Honor the Natural Intelligence of Birth

written by Kara Maia Spencer, photo by Mandy Reid

Everything in the universe is made of energy. All living energy follows certain universal laws. Nature’s intelligence organizes energy into patterns and flow. Through observing the flow of nature through somatic experience of the living world, humans can integrate the natural wisdom of the universe to move through living experience with dynamic ease.   

Pregnancy is a wonderful time to interact with the natural living world and observe the wisdom of the elements, through the dance of time and space. Taking space during pregnancy to connect with the natural world can greatly enhance physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

 
Walking is an excellent activity for pregnancy. Physically it is great exercise, and it is free to walk outside in most places in the world. Walking is also excellent along forest trails, urban walking paths, and anywhere you can experience wind and sun on your skin, hear the sounds of birds and breezes, and smell the scent of spring, autumn, or a fresh rain.   

During my pregnancy, I loved to walk along the beach by the ocean or the Puget Sound. The lapping rhythms of the waves were deeply soothing to me. I felt a cellular connection to the ocean, the Global Womb.

Alone at the beach, I would seek solace from the sea and I would talk to the ocean, telling the maternal sea what my hopes and fears were about becoming a mother and giving birth. My conversations were carried away by the sounds of the roaring waves and the blowing winds and I felt a sense of peace walking away from the shore, having giving voice to my fears and seen them blown away on the ocean breeze.

During my labor I also walked along my favorite Seattle beach along the Puget Sound. I had a long early labor, and to encourage things to move along, I walked along the beach at Carkeek Park. I contemplated the rhythmic tides as I felt the contractions in my womb. I squatted by driftwood when I felt the waves of my labor.    

Swimming is another excellent way to connect with the natural element of water. The baby enters the world in a fluid environment; the maternal ocean of the woman’s womb is the watery world of the fetus. During pregnancy, bathing and swimming are great ways to relax, spend time connecting with the baby, and literally soak in the wisdom of the natural elements.   

Water energetically clears our bodies, and walking on the earth energetically grounds our energetic systems. We receive energetic nourishment and become recharged through absorbing natural energy, also known as prana or qi, through the sunlight, air, and environment.   

There are places with strong natural power that people go to because it makes them feel good. Natural power places such as waterfalls, mountains, and the ocean shore have higher levels of negative ions in the area. Negative ions make humans feel good, breathing the negative ions provides a natural boost to improve mood and positive feelings. It’s like the Mother Earth’s version of oxytocin. Seek out your power places in nature and spend time visiting them during the pregnancy and later with your baby.   

Also minimize time spent in front of computer monitors, under fluorescent lights, and in places with forced ventilations. These all create an overabundance of positive ions in the air which can increase fatigue and depression. Humanities creation of electronics and constructed environments disrupt the delicate electrical balance between the atmosphere and the Earth and create an overabundance of positive ions.   

Direct experience with nature is essential for whole health, especially during pregnancy, postpartum, and early childhood. Go for a walk every day for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Take a minimum of 10 minutes a day to be outside if that’s all you can do. Experience the Earth and nature where you are, in whatever form it takes. In the primal growth period we receive important information from the natural world on who we are in relationship to the Earth.

To see a world in a grain of sand

and a heaven in a wild flower,

hold infinity in the palm of your hand

and eternity in an hour.

-William Blake

It doesn’t matter what piece of the natural world we interact with, whether it is forest, desert, park, rain, sun, dirt, stargazing, or a sidewalk puddle. The nature of the universe is holographic and to experience directly with any one part of nature allows us a direct interface with the entire hologram of the universe