Information for pregnant Sahaja Yoginis

I have decided to gather all information for pregnant Sahaja Yoginis here.  This is probably not conclusive, so please feel free to add on if you have anymore inputs.  To read more about it, please go to amruta.org.  

I guess the experience varies from individual to individual.  But I was very sensitive to vibrations and negativity when I was in my first trimester.  So much so that sometimes I have to do 2-3 times footsoak in a row in order to feel better.  But it gets better in the second trimester.

As for havan, I was told that pregnant ladies can attend havan but have to sit far from the fire and don't sit too long.  This was advice by the Vashi doctors.  But my own experience, in which I attended one havan, I didn't feel good after that.  It's just my personal feelings about it as I was ultra-sensitive.  But I read some yoginis wrote that pregnant ladies should not attend havan altogether.  So, it really depends.  I guess you could always check vibrations to find out.

Below are what I got from amruta.org by typing Pregnant and Pregnancy in the search box.  These are the documented information.  Always read the full text for more information.

In Questions by doctors to Shri Mataji, Ealing, London 2000, Shri Mataji said (not in Her exact words though):

- It is alright to have ultrasound for pregnant ladies.  

- If the pregnant lady meditates, there is no need for epidural as she would have a painless delivery.  Epidural may hurt the spine as the spinal cord is very delicate.  

- Pregnant ladies can attend collective meetings but need not work on others.
- Meditate every morning and night for 5 minutes, nothing will happen to the pregnant ladies and will have a realised soul.

- Cannot have camphor and ajwain treatment during pregnancy as they are heat-giving.  

- Should not eat anything heat-giving as well, like papaya.

- Can use little bit of ice pack.  If the pregnant lady is thinking too much, better to put on the ego. 

- It's good to walk for pregnant ladies.

About not watching eclipse during pregnancy:

In Talk to Sahaja Yogis, Singapore Airport, 28 February 1990 - (A Sahaja Yogini asks about her mentally retarded son.)

What is the problem? Did she see the lunar eclipse when she was pregnant? You must have, by mistake you must have, that’s the reason. It’s not difficult, he’s a left-sided person. Put the left side towards Me and right hand on the Mother earth. You see this is how you have to make him sit before My photograph and a candle here, and also put a light near his left Swadisthana and keep it there. And raise his Kundalini with the light but no water treatment for him. Raise the light. Three candles, one in front, one here, one there to raise the Kundalini.

(It was the learnt that Shri Mataji’s fight to Perth had been delayed by one hour.)

I don’t want them to be delayed, it’s very late there. It’s eight o’clock now on your watch?

(Referring to the retarded child.) And he has to avoid eating carbohydrates, he should eat more meat or fish. He’ll be all right, just see if there’s a cool breeze coming in his head, put your left hand towards Me. Started now, just put your left hand… . Feeling the cool breeze in your hand? Are you feeling cool? Look at that, just sit here comfortably. Be comfortable, after some time it’ll clear out maybe, may not be, but still you do it at home.

I’m sure she must have by mistake seen an eclipse, because Chinese know that, Chinese know that it’s wrong to see an eclipse. You know that, isn’t it in your philosophy? If you see the lunar eclipse this happens and if you see the sun eclipse you get a deformation of the body. Especially the pregnant women, not for everyone.

In Talk to yogis, Ashram in Le Raincy, Paris (France), 17 August 1987 - A pregnant woman should never see the eclipse of the sun or the moon, because if they see the sun eclipse, they’ll have physical problems. The children will be born with hands like this, feet like that. And if they see the lunar eclipse, the moon’s eclipse, then they will have mental problems.

In Public Program, Rome (Italy), 29 April 1982 - One more question they asked about the handicapped children. The handicapped children are mostly created because the mothers do not know what to be done during pregnancy. Say, if you see an eclipse during pregnancy you will get a handicapped child.

If you see a setting sun during pregnancy for long period [unclear: of] times, then you will get children whose eyes that are very weak. If you get any antibiotic treatment during pregnancy you will get a child with the blue heart; as they call it a ‘blue baby.’ So there are many such things when it happens to the mother. Also, it is also karma sometimes that affects the child. All, all such children can also get realization and can also get cured, but our main interest is to give realization to people who are normal so that they can  realization to other people.

On being hectic and importance to meditate during pregnancy:

In Medical Conference, 29 June 1990 - At the time when the mother is pregnant she should not work very hard. She should take rest more. She should not think too much but read something soothing, something nice. Best is to meditate. At that time if the mother is over-active and thinking if futuristic things, children are born with diseases. Or if she’s hectic the child may get leukemia. The spleen is for all emergencies because it produces red blood corpuscles. But if you are hectic, panicked all the time, rushing about then the poor spleen cannot understand. It becomes erratic and crazy. It could happen to children or adults.

In Talk to Sahaja Yogis, Mechelen (Belgium), 21 September 1986 - Now, the mothers who are hectic by nature, very anxious, do this, do that, want to be all the time very hectic with their children also, they can give blood cancer to the children who are not even born, when they are pregnant.

In Shri Pallas Athena Puja, Athens (Greece), 26 April 1993 - So the meditation is a very important part for you because also the women who are pregnant, when they – if they do not meditate their children turn out to be very troublesome and very funny. It’s a thing like that. It affects everything. But your character of meditativeness, your character of Sahaja Yoga helps everyone, your children, your family your society, everybody, and everybody can make it out what sort of a family you are, what sort of a people you are, what sort of a personality you are. And from you they take to Sahaja Yoga.

On top of the documented talks above, below are some passed from Shri Mataji to the yoginis in the early days:

- Avoid sitting on Mother Earth for the first three months of pregnancy (first trimester).

- Have positive thoughts and think noble things - “…Then you yourself should be thinking about noble things.  Specially when people are pregnant they are supposed to read something very noble. Like you can read Geeta or Bible or Koran or something so that your thoughts are towards God and when the child is born, the child also thinks of the same things. All the conditionings of the mother starts the day she conceives the baby, and since that day the child is conditioned. So all the good conditionings you take upon yourself, all the good things you think about the baby, you work it out and that is how a child can be a very quiet, obedient. sensible, natural personality…”

- Good mental and spiritual health - “…It is very important that the mother’s mental and spiritual health is kept clean and full of positivity…”

- “…Whatever is going on in the mind will effect the child. The mind has to be happy. You cannot be with artificiality or fantasy…”

- Read books about childcare: Shri Mataji has also advised the reading of books about mother and childcare in order to educate ourselves in the absence of sensible parental advice which in a society such as India would be available (the grandmother playing an important role).

Advice given by Vashi hospital doctors to Australian yogis, April 2013:

During Pregnancy

1. You can attend public programme but it is not advisable to either give realization or work on others. 

2. You need to listen to Shri Mataji's lectures / puja talks, read good books, do light work, rest in the afternoon, keeping your feet up. 

3. One should not eat heating things like papaya. 

4. Make regular foot soak & meditate. 

5. Left side treatments are to be made only if needed. 

6. Candle treatment can be done but camphor is to be avoided. 

7. In havan one is not to sit right in front of the fire. 

8. Matka if needed can be done.

And here's a website providing more information for Sahaja Yoginis, but please read with discretion as no reference was made to Shri Mataji's excerpts or Her talks.

As for me, I have attended a public programme when I was 6 weeks pregnant and I made sure I had a lime with me in my pocket.  Although I didn't give realization that day, but I was in the fore front singing bhajans.

As mentioned earlier, I didn't feel good after attending one havan.  But always felt very good after puja and normal collective meditations.

Some women advised me against sitting on Mother Earth although I was already in my second trimester, but I felt better sitting on the ground than on the chair.  Nothing to do with vibrations.  Just the ergonomics were better for me on the floor.

Conclusion is, use your discretion and vibrations.  Shri Mataji's advice is always better than others.