An easy technique to relieve stress: balancing your brain

We wanted to share with you a quick, great video of a technique that helps you relieve stress.  We love being able to connect our Mama Goddesses with work that we believe is beneficial and non-intrusive.  There are so many amazing healers out there, and it gets us excited especially when they are very experienced with working with children, pregnant mothers and women in general.

One such individual is a well-known figure in the world of BodyTalk, a form of holistic energy & consciousness healing system that is practiced and taught all over the world (over 41 countries).

Multi-talented Karen Atkins is one of the most engaging speakers and teachers of this comprehensive healing modality.

What exactly is BodyTalk?

BodyTalk is a complete system that utilizes “tapping” methods to restore health in the cells of the body. Based on the most progressive research in quantum physics, it is a practical and methodical – albeit intuitive and seemingly mystical – way to repair relationships within the body so that all cells, organs and systems work together in the most harmonious way possible.

Having come from a conservative family of lawyers and teachers, when Karen first discovered BodyTalk, she admits that “it seemed very ‘voodoo’ to me.”

Years before learning about BodyTalk, Karen had a solid musical career going for herself, but the high-stress lifestyle had gotten the best of her. She went to a massage therapist who introduced her to a practitioner of the Alexander technique, who then introduced her to cranial sacral therapy, then she found herself learning about acupuncture and martial arts. She was continuously searching for different ways to heal herself, and after being on the healing journey for over a decade, encountered BodyTalk.

“I’ve been on this healing journey for over 20 years, and I haven’t found another modality that is as dynamic, far-reaching, and simple,” Karen says, although she also warns that “you can’t just do one thing and say, ‘that’s it,’ because there are so many factors that affect our well-being. But BodyTalk covers a major chunk.“

Karen’s passion is extremely contagious. And that’s because of her core belief that the “only way to make a change (in the world) is to create more coherency within one’s self, and simply teach others to do the same. I’ve learned over the years that there’s no point trying to fight all that is going on in the world. The only way is to be more conscious yourself.“

Consciousness is a foundation of BodyTalk and Karen’s teachings. It’s about tapping into the subconscious, which makes up more than 90% of our consciousness. We are only conscious 1-10% of the time! If we can (literally) tap into our subconscious and access our Inner Wisdom, then our bodies will be able to regain health.

Today, we would like to share one of the techniques that she teaches, called Cortices Balancing.

Karen says that “this is the most powerful technique I have found to:

• Calm the fight or flight response
• Get us out of overwhelm
• And speed up the healing process of trauma or injury

I have been teaching the cortices balancing technique for over 10 years, and have seen more miracles with this technique than any other single tool I’ve used. If each individual feels more peaceful inside then, one by one, the world becomes more peaceful. That’s the kind of world I want to live in.

There are thousands and thousands of testimonials from people from all over the world who’ve alleviated symptoms anywhere from headaches to insomnia and from ADD to Autism.”

Here is the video to show you how to do it.  By balancing both sides of the brain, the brain can do its work with better flow.  It’s very simple and only takes a minute, so give it a try on yourself, and on your babies and partners too!

Karen’s BodyTalk and Access (one-day intensive) classes give us the power to become intermediaries between us and our innate wisdom. Our innate wisdom controls the communication between our 50-100 trillion cells. It knows what’s going on in the body. But because of all the conditioning, polluting, and ego-driven thinking that has separated us from this “inner doctor,” we need help from a system like BodyTalk to re-open the lines of communication and rediscover our bodies’ perfect ways to restore themselves.

What we love about Karen is that she explains everything in the most persuasive, scientific and humorous way, that you are never once bored in her class.  She is someone who can relate this information to both left-brained and right-brained people, and after learning the techniques, you too will be able to balance the sides of your brain

Karen Atkins is really at the forefront of this healing technique in the US.  She has traveled all around the world to teach and train new BodyTalk healers.  In Europe, BodyTalk has become a university degree, and many are lobbying for that to happen in the US as well.

Karen is available for phone consultations and distant healing sessions, so visit her website/blog to find out more about her work, her explanation on BodyTalk, and inspiring videos and articles for maximizing emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being.

We Go Together Like… Breastfeeding and Co-Sleeping

Guest Post by Tracy Cassels

“100 years of rapidly changing infant-care fashions cannot alter several million years of evolutionarily derived infant physiology”

̴ Dr. Helen Ball

Sleep and feeding have become some of the most discussed and disseminated topics in parenting today.  How much sleep are you getting?  Do you use formula or just the breast?  When should a child sleep through the night?  Do you pump?  Does dad feed the little one at all?  Do you room-share, bedshare, or put the little one alone in his room?  What about sex?   There is an endless array of questions and judgments and ‘should’s associated with both infant sleep and feeding.  But this hasn’t always been the case.  It used to be a simple matter of mother breastfeeding and mother and infant sleeping together with no judgment and no questions about quality or quantity of sleep.  For this reason, breastfeeding and co-sleeping are huge parts of evolutionary parenting; they facilitate the bond between mother and infant via skin-to-skin contact[1], co-sleeping works to keep baby’s temperature and breathing regulated[2][3] and it seems to provide parents and baby with better sleep[4], while breastfeeding offers vital immune protection to infants necessary for survival[5].

For most mothers in contemporary Western societies, breastfeeding and infant sleeping arrangements are two distinct parenting practices with little or no relation to one another.  To talk about one is not to talk about the other.  Biologically, however, the two are inextricably intertwined.  For much of human history, hunter-gatherer societies dominated and in this domain, women were as central to the survival of the clan as men.  There were no maternity leaves, but the work done by women was of the less-dangerous gatherer type, meaning they were able to do their work with children and infants in tow.  But with this came the necessity for women to sleep well as a woman who is sleep-deprived does not serve anyone well in any capacity (it is truly strange that we have adopted the modern view that sleep deprivation is a “normal” state of affairs with a newborn).  As for the infant, without any alternatives, they required their mother’s breastmilk to survive, much less thrive.  And thus we reach the point at which breastfeeding and co-sleeping collide – in order to breastfeed continuously without immense sleep interruption mothers must co-sleep; and on the flipside, co-sleeping allows mothers to breastfeed more often providing more nutrition for a developing infant.  Biologically, our bodies have evolved to both breastfeed and co-sleep and each seems to have helped facilitate the other.  So how did this separation occur and what does it mean for infant well-being and parenting practices in Western societies?

There seem to be distinct reasons for the reduction in breastfeeding and co-sleeping in Western societies, yet they obviously affect each other.  With respect to breastfeeding, we see the rise of the industrial society, which sent women to work, and science with all its might creating formula which was believed to be superior to breastmilk by doctors for quite some time (for a full summary of this, see Why Is Saving Babies’ Lives Not Enough?).  These two factors alone had a huge impact on reducing breastfeeding rates in Western societies.  This reduction of breastfeeding meant that sleeping arrangements were also free to change, but in addition there was an even greater impetus for change – the belief in fostering independence.

The juxtaposition of a baby’s dependence/interconnectedness and independence/autonomy has dictated parenting practices around the world, though not always in the same manner.  For example, in America the newborn is viewed as entirely dependent upon its mother, yet the desired end-goal is for that baby to be an independent and autonomous individual.  Thus our practices are geared towards that end-goal; we put babies alone in their own room, we don’t touch them very often, and we’ve even removed the dependence on mom for breastfeeding through the use of formula.  In contrast, the Japanese view the newborn as an autonomous, independent being who must be held, breastfed, and touched regularly (co-sleeping is the norm there) in order to build the feelings of interconnectedness they value[6].  Similarly, research from New Zealand has found that cultural groups that share the Western independence view rarely sleep with their infants, while Pacific cultural groups demonstrate lots of sleep contact because they believe that interconnectedness is the way to foster a child’s development[7].  So while there are myriad factors why any one individual would choose to co-sleep or not, or breastfeed or not, culturally this notion of independence has played a very large role in shaping our collective views on the issue.

The problem for Western cultures is that the Western assumptions of what fosters independence seem to be, well, wrong.  Research has demonstrated that the Eastern interconnectedness model fosters independence and well-being to a much greater degree than simply forcing children to try and be independent.  One such example is the case of the Sami and Norwegian children.  Sami individuals are more likely to co-sleep with their children and their children were found to be more independent and demand less attention from their parents than Norwegian children who typically sleep alone[8].  (For a full summary of the link between independence and co-sleeping, see Co-Sleeping: Fostering Independence.)  Interestingly, thanks to a push to increase breastfeeding rates in Norway, co-sleeping has also become a more common sleeping arrangement[9] and children are reaping the benefits.  Similar relationships have also been found in Sweden where breastfed infants were much more likely to sleep with their parents than formula-fed infants[10].

I have mentioned some of the logistical reasons for breastfeeding and co-sleeping to go together, but is there more than that?  After all, if it’s a matter of pure logistics, wouldn’t it simply be a matter of whatever works to separate the two?  Turns out there are a couple of rather important effects that each practice has on the other and we’ll start with the effects of co-sleeping on breastfeeding.  As previously mentioned, co-sleeping is greater amongst breastfeeding mothers[11], and while increasing breastfeeding has increased co-sleeping rates[9][10], the fact it that co-sleeping actually facilitates more breastfeeding.  If you compare mothers who breastfeed, those who co-sleep breastfeed up to twice as much at night over those who do not co-sleep[12].

Why is this important?  Dr. Helen Ball has done research on the effects of sleep location on breastfeeding and come to some rather interesting (though expected) conclusions.  Namely, co-sleeping right from the start reduces the chances of having breastfeeding problems.  Specifically, Dr. Ball looked at sleep locations for new mothers and their infants and randomly assigned women to one of three location types – either those that facilitated mother-infant access (i.e., bed-sharing or putting the infant in a three-sided crib that was attached the parent bed, much like an official Co-Sleeper) or those that did not (i.e., a standalone bassinette next to the mother’s bed).  Mother-infant dyads who had sleeping arrangements that facilitated mother-infant access showed greater successful suckling than those who were in the standalone bassinette group[13].  Upon follow-up with these same mothers, it was found that these effects of early co-sleeping continued at 16 weeks, with twice as many mothers in the unhindered access groups both breastfeeding and exclusively breastfeeding[14].  Note that this doesn’t even cover women who may have their newborns in a separate room from themselves as all three groups were at the very least room-sharing, but it was the bed-sharing (or three-sided crib) that facilitated breastfeeding.  Why does this happen?  As previously mentioned, infants who co-sleep tend to feed (or at least suckle) for twice the amount of time as non-co-sleeping infants[11].  Stimulation of the nipple is necessary for the production of prolactin, the hormone that allows for milk secretion, and thus the reduction in suckling or nursing can lead to deleterious effects on milk production or the maintenance of a mother’s milk supply[15].  In short, by getting your baby into bed with you right away, you reduce the chances of having supply issues when breastfeeding.

Now, what of the effects of breastfeeding on co-sleeping?  First you must remember that the biggest argument against co-sleeping is to do with infant deaths.  Many people argue that co-sleeping increases the risk of death via suffocation or SIDS.  While there is no direct evidence that breastfeeding causes a reduction in SIDS for co-sleeping babies, there is ample circumstantial evidence to suggest this is the case.  Most prominently, cross-cultural data shows that cultures in which co-sleeping and breastfeeding are the norm have substantially lower SIDS rates than cultures in which they are not the norm[16][17][18].  For example, Japan has long been considered the pinnacle of success with respect to SIDS deaths as their rates are generally half of other industrialized nations and co-sleeping is also the norm there (see Bedsharing and SIDS: The Whole Truth for a full review of their practices and SIDS rates).  It is possible that breastfeeding has nothing to do with their lower SIDS rates, except that we know breastfed babies are at a much lower risk for SIDS more generally[19][20][21][22][23].  Breastfeeding in and of itself reduces the risk of SIDS; in a meta-analysis on the relationship between breastfeeding and SIDS, it was found that while any breastfeeding more than halves the risk of SIDS, exclusive breastfeeding has an ever greater effect[24].  Furthermore, duration and intensity of breastfeeding have also been found to relate to SIDS levels, with greater duration and intensity leading to a lower risk of SIDS[3].  If you recall, it has also been found that co-sleeping babies breastfeed up to twice as long as non-co-sleeping babies.  It is therefore reasonable to assume that the extra breastfeeding during co-sleeping serves as added protection against SIDS.

An additional hypothesis for how breastfeeding may reduce the risk of SIDS for co-sleeping infants comes from Dr. James McKenna who has posited that the arousals from breastfeeding keep the infant from falling into a deeper sleep which may lead to a “failure to rouse” [25].  This “failure to rouse” has been discussed as a potential mechanism behind SIDS – infants reach too deep a level of sleep and they are simply incapable of coming out of it, kind of like entering a coma.  Breastfeeding thus increases the number of infant arousals (though not full wakings) and this is greater during co-sleeping and is especially true for breastfeeding dyads not only because of mom’s movements, but because of the frequency of feedings.

Another way in which breastfeeding may help reduce the risk of SIDS (and did for many years) is by the position in which the infant sleeps.  Breastfeeding infants are less likely to sleep prone because it doesn’t facilitate breastfeeding as easily; in order for an infant to breastfeed, he or she needs to be on his or her back or side.  An infant in the prone position simply cannot reach or latch onto the breast (unless the prone position is on mom).  This also helps reduce the chances of infants suffocating, as a baby in the prone position who cannot roll over is at greater risk for suffocation.

Indeed, breastfeeding also seems to be related to practices that reduce the risk for suffocation.  Research has found that maternal-infant behaviour in bed is different amongst breastfeeding mothers than formula-fed infants[26] with certain behaviours, like facing the infant and having the infant lie at chest level, being much more prominent in breastfeeding dyads.  Dr. Helen Ball has done this work and while some of these behaviours may seem trivial, they can be imperative for keeping an infant safe.  For example, a child who lies at chest level (as opposed to head level, which is what Dr. Ball found to be more common in formula-fed infants who co-slept) is less likely to be surrounded by pillows which are considered dangers for suffocation.  They are also less likely to be too close to a headboard which is a known hazard as babies have fallen between the headboard and mattress and suffocated.

I would also like to add my own hypothesis here.  There is evidence that bonding is generally greater for breastfeeding dyads – the reason being that there seems to be more eye contact between mom and baby during a breastfeeding session than a bottle-feeding session[27].  I believe that the bonding that occurs during daytime feedings serve to heighten mom’s awareness of and about her baby, leading her to be intuitively safer at night.  That is, a mother who has bonded with her child is more aware of her child’s presence at any given point and I believe this extends to when we are sleeping (barring the use of any illicit substances).  Of course, research needs to be done to test this – it’s just educated speculation at this point, but I struggle with the idea that all this bonding doesn’t extend its effects into the evening hours.

Hopefully the link between breastfeeding and co-sleeping is now clear.  The benefits they offer each other are neither superfluous nor easily available by other means.  In changing our parenting practices, we have developed other problems.  Western countries have alarmingly high rates of breastfeeding problems and much higher rates of infant mortality (notably SIDS) than other countries who have similar medical advancements but also breastfeed and co-sleep on a regular basis.  Interestingly, we also have a high rate of sleeplessness by new mothers – so much so that we joke about never sleeping again when people have a new baby – and our children have unusually strong attachments to objects for sleep (e.g., security blankets, stuffed animals).  Neither of these are universal.  In fact, research has shown that breastfeeding mothers who co-sleep get more sleep than both bottle-feeding mothers and mothers who breastfeed, but do not co-sleep[28].  Additionally, children who are solitary sleepers show a greater need and use for security objects and sleep aids[29].  So not only do our sleep and feeding practices have significant consequences (i.e., breastfeeding troubles and infant death), we see smaller consequences in the majority of new moms and their children.  Isn’t it time we recognized not only the benefits of co-sleeping and breastfeeding, but the symbiotic nature of the two?

Did you co-sleep?  Breastfeed?  Did you experience any of the deficits/benefits associated with your particular feeding and sleeping style?

—————

Tracy Cassels is a loving mother and wife, PhD candidate of Developmental Psychology at UBC, and the creator and writer of Evolutionary Parenting, a highly informative, research-based website on parenting: “parenting that focuses on using the tools evolution has provided for us to raise happy, healthy, moral, empathic, and intelligent children.” 

Article used by permission from http://www.evolutionaryparenting.com/?p=280

I Honor You: Celebrating International Women’s Day.

Today, the world is celebrating women, as International Women’s Day enters its second centennial cycle.

At Mama Goddess, we celebrate women every single day.  It is not a difficult task, as we connect with our birthing mamas, doulas, and midwives, make our tea and products with prayers for safe and peaceful births, ship out birth kits that are essential to the welcoming of a new life… Everyday is a celebration of women, of mothers, of the Goddesses within.

However, on a day like today, when women everywhere are gathering, focused intention and energy is created, and that can be felt with increased intensity in the air, even if you are not directly involved in any particular event.  This is a wonderful opportunity to create a ritual honoring yourself as a woman, and honoring all of the women (as well as the men who love and support the women if you like), around you.

We have a mind-mapping exercise that we recommend for doing this. Please use the sample as a guide.

On a giant piece of paper, draw a big circle in the middle and write your name in the center of the circle.  Around this circle, write down all the things that make you a phenomenal woman (the orange bubbles).  These can be adjectives, all the amazing things you can do, your accomplishments, etc.

Next, draw a second layer of bubbles (connect them from your circle) to write down all the names of the women who inspire you in your life (the purple bubbles).  From family members to friends and inspiring figures, write all of them down in individual circles.

Then write down a description of each of them in the most positive light (the outer orange bubbles), and what makes them important to you.  If any description of them overlap with your own, you can connect their names to the first layer as well.  This makes you understand what aspects of yourself you share with these other women.

Decorate this and color code as you desire ~ it’s such a beautiful way to remind yourself of your own amazing characteristics, as well as those of other women, and the connection you have with them.

Knowing that you deserve the best in all aspects of life is the first step in changing your world.  Knowing that all the other women in the world do too is as important.  Change happens from within, so with each of us recognizing our virtues and letting go of what no longer serves us, we are paving the way to elevate the consciousness of all women and men around the world.

We are all here right now for a reason.  What is your reason?  What is worth preserving for the next generation?  Because honoring yourself is honoring all women, and honoring all women is honoring humankind (even though our patriarchal language has eliminated the feminine out of this word…!), and the survival of this planet.

We urge you to look within, because everything is already within you.  Look within, then connect to others.  If all of our inner wisdom can come out and shine onto the world – that’s when we’ll see real change.  Because women are physically, emotionally and spiritually capable of giving birth, we are some of the most powerful catalysts for change, especially positive change, for Mother Earth.  To honor ourselves, and to honor the femininity in all beings -male or female – is the act of honoring life itself.

So tell yourself and the women you love today these three simple words: “I honor you.”

Journeying Through Pregnancy and Birth

Recently featured on our newsletter for the Mama Health section, “Journeying through Pregnancy and Birth” is a powerful, gentle, and beautifully prepared birth & pregnancy CD that will help you relax deeply and create space for a sacred and peaceful pregnancy and birth.

Jennifer Houston has been a midwife for over twenty years, and is a mother and grandmother. She’s a certified Hypnotherapist and an experienced Neuro-Linguistic Programmer. She is aware of the interaction between body and mind, and the power of language. The desire to support natural birth and her witnessing to thousands of births, inspired her to create this new CD that we recently added to our collection of must-haves for pregnancy and birth.

“I want to undo negative cultural messages, help women reconceptualize their experience, gain strength, wisdom and peace of mind.”

Relaxation Advice from Jenna  (some excerpts & messages from the CD)

1) You are your best caretaker.  One of the greatest gifts pregnancy can offer is connecting and nurturing yourself through relaxation.

2) Lie down or sit in any way that is best for your body to relax.

3) Focus on your breath.  Place a hand below your ribcage and notice your belly rising and falling.  Watch your breath deepen with each inhalation and exhalation.  Exhale tension and all unnecessary things, letting go of anything you don’t need.  Inhale oxygen, relaxation, everything you need.

4) Scan your body.  Start from your face and head and work all the way down through all the parts of your body, releasing tension.

5) Connect with Mother Earth.  The way your body and your baby is created is exactly like how Earth is made.  Trust in the natural process.

6) Connect with your baby alive and moving within you.  Feel your baby feeling you – your beating heart, your breath, your love and care.  Imagine what it must feel like to be carried in the safe and cradling womb.

7) Connect with your partner if you have one, connect with your female allies and ancestors, visualizing and feeling their presence around you and their connection to you.

8) Reconnect with your body and your presence in the room by noticing your body touching your bed or couch, starting to move slowly.

—–

1000′s of women have used this CD in the past 11 years since Jenna first made this CD, with glowing reviews:

“With my busy schedule, this tape enabled me to spend time relaxing and nurturing my intention for a natural birth.” K.H., Mother

“This tape is an invaluable tool to help create the change in consciousness that supports a healthy pregnancy and birth.  I recommend it to all of the pregnant women I work with, especially useful for women with hypertension and postdates.” Larry Perl, MD OB/GYN
“In our homebirth practice, we gift every client with the ‘Journeying Through Pregnancy’ tape.” – Connie Coker & Martha Roth, Midwives

“After 25 years of attending births, and the growing fear in dominant culture around birth….I wanted to reframe fear and help women reclaim their power in birth through trust in nature and their bodies.”

Order your copy today to start your sacred daily ritual…

Shipped directly from the US