Are we safer to birth in hospital settings?

Why are women who choose to deliver at home so often labelled “crazy”?

And what lessons can we draw from yoga and Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations to prepare for birth and enhance the quality of our lives?

 In this episode, Laura Farrier, an internationally recognised yoga and mobility instructor, begins by sharing her angelic voice in an opening prayer, and discussing her unconventional upbringing, and equally unconventional birth story.

Laura and Marianne also discuss the statistics and controversies around birth injuries and neonatal mortality and tap into how to cultivate a sense of wonder for optimal health.

We hope this episode inspires you to reconnect with your inner wisdom.

Timestamps

01:36 Opening Prayer and Introduction

06:38 Laura’s Upbringing & Choice

08:45 The “Medico-Industrial Complex” and Intuition

11:00 Being in Tune with One’s Body: A Prerequisite for a Homebirth?

14:00 The Societal and Layered Implications of Birth Injuries

17: 26 “If you do X, Y or Z, your baby could die”

20:30 Laura’s Birth Story Begins

22:48 How to Spot “Transition” if you Have not Had an Epidural Yet

27:20 Maya vs. Real Danger during Childbirth

37:32 The Womb Space Loves Heat, not Cold Plunges

39:35 How Yoga Helped Laura through the Process  

42:20 Birth Affirmations and Doing the Inner Work

45:20 The Lost Art of Accepting Discomfort for Health

49:45 Attachment to Suffering & the Bhagavad Gita

54:58 Sharing all Birth Stories

1:03:25 Perinatal Mortality: Homebirth vs. Hospitals

1:07:00 Marcus Aurelius: How to Cultivate our Sense of Wonder

1:11:35 Two Things Laura Would Have Done Differently

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Resources

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see

Laura’s Website (http://www.laurafarrieryoga.com)

The Birth Trauma Inquiry (2024) https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/birth-trauma-report

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, Sarah Wickham

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth.

Paths to God, Ram Dass

The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners, Jack Hawley