How to Use the Journal
Welcome to this soulful journey through the yoga path!
Hello there my pregnant friend! Thank you so much for joining me in this Week by Week Pregnancy Journal. This journal is more than just “how do you feel this week” and “what size fruit is baby?” I will ask you to go deep within your soul and explore all of the parts of you, so that you can take radical responsibility for your healing and become the best mother you can be.
I believe that healed mothers have healed children. This pregnancy journal is one tool I offer you on that healing journey. This journal is, of course, just a guide, this is your experience of your pregnancy and no one knows this experience more than you! Please use this tool as you wish and however it will show up best for you.
This journal was born out of my own pregnancy experience and how I went through self-healing, self-exploration, and a spiritual experience using yogic principles. I did all of the spiritual work that I have done before, but through pregnancy, a new veil was lifted. And I knew I wanted to share this with other mothers who want to heal with yoga in preparation for the mother journey. Together we can take on motherhood with no fear, full intuition, and with the knowledge that we have everything we need inside of us to be the best mothers we can be!
Journal Layout
The journal content covers 52 weeks, so all 3 trimesters plus the bonus 4th trimester – your 3-month postpartum period. The journal prompts are set up in a way that you can start this journal at any time. You may, for example, be 15 weeks pregnant and start writing from the journal prompts in week 1 and reflect back on your first 15 weeks of pregnancy until you catch up. You may also start at week 15 and carry on throughout. You can also jump around depending on what is speaking to you on a particular day.
Every pregnancy is unique and so I have followed the average physical, emotional and spiritual journey of birth. You may find that certain prompts speak to you better a week or two before or after they appear in the journal.
What’s Included Each Week
Affirmation
Each week I offer an affirmation that correlates with chakra of the week. We are traveling from our root chakra up through to our crown chakra at the moment of birth, and back down to the heart chakra during the 4th trimester. Say these affirmations in the morning or throughout the day when you need a pick me up, or write them down 5 times in your journal each morning.
Chakra
We are traveling through our Chakra system, our energy centers, from bottom to top. I’ve applied a chakra to each week as they relate to our pregnancy journey. Be sure to read about the Chakras in the Glossary in the back of the journal for more detailed information.
Philosophy Lesson
Each week comes with a yoga philosophy lesson, as the yoga path is so much more vast than simply practicing asana. We will look at the Yamas and the Niyamas, the first two limbs of the ashtanga yoga path, the Kosha system, the Chakra system, and more! Each philosophy lesson will tie to the description in the Glossary at the back of the journal, as well as on the Bonus Content page.
Pregnancy and Baby Update
While this isn’t the focus of this journal, knowing what’s going on in your body and your baby’s body can assist in your deeper spiritual connection. You are on a journey together, and knowing what’s going on may help you connect on a deeper level each week.
Yoga Posture
There is a suggested yoga posture for each week. There will be explanations of how to practice the posture as well as why we practice certain postures during certain parts of our pregnancy (space is limited, so check out the Bonus Content pages for more in depth information on each posture!).
Journal Prompts
As I mentioned, in these prompts I will ask you to go deep into the depths of your soul. Meet your shadow, ask the hard questions, and do the necessary work to prepare yourself for the spiritual shift of motherhood.
These journal prompts will take you on a journey that begins at the root of your being, at the base of our chakra energy system. We begin with the body and then complete the journey with your birth and fourth trimester, at the crown chakra where you meet your baby and the divinity within each of you.
Bonus Content
Finally, and my most favorite part of this offering, is that each week comes with a QR code that will bring you to a page on my website that has bonus content for each week of your pregnancy.
I will always be updating these pages, so you can refer back to them over and over again for deeper exploration of the yogic path!
On these bonus content pages, you will find a suggested yoga class from my YouTube channel to take during this week of pregnancy!
