If you want the cervix to open, you need to open your throat.

Yes you read that correctly, your vocal cords and cervix have a connection. Cervix literally means neck, and this isn’t a coincidence. These areas of the body almost mirror one another anatomically, and the tissues have even been shown to respond in the same way when stimulated! Certified midwives will often note that making open throated sounds during labor can help that labor progress, and even help in pain management.

When I trained as a doula, we employed something called vocal toning to encourage letting go. This was practicing deep, low noises which promote an open throat, rather than high pitched, tense sounds like screaming. The lower more resonant sounds help not only in releasing tissue, but encourage the relaxation response I spoke of last month.

You can try it for yourself. Try vocalizing a very high pitched sound such as “Eeeeee” and notice the overall feeling it creates in your body. Most of us would associate this type of sound with anxiety or screaming (often associated with seeing a mouse for example). To create this noise our vocal chords tense and constrict elevating the pitch of the tone. This negative association, along with the sounds not usually being terribly relaxing to hear, leads to further tension, but even more than that, the constriction of the vocal chords can lead to involuntary tension in the pelvic floor and cervix. In contrast, low throated sounds, such as moaning and sighing have the opposite effect, and can promote relaxation both in their mental and physical associations.

When I attended births as a doula, I would often be able to tell whether a mother was coping and opening well based solely on the noises she was making during labor. Facial tension, combined with tight sounding noises almost always indicated constriction and that mom was fighting rather than releasing into labor. Conversely when the noises became more open throated (Ah, Oh, Om types) things would often flow more smoothly. In fact during one birth I remember having the birthing person’s partner (a man) moan along with her. She could then aim to make her voice lower than his which brought her out of the tension sounds and closer to the more base, opening noises.

So what are the ways we can use to do this?

Notice if you are holding or clenching in the jaw or breath during a yoga pose
Take a deep breath and audibly sigh. Look for an “Ahhhh” sound.
Flutter the lips like a motorboat feeling the tension release in your face and throat.
Continue with other vowel sounds and see how your overall energy shifts.
Do this during contractions

As yogis we become highly aware of how the body can tense and release using the breath. During practice we can employ our breath and chanting and observe which sounds create deeper resonance and vibration throughout our bodies. This mindfulness practice can then be immensely helpful for labor and birth. This also extends into the environment in which we birth. In order to make opening sounds, we have to feel dis-inhibited. That we will not be judged or embarrassed if we give into the full throated release that is the birth process. When we feel safe making sounds, we release more fully, and that release helps bring both our babies into our arms, and helps us to embrace the moment

More throat and womb opening exercises can also be found at: https://www.lotuswomb.com/new-blog/2020/2/6/the-throat-and-the-womb-sacred-twins

a note: an earlier version of this post appeared in the Voices blog of Down Under School of Yoga