Do you think Garbhasanskar and your child’s mental growth and development are interrelated? What is the science and theory behind Garbhasanskar? What are the various rituals that come under this holistic approach and the significant benefit of music therapy in pregnancy? To explore an ancient Indian practice that is deep-set in the belief that educating the fetus happens much before its birth, read our exclusive piece on Garbhasanskar.

The Science Behind Garbhasanskar

Garbhasanskar means educating your child in the womb. Garbh means 'fetus,' and sanskar means mind training,' which translates to educating a fetus' mind for its own good and mindful connection with itself. You should guide your baby to do with your mind and thoughts. It is like positive self-talk that you give to yourself to grow and accomplish big tasks. In this, you are positively talking and nurturing your baby for it to embrace positivity right when it is growing inside your bump.

Your life or Sanskar encompasses two main elements – Prarabdh and Purusharth. Prarabdh revolves around your previous birth and the latter revolves around this current birth, in which your current actions are involved and the values that you provide to your growing child inside you. A well-integrated individual is defined by how positive rituals his womb environment and after-birth environment were. This constitutes the significance of Garbhasanskar in pregnancy. Garbhasanskar practices are integrated with today’s medicine to elevate the benefits and guide the expecting moms toward healthy pregnancy.

What comes under Garbhasanskar?

The Garbhasanskar practices involve chanting slokas, reading positive books, listening to calm and soothing music, including a saatwik diet, and maintaining a good fitness level with prenatal yoga.

How do they help in your baby’s wellbeing?

1. Chanting Slokas – Chanting slokas or mantras boost positivity and send feel-good hormones to you and in turn calms your baby. Reading aloud the mantras from the book will help you energize the throat chakra and is a holistic approach to building a positive outlook for your baby and positive prenatal experience for yourself.
2. Music – Engaging with soft music in pregnancy soothes your nerves and reduces your stress related to motherhood. You can switch on instrumental music while working or doing house chores. You can see the difference in your mental health and sleep when you keep on listening to music during pregnancy.
3. Meditation – Meditation is calming your senses, making you more aware of the environment by helping you achieve mindfulness. Always meditate under the supervision of a prenatal wellness expert. Do not self-practice yoga and meditation.
4. Reading books - If you are a reader, switch to positive and motivating books and avoid books that make you sad or tense. Read spiritual books or lighthearted books to keep yourself happy and peaceful. You can read aloud the extracts to direct happy thoughts to your baby. Remember, what you do, what you read, and what you sing – your baby is paying attention to everything.
5. Art Therapy – Art and mental health go together. Garbhasanskar included an art routine to enhance positivity and mindfulness in you. Sketching, Mandala or painting rituals will help you get away with worrisome thoughts or negative thoughts and help you channel your emotions productively. As they say, you create internal beauty by paying attention to external beauty. Looking at your artwork will make your heart full and through that, you will drive more good thoughts to your baby.
6. Healthy diet and fitness activities –

When you eat right, you feel good. When you feel good, it raises your self-esteem. By doing this, you are making inroads to healthy pregnancy. Do not go with the myth that if you are expecting, you need to eat for two. Instead, look at your plate. Include all food groups like proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Hydrate yourself periodically. Enrich with brain foods and seed mix to fill up in between meals. Practice workouts and yoga with a fitness teacher. Diet and exercise are two important Garbhasanskar rituals that wire your baby’s brain.

The Significance of Music Therapy in Pregnancy

Music has been a food for the soul for ages. Music is revered by mental health experts as an effective tool to reduce negative thoughts, eliminate stress/anxiety, and improve concentration and positivity. Listening to soothing music brings relief to expecting moms and as well as boosts cognitive thinking in babies. The beat and rhythm in music calm baby’s mind and aid in the growth and development of their brain. You can also play these chants and music after the birth of your baby. Music therapy is best enjoyed during pregnancy as well as in the postpartum period.

Garbhasanskar Holy Mantra:

"ॐरुद्रोरुद्रेभिर्द्रुतमुद्वयेस्वाहा।नमस्तमोऽस्तुगर्भिण्यैयस्यांतेअश्विनौविविशतां।।"

Chant this mantra consistently in all the trimesters and follow the other positive routine espoused in Garbhasanskar to promote the well-being of your baby.

Here are some of the Garbhasanskar Recommendations to consider:

• Garbhasamvad – Garbhasamvad is the conversation that you have with your baby. The positive lines that you express lodge in their mind and become a strong belief. You can listen and get into an active conversation with your baby.
• Garbha Kalyana Mantras – These are a set of mantras that will benefit your baby’s growth inside your womb. There are the Garbhadan mantra, Samraksha mantra, Ramraksha mantra, Bhaagwat, BhagwatGita, Kalyanshloka, and other powerful mantras that support healthy pregnancy.
• Celebrating Garbhasanskar: The Key Benefits It Offers:
• Make you aware of your pregnancy body and the developing fetus
• Strengthens the connection between you and your baby
• Alleviates stress and anxiety levels in expecting mothers
• Develops cognitive thinking, neural channels, and growth in babies right from the womb
• Aids peaceful sleeping in pregnant moms
• Sets you on a sustainable path of happy and positive living
• Increases focus, and mindfulness in you and becomes a meditative channel
• Pumps up more energy in you and makes you more active and responsive to your baby’s needs
• Aligns your baby’s physical and mental health to a healthy path
• Becomes building blocks for your baby to achieve a healthy future

Personal Garbhasanskar Stories from Momly moms

Preet, Momly mom, says Garbhasanskar's practices helped a lot with my second kid. I religiously practiced it during my second pregnancy. As far as the practices are concerned, I did yoga, ate a balanced diet as per the food list given by the practitioner, and kept uttering motivational talks to my baby. Phrases like “Mumma loves you, You will respect elders, You will be a loving child, You are doing great, You will learn a lot, you are very kind, etc.” send positive vibrations to your growing baby. I spoke these phrases to my baby. That’s exactly what we call working with a view. Her unwavering faith in this holy practice has positively impacted her baby.

Bottom-line

Garbhasanskar practices can positively influence a child’s personality, behavior, and their intelligence. Garbhasanskar is one-stop pregnancy and baby care mantra to eliminate stress and lead the baby and moms on to the path of healthy pregnancy. Health experts are touting the philosophy of Garbhasanskar and enveloping it in their pregnancy care services. To enjoy the benefits and know more about this holy practice, check Momly Instagram Live with Garbhasanskar Expert.