Aikido and Child Birth ?

My wife is expecting... due in February, and so we had attended a baby birthing class this past weekend.

Funny thing though... sounded a lot like Aikdio!

1) Gotta relax
2) Control your breathing
3) Focus on the task at hand
4) Breath
5) Focus on your hips
6) Don't forget to breath
7) Relax and breath...

Okay, you get the picture. My wife and I had a good laugh as we were walking out, making jokes about extending Ki... Kiai'ing instead of just yelling explitives at me... that sort of thing.

Anyone else have funny analogies like this one?
What else has similar traits to Aikido?

Or ... maybe I'm just bored at work and should just be ignored???

My wife's due in late may. We haven't attended any classes yet, but we've had much the same humorous conversation about aikido and childbirth. As much as I run my mouth about aikido, it was probably inevitable.

P.S. Congrats on your impending rugrat.

John Boswell wrote: Anyone else have funny analogies like this one? What else has similar traits to Aikido?

Yeah .. the activity that got your wife in the situation she's currently in. I'll let you use your imagination.

John Boswell wrote: Anyone else have funny analogies like this one? What else has similar traits to Aikido?

...besides the fact that she'll be in labour with a sudden, overwhelming urge to do ankle Yonkyo to her husband?

Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: ...besides the fact that she'll be in labour with a sudden, overwhelming urge to do ankle Yonkyo to her husband?

You know that one too? I found that yonkyo on the day of my last test... it's very nice.

And if she can concentrate long enough to figure out how to put yonkyo on me... well, SHE'S JUST NOT PUSHING HARD ENOUGH!

PUSH!! PUSH!!!

i always found that when they shouted push to me ... well .... i actually growled .... its stopped the annoying cheerleaders that call themselves midwives from shouting it anymore ..... (and I broke my husbands finger!) ... not that Im violent u understand! ... it was so he would scream for me .... pain via proxy! lol
congrats on imminant sprogget

me when i had my first son my ex was trying to tell me how to push (yea like hed given birth before) so like a scene from the exorcist i told him to get on the damn bed (ok not exactly the words i used but this is a family site) if he could do any better,
if i had been doing aikido then (jack btw is 8 now) ii know i would have had more self control.
ps i know lots of people wil say this but congrats on the impending rugrat

I would be interested to hear from some women who've given birth after having done aikido for a while, how practice helped and whether there was anything in those childbirth classes that contradicts what we practice in aikido.

The only contradiction from the birthing classes and true aikido would be the actual breathing technique.

For various reasons, the woman giving birth needs to breath shallow. She's delivering a baby, so she needs to keep the stomach muscles tensed up while pushing and even during relaxing stages. If you take deep breaths... it could actually suck the baby back IN... which is the exact wrong direction you want baby to go! Baby needs to get OUT! Shallow breaths keep the oxygen flow up for Mother and Baby... but keeps tension on the stomach.

In Aikido, you need to breath deep breaths to help stay relaxed. This also enables you to remain calm and concentrate on center or one point. Shallow breaths in aikido would wear you out faster and exhaust you.

As for whether or not the art of aikido actually helps a woman give birth? Interesting question! I'd be curious to hear about that myself, seeing as I haven't been a woman for several lifetimes.