Blooming Flower Visualizations

One of the best ways that a woman in late pregnancy can begin opening up her cervix is for her to visualize an image of a blooming flower. Like birth mandalas, images and mandalas of blooming flowers can help a woman to relax and envision her own body as opening up to release her baby into the world.

Before a woman goes into labor or if she is past her due date and is worried about the medical use of artificial induction to begin her labor, she can envision her cervix as a flower in bloom. She should imagine her cervix as softening and widening in the same way that a flower spreads and blossoms. The method can also be very helpful during both labor and in the birthing phase of the baby. Marie Mongan’s popular HypnoBirthing Method describes the use of this method towards the end of pregnancy, as well as during labor and birth:

One of the most simple and effective visualizations is that of an opening rose. Use your breathing techniques to bring yourself into relaxation, then close your eyes and envision your baby moving gently down to the vaginal outlet. Imagine the gradual opening of the perineum to be like the gentle unfolding of the petals of the rose (Marie Mongan, HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method, pp.147-148).

Kristin Nemzer’s Birthing Through Hypnosis Method, which can be accessed through her online course, also utilizes flower visualizations for birth. Similarly, prenatal yoga classes will instruct students to use the blooming flower visualization towards the end of pregnancy while incorporating various relaxation and breathing postures of yoga.

For today’s post, I have included various images of flower mandalas, all found on the website of artist and psychotherapist, David J. Bookbinder. More images, artwork and information on Mr. Bookbinder may be found at www.davidbookbinder.com.