Bodywork in pregnancy is not just about finding a comfortable position for the mother to lie in. The body of the mother is a universe creating another universe.

In pregnancy, the body and spirit of a woman goes through incredible change and transformation. In Eastern world view and bodywork, the main focus is to maintain the best, most balanced production and flow of Qi, Blood and Jing (Essence).

The first meridians to form in the embryo are called the 8 Extraordinary Meridians. These meridians hold the ancestral blueprint, formed when the Jing (essence) of the mother and father unite. During this time many women are drawn to connect more with their family of origin, sometimes healing old wounds and rifts. It is as if the ancestors are affected by the new life growing in the womb. Accessing the original nature through the 8 Extraordinary meridians during a bodywork session supports the healing and integrating of these deep ancestral threads.

The 10 lunar months or pregnancy take us on a journey of particular energies at particular stages. In the first trimester common imbalances for a mother are a result of spleen and stomach energies not being harmonised, creating nausea, bloating, sickness and emotional ungrounding. In your bodywork session these meridians and their associated organs are harmonised and brought into balance. While the placenta is forming, the Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai) of the mother sends blood downwards to the uterus. Until the placenta is formed, the energy often rises up the chest, creating feelings of anxiety as well as nausea and dizziness. The breasts, governed by the Penetrating Vessel, are also full and sore. Grounding and settling the energy of Chong Mai brings calm into the developing mother and her stomach.

The second trimester often brings more feelings of ease, both physically and emotionally. At times the growing womb and foetus can create a blockage of flow between the upper and lower parts of the body, causing stagnation in the Upper Burner (heart and lungs, Middle Burner (digestion) and Lower Burner (bladder and kidney) and the flow of energy down the legs which may become puffy and swollen. Increased weight of the baby can also put pressure on the back creating lordosis (Governing Vessel).

In the third trimester the mother is typically bonding with her baby within and preparing for birth and the passage into motherhood. This can be a beautiful and slow paced time and it can also be spiked by feelings of fear, distrust and confusion, along with the physical strains of a full grown baby within. This is a good time to calm the nervous system, release fears and bring flow to any arising stagnation.

Pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and migraine are indications of liver fire or liver wind. We nourish the yin and balance out the yang.

The Girdle Vessel (Dai Mai), as it’s name suggests, wraps and supports the lower back, pelvis and womb. We want the Dai Mai to be not too tight and not too slack but rather be lithe and responsive, strong and soft. This Vessel relates to the abdominal muscles, psoas, pelvic floor, and bladder.

The Girdle Vessel initiates the onset of labour. Complications in birth are sometimes related to a Girdle Vessel that is too tight, creating an unfavourable fetal position (breech, posterior) and a difficulty for the mother to release and open. When the Vessel is too slack the contractions may be irregular and ineffective and fail to dilate the cervix.

Each moth of pregnancy has a dominant organ. By applying bodywork along the dominant meridian of that month, flow and balance can be restored and the energy flow from the mother to the foetus is supported.

  • Month 1: Liver

  • Month 2: Gall Bladder

  • Month 3: Pericardium

  • Month 4: Triple Warmer

  • Month 5: Spleen

  • Month 6: Stomach

  • Month 7: Lungs

  • Month 8: Large Intestine

  • Month 9: Kidneys

  • Month 10: Bladder

    Here I have covered just some of the common presentations of imbalances a woman may encounter in pregnancy.

    In your treatment I will listen to your pulses, look at your tongue, read your muscle signs and apply deep listening and observation to support you and your baby within to find balance, spaciousness and nourishment in this extraordinary phase of life.