The Art of Birth offers you a supportive way to explore yourself and your pregnancy through creative, fun and playful exercises and is based on the principals of art therapy. Our thoughts and feelings have a direct influence on our physical body and health so it can be helpful to release any emotions that may inhibit (i.e. if we deny they exist) this natural process. The creative arts offer a powerful form of expression, as a tool for transformation when words may not be enough. Most people think they are not creative, say they were not good at art at school and may feel inhibited to do the creative exercises BUT once you are given permission to ‘go for it’ (and I give YOU permission to GO FOR IT) then you will be surprised at the outcome. Anyone can be creative! So…No experience of art is necessary as it is not about technical skill but creative freedom to promote self awareness and development. We have the freedom to experiment and make our own creative decisions or test drive ideas. Once we have an image in front of us, it allows one to reflect at any point as we have physical evidence of our expression. Pregnancy is a profound rite of passage. The essence of child birth preparation is self discovery, so you can give birth in awareness, and not necessarily to achieve a specific birth outcome. Although you will discover the pleasure in your pregnancy and birth if you process your thoughts and feelings beforehand. Please note: there is NO judgement towards any birth outcome as this is about supporting the process through self development, not aiming for perfection. Every birth is perfect.
Daily Doodle
This is a great exercise to begin with as it allows one to draw freely without any purpose except making a lot of scribbles or marks on the paper. It aims to give your mind a rest and enter into the realm of spontaneity.
Begin by sitting, either at a table or on the floor (wherever you feel most comfortable and inspired). Feel your body sink into the chair or the floor. Take a few deep breaths and you may wish to make a noise on the out breath to really let out any tension. Remind yourself gently that this is your special time to be creative and all of your expression is welcome.
- Sit with your eyes either open or closed and for about 30 seconds let a pen, pencil or crayon wander aimlessly over the page, or ‘take a line for a walk’ (as the well known artists Paul Klee once said). Just make spontaneous marks.
- Open your eyes and see if you can find an image or pattern amongst the scribbles. Sometimes a figure, an animal or a particular shape jumps out at you.
- Then, if you wish, develop it further by colouring it in or however you feel.
It is a chance for you to express your feelings and emotions without censoring the outcome in a fast, impulsive way.
Finally sit back and ponder on your image. Does anything come to mind? Does the image have a particular ‘feeling’ or ‘theme’? Explore any possibilities. It may also have just been a fun warm up exercise.
Enjoy playing and I will see you next week!
Love Alex xx
