● During this exercise, try to imagine gravity pulling your pelvis and hips down to the ground and
keep your shoulders relaxed.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Purpose: Balances left and right and activates energy in the body.
● Place the thumb of your right hand beside your right nostril and the middle finger of the same
hand beside the left nostril. With this exercise you will breathe in and out alternately through each nostril.
● Close your right nostril by lightly touching your thumb to your nostril and keep your left nostril open.
Inhale through your left nostril.
● Now lightly close the left nostril with your middle finger, release your thumb and exhale through the
right nostril. Now inhale with your right nostril and exhale through your left. Then inhale through the
left and exhale through the right.
Continue for a few minutes.
Awareness of the Centre
Purpose: Helps to breathe abdominally with your diaphragm and increase awareness of the center
of gravity in the lower abdomen and the root of the spine. During the last month of pregnancy you
may prefer to exhale through the mouth, which is good practice for labour when the natural tendency
is to exhale through the mouth.
● Place both hands on your lower belly, cradling your baby. Focus your awareness on your breathing,
inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
● Pay attention to your exhalations by exhaling slowly and completely emptying your lungs. Pause
after the exhalation and slowly feel the lungs fill through inhalation on their own.
● Continue until you have a feeling that your exhalation is long and slow and is followed by a passive
inhalation without special effort.
● Continue this pattern of breathing and now focus your awareness on the spot in the center of your
belly, behind your hands. With exhalation, feel the breath empty from just behind your hands, feeling like
it is drawing your baby closer to your spine. Pause. With inhalation, allow your belly to softly expand into your hands.
Continue with this, keeping your body relaxed, for several minutes.
Sound Breathing
Purpose: Practice for labour and birth and helps to extend breathing to its natural limits. During
contractions, this can help you to feel grounded and centred. To practise for labour, you can do this
breathing in different positions. (Hands and Knees, standing and moving hips in circular motion, etc.)
● Pay attention to your breathing. With exhalation, make a hissing sound (sssss) until it feels like you
have emptied your lungs. Make this noise for a couple of breaths and then experiment with different
sounds with exhalation: ooooooo, aaaaaww, aaaah, eeeeee, ehhhhh.
All Breathing exercises are based upon recommendations
from Preparing for Birth with Yoga by Janet Balaskas
