Alexandra Alma - Womb Bloom

For my dearest mother, Jonny, Eve, Mira

***

9 monthsis a whole epoch where time flows differently; it marks a baby’s evolution in the womb and a true revolution of body and consciousness. Your old world is far behind you and now you are in the process of getting to know something completely new – the very essence of life, it’s quintessence in fact, and its pulsating force. And what are you to do with all this?

In this book I will share ancient knowledge on pregnancy and childbirth, techniques and exercises which I learned from my teachers, healers, and wise women in Russia, Mexico, Bali and Egypt.This information is intended both for women and men.

This book is a collection of the most interesting and effective techniques tried and tested by me, and of course, my personal discoveries, which I made during this magical period when a woman becomes a Woman…

My book is based on the diary I kept during each day of my pregnancies. Its entries are jewels in themselves; no one can feel the world the same way as a pregnant woman, not even a woman in her usual state. Each chapter marks a week of pregnancy, which is why the book can be started from any page. If you’re pregnant you can take a look at the week corresponding to your period of pregnancy.

In this work of labour I describe how the body and inner world of a woman change, how energy flows between her and her baby and how the relationship between partners changes.

The book will also be of interest to men since it contains exercises for couples, techniques for conception, and I also talk about what a man is faced with when she carries his baby under her heart.

The book contains:

• Exercises for creating harmony in a couple.

• Healing techniques for female centres in the body.

• Breathing exercises for relaxation, calming the nervous system, balance, healthy sleep and well-being.

• Relaxing therapies and massage techniques for pregnant women.

• Restorative exercises after childbirth.

You will discover:

How to find out the name and character of your baby before it is born.

How and why the ancients chose a place of power for the birth and a song of power for the baby.

A beautiful, ancient dance that you can practice during pregnancy and after childbirth to stay toned and flexible.

Information about nutrition during pregnancy and herbal tea recipes for after childbirth.

What clothing and what symbols sewn onto it help a woman during pregnancy.

And much more!

About the author

Alexandra Alma – author of women’s books Womb and Womb Bloom, poetess, musician, founder of Replege health centre, graduate of Bauman Moscow State Technical University also studied at the faculty of anthropology to research Replege movements.

Replege is an ancient system of movements and breathing techniques aimed at increasing vital energy. The name comes from the Spanish replegar, which means to withdraw or return. Replege, in essence, is a return to nature.

She also leads seminars for women and practices ancient, rejuvenating obsidian stone massage techniques. Together with her partner she organizes cultural expeditions to meet healers and stay in places of power around the Earth including Mexico and Russia.

A little background

Some, so-called chance meetings can alter the flow of our life very strongly and even direct it into another channel. Thanks to my parents, I had already come into contact with and learned different types of ancient knowledge in my childhood. For as long as I can remember, I had always felt a strong urge to find the Source;something which had not yet been written and rewritten, distorted, turned into a business-making machine; something in its virgin form. And I wanted this to be women’s knowledge, something just for us women. I managed to harvest it from thousands of meetings, partings, journeys and an unending search… Then one day everything changed. I was invited to another country, to a place which few write or know about and it was there that I met something genuine…

I met some very interesting people. They can be called different names: healers, wise-women, curanderas, but the point is that they are keepers of knowledge passed down by our ancestors and live in harmony with nature. They began to teach me and pass their knowledge on to me; knowledge which turned out to be very useful during pregnancy, after childbirth and in forming my relationship with my partner and life in general.

It was an amazing encounter with the potency of feminine Power and women’s techniques created over thousands of years, which still work effectively to this day.

This is what I want to share with you. With happiness and light!

Acknowledgements

I would like to give heartfelt thanks to the wonderful people who helped me create this book:

Jonny Kosmichev – companion, friend, producer and inspiration

Don Juan, Don Margarito, Don Novarro, Dona Margara, Osama, Oyuna Badmaevna – my mentors

Kristina Prorokhova – artist, cover and drawings for the book

Ekaterina Shishkovskaya – pregnant model (exercises for pregnant women e.g. Water Dance )

Vladimir Gavrilov – photographer

Vera Zhestovskaya – mentor, friend

Violetta Karlova – dress designer.This person inspired me very much and broadened my ideas about clothes

Kamila Kostroveeva – researcher and creator of protective handicraft (amulets, talismans)

Feedback

***

Dear readers!

The book you are about to become familiar with is a sincere, emotional and positive story about a woman’s journey to connect to her true nature. It describes the most important moments in the life of every human being; the stages that a close couple will go through, from conception to the mystery of birth. It sheds light on how to make this journey smoother, more harmonic and joyful, how to fill one’s life with happiness, how to accept and feel confident with the changes in one’s body over the 9 months of pregnancy, how to live in a positive frame of mind and how to prepare oneself for the miracle of childbirth.

It so happens that most of my life has been spent in the vicinity of pregnant woman and those giving birth. Every day I see how important it is for future parents to have the right attitude; an attitude which can overcome any difficulties, even a complicated pregnancy. Only positive emotions, relaxation, mutual respect and edifying thoughts and images form the necessary environment for the birth of a healthy baby. It is not easy to reach such a harmonization of feeling, but it is possible with hard work. The pages of this sincere book, filled with love and gentleness, are dedicated to showing the reader how to reach this state of harmony.

Doctor of medical sciences, head of the prevention and treatment of miscarriages unit in the V.I. Kulakov Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Perinatology Centre, Ministry of Health, Russia.

Те truashvili Nana Kartlosovna

***

Aleksandra Alma’s book, Womb Bloom, has a beautiful title and cover. I read it all in one go – I couldn’t tear myself away. I was left with bright and life-affirming impressions. This book gives advice and instructions for women and men. Every young couple should use it as a guide.

Doctor of eastern medicine, gynaecologist, former head of a maternity ward, now an acupuncture and acupressure therapist in the EMChI Moscow Centre of Eastern Medicine. A student of famous Tibetan masters.

Oyuna Badmaevna Dorzhieva

***

Alma, thank you for such a wonderful and important book! I can say this with full confidence; I’m the daughter of a famous obstetrician-gynaecologist, have worked for many years in maternity wards and have also created a conception method, but that’s enough about me. How important it is to allow oneself to love and be loved! To educate future parents from the cradle! To be conscious parents! Alas, miserable parents will never be able to teach their children to live in happiness! May Alma’s brainchild be a success, may it sell like hot cakes and be reprinted many times! Light and Love – strength for us all in these wondrous times!

Member of the Writer’s Union of Russia, author of over 30 books, psychologist, consultant, holds an honorary doctorate in metaphysics (USA), holds a master’s in education, Louise Hay’s only Russian student, also student of Liz Burbo, Doctor Toicha and Imre Somodi, has played the leading female role in many popular TV programs and featured as a guest-speaker in many talks shows: What does a woman want?, Private Life and others.

Angelina Mogilevskaya

***

Dear Women! Congratulations! You are holding a fantastic instruction manual about how to become a pure channel for a Divine Soul coming to Earth. If you follow Aleksandra Alma’s advice, your pregnancy will become the most interesting and educational 9-month journey you have ever experienced. May your Happiness grow in step with your Offspring, may it feed and fill your Child with Strength! Receive this Divine gift of being a Mother with dignity! Carry Goodness in yourselves!

Russian singer, organiser and vocalist of rock group ‘Masha i medvedi’ (Mashsa and the bears), mother of three children.

Masha Makarova

***

My name is Vera Zhestovskaya. I’m a mother to three grown-up sons and a grandmother to the three most delightful nieces in the world!!!

I gave birth to my oldest son Konstantin when I was still studying at university, and I remember how much I needed information about pregnancy and childbirth then!! I tired out our psychology tutor with my questions. I felt really scared of not knowing and what is more, I was far away from my mother at the time. I was with friends and peers who, to give them credit, cared for me as much as they could. I remember that on my first day of our practical lesson, I ran into class on sky-high heels with a massive belly, and my course mates pleaded, “Veronika, be careful, don’t run like that”.

I was in good health and went through pregnancy like a breeze, but when I was giving birth in the labour ward, the nurse who was fed up of the shouts coming from mothers in labour warned me, “If you shout like that, your child won’t shout at all”… and so I remained silent… As a result, the doctors missed the active labour phase and had to use forceps to help the baby out, which is a huge trauma for both mother and child. When giving birth to my second child I screamed with all my might, which was probably not the best thing either. And when giving birth a third time I didn’t shout for another reason – I knew it all!!! I chose the maternity ward myself – one where the child is put to the mother’s breast straight away and stays with the mother from the moment it is born. This seems like the norm now but 25 years ago only one maternity ward provided these conditions. The nurses were drinking their morning tea and didn’t feel like stopping their conversation. I told them, “Ladies, I’m giving birth to my third child, I know what to do, just show me where the labour ward is.” And when the waters broke I ran past the nurses holding a sheet under me and shouted, “Ladies, follow me!” I got onto the chair by myself and breathing calmly and pushing with a feeling of joy and great happiness, without shouting even once, I gave birth to a wonderful hero!