How Transcendental Meditation Can Help Alleviate Anxiety During Pregnancy by Beth Rush
Pregnancy is a selfless transformative journey filled with joy, anticipation, planning and, for many women, a fair share of anxiety. If you’re expecting or planning to become pregnant, you might be searching for natural ways to manage stress and promote overall well-being.
Transcendental Meditation is a powerful technique that could be your secret weapon for a calm and joyful pregnancy despite all the physical, emotional, mental and financial changes.
What Is Transcendental Meditation?
Transcendental Meditation is a simple, effortless technique in which you repeat a specific word or phrase — known as a mantra — until you reach a state of inner peace and deep relaxation.
Transcendental Meditation does not involve concentration or advanced techniques. You’re not trying to control your thoughts or empty your mind. When practicing Transcendental Meditation, you allow your brain to naturally settle into a state of restful alertness through a mantra, where stress melts away and inner calm prevails.
How Does Transcendental Meditation Help During Pregnancy?
Transcendental Meditation offers many benefits for expectant mothers, allowing them to have a more positive and enriching pregnancy experience.
Stress Reduction
Pregnancy can be a time of heightened stress and anxiety. The hormonal changes, physical discomforts and anticipation of significant life changes can take a toll on your mental well-being. Transcendental Meditation provides a powerful antidote to stress by activating your body’s relaxation response.
Most meditations, like mindfulness meditation, focus on breathing, awareness of the body and staying present to help combat stress. In Transcendental Meditation, your only focus is remembering and chanting your mantra. This helps manage the pressure of trying to “meditate right” and thus helps relieve your stress faster.
Your body enters a state of deep rest by practicing Transcendental Meditation, which allows it to release built-up stress and tension. This leads to decreased levels of cortisol — the stress hormone — and increased production of feel-good hormones like serotonin.
Improved Sleep Quality
Many pregnant women struggle with sleep issues, from insomnia to discomfort. Transcendental Meditation can be a game-changer in this area. Deep rest achieved during this practice can help compensate for lack of sleep, leaving you feeling more refreshed and energized.
Regular Transcendental Meditation practice has been shown to improve the quality and quantity of sleep. Your body needs lots of rest during pregnancy to support your growing baby. Better sleep reduces fatigue and improves mood and health during this stage of your life.
Enhanced Emotional Balance
Pregnancy is often described as an emotional roller coaster, thanks to the surge of hormones coursing through your body, the physical changes and the fatigue. Transcendental Meditation can help stabilize your emotions by reducing stress and anxiety, which often underlie mood swings.
By practicing Transcendental Meditation regularly, you may find yourself better equipped to handle pregnancy's emotional ups and downs. This emotional stability can contribute to a more positive experience and may even help reduce the risk of prenatal and postpartum depression.
Pain Management
You may experience various aches and pains as your body changes to accommodate your growing baby. Transcendental Meditation can increase your pain tolerance by promoting relaxation and reducing tension.
Increased pain tolerance can be particularly beneficial during labor. The relaxation techniques you learn through Transcendental Meditation can help you stay calm and focused during contractions, potentially leading to a more positive birth experience.
Lower Blood Pressure
Pregnancy can sometimes lead to elevated blood pressure, which can be a risk factor for complications. Regular Transcendental Meditation practice has been shown to help lower blood pressure naturally.
Transcendental Meditation can help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range throughout pregnancy by promoting relaxation and reducing stress, protecting your and the baby’s health.
Can Transcendental Meditation Help With Anxiety?
Anxiety is a common concern for many pregnant women, and Transcendental Meditation can be a powerful tool in managing these feelings. It does this by:
Calming your nervous system: Transcendental Meditation activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the anxiety-related fight-or-flight response.
Increasing self-awareness: Transcendental Meditation helps you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, allowing you to respond to anxiety triggers more calmly.
Promoting present-moment focus: While different from mindfulness meditation, Transcendental Meditation also cultivates a sense of present-moment awareness that can help reduce anxiety.
How to Get Started With Transcendental Meditation During Pregnancy
Are you ready to give Transcendental Meditation a try? Here’s how to begin:
Find a certified teacher who can guide you through the process.
Attend a Transcendental Meditation course to learn more about the practice.
Practice Transcendental Meditation regularly for optimal benefits, about 20 minutes, twice a day.
Be patient and do not get discouraged if your mind wanders, you forget your mantra or you can’t practice for longer than a few minutes.
Consult your health care provider before starting the practice and throughout your pregnancy to ensure you and your baby are safe.
Reap the Benefits of Transcendental Meditation During Pregnancy
Transcendental Meditation offers a wealth of benefits for expectant mothers, from stress and anxiety reduction to better emotional balance and pain management. Incorporate it into your daily routine to care for yourself and your baby.
Beth Rush is the family wellness editor at Body+Mind, a health and wellness brand. She is raising her own family on plant-based recipes and mindful nutrition. You can find Beth on Twitter @bodymindmag.