The Mind in Labour
A Weekend Intensive to Develop Mindfulness Based Coping Skills
Preparing for childbirth may bring up a combination of emotions such as excitement and joy, fear of physical pain or anxiety about how your birth experience will unfold. How we use our minds to relate to the challenges of fear and pain can make a huge difference in our labor and delivery experience.
Based on the mind/body work at the pioneering Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD at the University of Massachusetts, this will be a weekend for looking deeply at pain and fear during childbirth and for cultivating tools to work with them in the process of giving birth.
In this workshop, you will:
- Practice various mind/body modalities for working with pain in childbirth
- Experience using the breath as an anchor to the present moment
- Tap into inner reservoirs of strength, confidence and courage
- Begin to cultivate the powerful tool of mindfulness and moment-to-moment awareness for the challenges (and joys!) of birthing and parenting
- Learn how to be fully present to give assistance as a birth partner
This workshop draws from the curriculum of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) program that was developed by Nancy Bardacke (author of the book Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond). It is an excellent complement to any childbirth preparation class, including refresher classes. It can also be helpful for those who may have had a difficult previous birth experience or who anticipate a birth requiring special medical attention.The workshop allows time for going deeply into mindfulness practices and includes partner-based experiential exercises.
*NEW* Click here to review the research that was recently highlighted in the NY Times.
“Mindfulness practice provides an opportunity for the discovery of previously unrecognized inner resources of strength and resilience, By the time the workshop is over, women’s confidence levels increase and their fears begin to dissipate. They realize that even if giving birth is hard, it’s something that they can manage, moment by moment.” ~ Nancy Bardacke
Date: Spring 2018. *to be announced, please email for details
Time: Friday: 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9:30am - 3:30pm
Location: *to be announced
Fee: $295 (+GST) for mom & birth helper
Includes a copy of the book, Mindful Birthing, & Guided Audio Meditation CD
Registration: Please call the office 250-383-2626 or enquire at scurran@elementscentre.ca
Instructor: Stephanie Curran, an Acupuncturist and Director of the Elements of Health Centre (and a mom!), is a long-time practitioner of meditation and yoga. She has completed teacher training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (from MBSR founder, Jon Kabat Zinn), Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parentlng and a variety of other course work in teaching mindfulness to families and children. Click here to read more about Stephanie's training and background.
