"Yoga - Garbha Sanskar"- Educating the Fetus in the Womb – with the help of Pre-natal Yoga /Music Therapy/Color Therapy

Yoga Sanskar Niketan, Mumbai, conducts unique as well as acclaimed programme called "Yoga - Garbha Sanskar"-Educating the fetus in the Womb & Pre-natal Yoga with the help of Music and Color Therapy.

Yoga-Garbha Sanskar is a process to achieve Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Emotional, Social development & Perfection for the baby and mother.

Today, advanced science as well as cutting edge technology has proved that the unborn baby can not only listen, feel but respond by its own way. More than 60 % of brain development occurs in intrauterine period.

It can be simply understood as -
(1) Garbha means- Fetus
(2) GARBHA SANSKAR - Imbibing good values (Sanskar) the Fetus.
Yoga-Garbha Sanskar also plays important role in Infertility management too!.

“Pregnancy should be by choice and not by chance, Should be by appointment and not by accident”!

If you want a “whole” (Alert, Attentive, Brilliant, Healthy, Receptive and Intelligent) baby, you (parents) must be “whole” parents! It is very essential to educate and imbibe good values to the parents so that they can educate and imbibe good values to the fetus in the womb. The care of a child’s health does not start after his/her birth. Even before the baby is conceived in the mother’s womb, both the parents must take care to see that they themselves are in proper healthy condition of body and mind; so that the coming child does not inherit any disease of the body or the mind.

The History of Prenatal Sanskar

(1) The story of Abhimanyu is well known in the Mahabharata. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, learned how to enter the Chakravyuha (the strategic arrangement of warriors to entrap and defeat the enemy) when he was in his mother’s womb. He had heard and remembered the narration of the technique by Krishna to Subhadra during her pregnancy.

(2) Before the birth of Buddha, his mother, Mahamaya had followed certain specific rituals. In the month of Ashadha, she celebrated the seven-day festival and gave alms to the poor. She did penance by giving up some of her pleasures. After the festival, Mahamaya had a dream in which, Bodhisatva, by the name of Sumedh, asked permission to take birth in her womb. She happily consented. Later, a brilliant son was born to her in the pleasant environments of Lumbini. He became Lord Buddha.

(3) When Pralhad’s mother was pregnant with him, she used to listen to devotional songs. Therefore, even though Pralhad took birth in a Rakshasa family, he became a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

(4) The mother of the freedom fighter, Veer Savarkar used to read the courageous stories from the Ramayana and Maharana Pratap to her son when he was in her womb.

(5) Rishi Udalak was a great saint. He had an able disciple called Kahod. The Rishi gave his daughter, Sujata in marriage to Kahod. Once when Sujata was pregnant, Kahod was reciting some shlokas. The baby in the womb realized the recitation was incorrect and asked him to correct it. Kahod was livid with rage. He put a curse on his son so that he would be born bent in eight places. The child, Ashtavakra was born bent in eight places. The father’s angry thoughts affected the baby.

(6) When tabla maestro, Zakir Hussain was in his mother’s womb, his father, Ustad Allah Rakha used to beat lightly with his fingers on his mother’s abdomen.

(7) Sister Lorna Zemke has found that the fetus will respond rhythmically to rhythms tapped on the mother’s belly.

(8) The famous British violinist Yehudi Menuhin believes that his own musical talent was partly due to the fact that his parents were always singing and playing music before he was born.

Goal of the Prenatal Programme:-

(a) To welcome the baby with good thoughts.

(b) To impart Sanskar to the fetus.

(c) To improve the emotional health of the parents.

(d) To increase the active participation of the father during pregnancy.

(e) To increase the courage and confidence of mother during labor.

(f) To have a “whole” baby. (Alert, Attentive, Brilliant, Healthy, Receptive and Intelligent)

The intention of behind this progeamme is to mould the future generation and the society at large. This is the work of a nation, of building humanity. Along with the welfare of the child, the parents will be able to reduce tension in their lives. The programme aims at building healthy, intelligent, honest, responsible individuals and a united society. Pre-natal Sanskar and its focal points of this course are the communication with the fetus, in order for him to absorb good values (Sanskar) and the education of the parents in regards to their thinking and behavior during the prenatal period. Simultaneously, importance of Pre-natal Yogic practices is explained and Live-Demonstrations Pre-natal (Ante-natal) and Post-natal are performed. The central object in the preparation of this programme is to provide combination of scientific foundation of imbibing and/or educating good values to fetus as well as Yogic practices during pre-natal (ante-natal) and post-natal period; some of which are the preventation of and immunity against diseases, the maintenance good health, longevity and above all, the mental sanity and psychic purity must rest. Characteristics of a good health may be traced to the parents. This adds social significance to a mother’s personal good health.

As the mother is the first guru of the fetus, mother’s influence on the fetus is paramount. Mother’s self-concept - preferably positive- helps fetus to learn better in the womb. The fetus’s social environment base is its mother! Educating the fetus rightly begins with a healthy (in all respect) motherhood. An environment of the family as well as the personality of each family member exercises a great influence upon development of fetus in the womb. The blessings of good health are indeed, many and universal; biology further asserts that they apply uniformally to both man and woman. In the first part of this programme, I have explained and elaborated different methods of educating & imbibing the good values to the parents, positive effects and impacts of rational and collective prayer. In the later part of the said progmme, live demonstrations of Pre-natal Yogic practices.

Music

Music plays an important role in process of educating the fetus in the womb.

Music has a pleasing appeal to humans and animals but also living-bushes, plants and trees too! We have observed tremendous impact of different music on living-bushes, plants and trees. Music helps to grow living- bushes, plants trees very fast, fruits are large in size and very sweet, get more corps, etc, Many people says, Music is my religious, music is my expression, music is my soul, music is my language, music is my prayer etc …., but rather I would say “Music is Magic” (MM) which has a tremendous power to change one’s mind and mood. Music helps human to cultivate a new temperament. And with the help of Music Therapy, we have developed our “Yoga- Garbha- Sanskar” programme. The Importance of the Pre-natal sound and music which included sound environment in the womb, music aids development in the womb, pre-natal brain stimulation, hearing at the birth, the maternal womb is the first school of music, music and Pre-natal stress reduction, Pre-natal memory & learning, communication before language, sensitive to touch. This music had a pleasant relaxing effect on baby in the womb.

Soft music of string instruments such as Sitar, Santoor and Violin played in particular ‘Raaga’ (Tunes) produce “Shanti- Rasa” (peaceble) and “Veera- Rasa” (courageous) which helps to increase the “peaceable” as well as “courageous” temperament of the baby too!.

It is wonderful that music can cure some diseases/aliments.

Color Therapy

It is also known as chromo therapy.

In this programme, the parents are asked to concentrate on a particular color. To determine the particular color, test is carried out with the help of stroboscope.

Concentration on Great Personality

Parents are advised to concentrate on a Great Personality such as great philosopher Swami Vivekanand, freedom fighter Swantratya Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Lord Shrikrishna, or photo of attractive, beautiful, and wonderful baby.

Pre-natal Yoga

The Yoga is derived from “Sanskrit” language which is called “YUJ,” means to unite, join, and connect. Yoga helps to unite Mind, Body, Soul and Spirit at the deepest level. Pre-natal Yoga helps mom to unite her-self with unborn baby in the womb. The pre-natal and post-natal Yogic practices bring integrity in those functions and develop the wholeness of mother as well as fetus in the womb too. It helps to relax and calm-down the mind and cultivate serenity, mental and spiritual levels. Pre-natal yogic practice is a wonderful way for the mother to connect with the baby, and prepare for the journey towards birth and motherhood. Pre-natal Yoga gives women the opportunity to deepen their relationship with their body and baby’s body while experiencing the ever changing process of growth during pregnancy. The Yogic practice focuses on postures and breathing techniques and facilitates a healthy pregnancy and child birth.

No doubt, well designed Hi-Tech Pre-natal Yogic Programmes with “Pranayama” (breathing techniques), Concentration, and Meditation helps pregnant woman for easy, natural and painless delivery.

Yoga says, “What a fetus learns in the womb cannot learn on the earth.” Pre-natal Yogic practice is a bond with mother’s unborn baby and preparation for labor. Ensuring a healthy baby is every woman’s dream and Pre-natal Yoga helps you do just that.

Post-natal Yogic Program is a must to prevent chronic backache following delivery so as to avoid the woman from becoming a chronic invalid. As it is said ‘The structure is adapted to the function,’ the pregnant woman adapts a body-structure suitable for pregnancy and smooth delivery. After the wonderful process of childbirth is over, nature starts the work of rehabilitation in its unique way.

The post-natal Yogic Programme assists nature in this work of rehabilitation and quickens the pace of rehabilitation. It improves the muscle-tone, the body structures, the breathing capacity and digestive and excretory functions. Practiced regularly, ‘Post-natal Yogic Programme’ enables the mother maintain mental and physical fitness.

During pregnancy, Yoga Diet is the most suitable form of nourishment.

These “HI-Tech,” Pre-natal and Post-natal Yogic Programmes are designed and implemented by Yogacharya ‘Padma Shri ’awardees Shri S.P.Nimbalkar, Founder & Director of “Yoga Vidya Niketan,” Mumbai.

Conclusion

During the implementation of this programme, I have found many astonishing and positive results. Many parents (families) were quite satisfied with the outcome. In many cases, where the process has been adopted, the delivered babies have been found to be ‘courageous,’ ‘philosophical,’ as well as ‘peaceful’ in nature. The baby is more alert, attentive, brilliant, receptive and intelligent.

“Yoga – Garbha Sanskar” programme helps to achieve a baby of desired characters and qualities.

This programme has become a tool for social revolution in order to spread good values in our society. The baby in the womb is affected by the thoughts and emotions of his parents. Therefore, it becomes essential for them to avoid negative thoughts, bad habits and to maintain a cheerful atmosphere. The process continues after delivery. Thus, you will find a gradual but steady change in the social environment as well as a strong coherent society based on unity and sacrifice.

The workshop is ideal as well as recommended for newly married couples, would be parents, training institutes, medical centers, NGOs, housing societies/complexes, corporate offices, medical professionals, social workers etc