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Preconception
SVAyurvedic Guidelines & Tips
~ Dr Marianne Teitelbaum
I have seen so many women through the years who did not know that they needed to do some basic cleansing of mind, body and spirit for at least one year before conceiving a child, and as a result they suffered through difficult pregnancies and/or their babies developed all types of health problems.
When a woman is pregnant she is sharing her blood with her baby. So all the toxins she has accumulated over her lifetime from processed foods to breathing in air pollution to using skin care products with chemicals (which absorb immediately into the bloodstream directly from the skin), to all the pharmaceuticals she takes — all these toxins are stored in many of her tissues, especially the fat tissues, such as found in the brain, liver, kidneys, bone marrow and the fat cells themselves. And don’t forget the heavy metals from the air pollution, the fish you eat, the old mercury amalgam dental fillings and the heavy metals you received from your vaccinations. You even have to detox out the fluoride from the water if you were exposed to fluoridated water at any point in your life.
During the early childhood years the child gets rid of the toxins he or she acquired from their mother while in the womb by getting the early childhood diseases, such as measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox. These diseases create rashes on the skin as these nasty toxins come out through the sweat pores of the skin, which is the largest organ of elimination. But even though it is not fun having these diseases, it is somewhat of a rite of passage which will help to develop a normal functioning immune system for the rest of their lives as they rid themselves of these old stored toxins they received from their mother.
Due to the vaccines the children get nowadays, it is quite rare that they would get even one of these diseases, which means that the children are not only holding onto the toxins they received from their mothers, but then they have the added layer of toxins acquired from their intense vaccine schedules which can disturb their immune systems, creating food allergies and sensitivities, eczema, asthma, headaches, digestive disturbance, learning disabilities and autoimmune diseases.
This makes it imperative that the mother undergo deep and profound Ayurvedic cleansing under the direction of an Ayurvedic practitioner who can monitor her through the cleansing process — some of the routines are daily, some weekly, some seasonal, and some done especially in the spring and the fall, the two best seasons to cleanse. This way the babies don’t start out their lives with such a high toxic load.
It is also important that she eats a balanced, clean and nourishing diet at least a year before conceiving, which also decreases her toxic load.
Now, toxins can be physical, as just described, and also mental. So it is important that the mother do some work mentally, emotionally and spiritually since she actually has more influence on the developing baby’s personality than the husband does.
Let me explain what I mean by that last statement.
Each parent gives up roughly half of their DNA to the child: 50% from the mother (through an egg) and 50% from the father (through his sperm). But the reason the mother has more of an influence on the child’s personality is because while she is carrying her baby she receives the vibrational information from her baby and the baby receives vibrational information from her.
This is why women will crave different types of food with each pregnancy. I remember I craved mangoes when I was pregnant with my son and grapefruit when I was pregnant with my daughter. It turns out my son loves mangoes — we took so many pictures of him eating mangoes when he was in his high chair as a baby, and my daughter to this day craves all the citrus fruits — lemons, grapefruits, and oranges.
Vaidya Mishra told me that when the women in his village were pregnant and had a desire for a food, everyone in the village would rush that food over to her, trying to meet the desires of the unborn baby, so that the baby would be born satisfied and happy.
But it works in reverse as well. The ancient text books said it was important that women avoid negativity when pregnant — which in this modern day means don’t get involved in arguments, walk away from negative situations and don’t watch scary movies while pregnant. The emotions of anger and fear can get transmitted to the baby in much the same way that the baby is sending you signals of the foods they would like.
So the year before pregnancy you should not only detoxify physically but emotionally as well. In whatever ways work best for you: using meditation, prayer, chanting, psychological counseling or therapy — try to get your mind and body in order so you can create a mentally, physically and spiritually balanced blissful baby.
The ancient doctors said even the moment of conception was extremely important that both the husband and wife were in a blissful state of mind — they went so far as to say to avoid sexual contact if there was a loud scary thunderstorm going on or bad weather, which would create fear in the minds of the potential parents and be transmitted into the developing embryo.
They said both parents should bathe, use some herbs or essential oils to create a pleasant fragrance — sprinkle some flowers on the bed, use fresh bed linens and express deep love and devotion towards your partner so that pure love is flowing at the moment of conception.
They said the best time to conceive is during the Brahma Muhurta time of day. Muhurta is a Sanskrit term or a period of time equivalent to 48 minutes; Brahma means “sacred” or “holy” and is also the name of the creator, or God. Brahma Muhurta therefore means the “time of Brahma,” or “sacred time” when it is most beneficial to practice yoga, meditate or to worship.
Roughly speaking Brahma muhurta begins 96 minutes or two muhurtas before sunrise and ends 48 minutes (one muhurta) before the sun rises. The exact time of Brahma muhurta can vary by tradition, though, with some describing it as the last 3 hours of nighttime. This is the time of day when the mind is calm and serene after a good night’s sleep and there is a preponderance of sattva or purity, not only in the mind, but in nature as well, since the elements in nature, known as Soma, Agni and Marut (the vibration from the moon, sun and the movement of these energies), collectively called Prana, are also balanced at this time.
By conceiving a baby with a clear, rested blissful mind, free of negativity after doing a year’s worth of mental, emotional and physical cleansing, balancing that with a healthy, happy and blissful pregnancy you are doing everything you can to ensure a happy, healthy well-balanced child.
I hope you found this information useful as you begin planning for a child — by following these guidelines you can not only prevent a problematic pregnancy, but you can also give your baby the best possible chance to begin life as healthy as possible, free from environmental, physical and emotional toxins and the health problems these toxins could create.
