40-day Blessing

my little man at 40-days

There is something very profound about becoming a mother... it has the potential of being a transformative experience in mind, body and soul. Obviously pregnancy changes your body in ways that cannot always be explained... how the body is able to expand and create life continues to boggle my mind. Yet the more fascinating part for me is how both my mind and my soul have changed as I have grown into my role as a mother. Nothing could have prepared me for the lessons... each child has taught me something profound, and each child continues to inspire me to be the best person I can be: to grow, to live, to create... quite simply to be. Though as with many things, it has taken me time to assimilate the gifts I have learned, and I continue to learn.

There are many traditions that embrace a special relationship with the first forty days after a new child enters the world. In more orthodox christian traditions the 40-day blessing is a reenactment of Mary bringing Baby Jesus to the temple on the 40th day after birth. It is the first time a mother and baby enter the church.  In Kundalini Yoga is it taught that the first 40 days after the birth of a child are a precious time for adjusting to motherhood and for protecting the baby in a comfortable and loving environment. Kundalini Yoga teaches that it takes 40 days to set a change of habit or lifestyle, and so it is considered especially important to respect this unique time at the start of a new life.

I have tried to honour this this tradition to various degrees with all three of my babies. And it has been a remarkable time as I would watch a new life slowly connecting with the world around her or him. I will admit that I was able to appreciate the power and privilege of this sacred time even more with my third child. As part of my yoga practice I enjoyed specific breathing techniques, mantras and poses that helped me connect with myself, with Leo, and with becoming a family of five... a whole new adventure lay before us. And as the 40th day approached I also noticed a new level of awareness in the eyes of Leo as he engaged with the sights and sounds around him with more intensity. It's as if for the first days he was still not fully 'of this world'... a part of him was still cozy in the womb of my arms and shelter (as he had been in my belly for 9-months before). 

To celebrate the 40th Day of Leo's life, I invited a few amazing women to my home. The reunion marked the beginning of Leo getting to know the community of people who are so eager to greet him and welcome him into their lives. I was deeply touched by the phenomenal energy of each person who joined me to celebrate this day. In particular the respect they showed to my beliefs to keep the early days with Leo as a special bonding time for our family. I felt myself bubbling over with gratitude to know so many beautiful souls, and in particular to feel my children surrounded by this wonderful energy.

I chose a poem to mark this day... and I share this intention with each of you:

Leo ~ 40-day Celebration ~ Monday, January 31st, 2011

May today there be peace within. May you trust you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you believe in the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you share the gifts you have been given. May you embrace the love that is within you and each one of us. May you feel content with yourself and the world around you. Pause and allow this knowledge to sink into your bones so that your soul may sing, dance, praise and love without limits or reservations. May you let the light within you shine!!!