Earlier this year I had a miscarriage 9 weeks into my third pregnancy. I was surprised and shocked. My two previous pregnancies were smooth. Plus, I practice yoga, live a spiritual life, and am a prenatal yoga teacher. None of these things, however, made me immune to having a miscarriage or protected me from experiencing the raw emotions that come with one. Although miscarrying was intense, bewildering, and sad, being a yogini helped me to cope with the mixed emotions and body changes. In my quiet moments of reflection and healing, I recorded several lessons I learned from my experience, and I want to share those lessons with you. One. Hearing “I'm sorry” does not help. People often resort to, “I’m sorry, when they don’t know what else to say. That’s not to
…show more content…
It’s OK to normalize miscarriage. I wanted my children, especially my 7-year-old daughter, to understand that miscarriage is a normal part of life and to not be afraid of it. Rather than throwing traumatic unsaid feelings about miscarriage into “the junk drawer” (the hips), we talked about miscarriage in order to process, acknowledge and normalize life's truths and complex emotions. Eight. Be open to unexpected gifts. One treasure I gained is a deeper understanding of how I can help others as a prenatal yoga teacher. The mamas who have a past history of miscarriage are distrusting, fearful, and anxious. I can now be a true source of comfort, understanding, and hope to my students who have had a miscarriage or are going through one. Yoga poses like a forward fold or downward facing dog can help to calm an anxious mind. Nine. Welcome new beginnings. What can feel like an ending may be the beginning of another chapter, just like we flow in and out of yoga poses to the next, the breath rising and falling away. Maybe it was not the right time for another baby in our family, but, as the clouds of miscarriage started to clear, I sensed it was the right time to expand my prenatal yoga
It’s OK to normalize miscarriage. I wanted my children, especially my 7-year-old daughter, to understand that miscarriage is a normal part of life and to not be afraid of it. Rather than throwing traumatic unsaid feelings about miscarriage into “the junk drawer” (the hips), we talked about miscarriage in order to process, acknowledge and normalize life's truths and complex emotions. Eight. Be open to unexpected gifts. One treasure I gained is a deeper understanding of how I can help others as a prenatal yoga teacher. The mamas who have a past history of miscarriage are distrusting, fearful, and anxious. I can now be a true source of comfort, understanding, and hope to my students who have had a miscarriage or are going through one. Yoga poses like a forward fold or downward facing dog can help to calm an anxious mind. Nine. Welcome new beginnings. What can feel like an ending may be the beginning of another chapter, just like we flow in and out of yoga poses to the next, the breath rising and falling away. Maybe it was not the right time for another baby in our family, but, as the clouds of miscarriage started to clear, I sensed it was the right time to expand my prenatal yoga