Pregnancy and the Cardiovascular System (BCVT 7)

A compassion-based model of pregnancy will be presented in this course. The blood volume in a mother’s body almost doubles during pregnancy and will be a focus of palpation to enhance her wellbeing and that of her child. This compassion base includes one set of palpation skills that focus on how to support both the hearts of the mother and her baby for birth and long-term positive health outcomes. Another set of compassion-based skills will focus on balancing the prenatal health of the mother. Students will learn how the fetal heart develops and synchronizes with the mother’s heart for optimal health. Sensing PR and dynamic stillness within the blood itself during pregnancy and life will be taught as a compassion practice. In addition, new information on fetal placental development, the effects of hypoxia and fetal programming will be presented from the new field of behavioral perinatology. During the class a pregnant mother will be coming in for a demonstration of learning.
This course will offer new research regarding prenatal Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and its use as a long-term therapeutic marker during pregnancy for the mother, infant and also for the adult population. HRV is a measure of the flexibility of the autonomic nervous system of the heart. More flexibility means healthier hearts, especially during pregnancy. HRV will be taught through a skill called coherent breathing and embodied heart meditations. These explorations will be integrated with PR to balance the autonomic nervous system of heart, lungs and brain of moms and their babies during pregnancy.

• Learn to breath with the fundamental quiescent rhythm of coherent breathing
• Learn a new compassion based model of pregnancy
• Learn new approaches to palpation of vascular tree with Primary Respiration
• New cardiovascular and breathing protocols for pregnant moms