First Time in Beirut, Lebanon
Pregnancy is not just a time of growing a baby — it’s a time of growing a mother, a family, and a deeper relationship with the unknown.
This is why the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) approach feels so aligned with the way I hold space for women: gentle, grounded, and wise.
More than just childbirth education, MBCP is a full-bodied invitation to meet the transformation of parenthood with breath, presence, and inner trust.
What Is Mindful Birthing and why its so important in Beirut?
Mindful Birthing, developed by midwife and mindfulness teacher Nancy Bardacke, is a 9-week course based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). It brings together practical knowledge about childbirth with deep mindfulness training — preparing both the body and mind for birth. This course is the only course given in Beirut and the Middle East.
But more than that, it prepares the heart. And I believe that's where real birth prep begins.
Why It Matters
Most traditional birth classes focus on the “what” of labor: dilation, stages, interventions. Mindful Birthing focuses on the “how” — how you meet the contractions, how you breathe with uncertainty, and how you parent from a place of presence and compassion.
This approach is deeply healing because it:
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Reduces fear and anxiety around birth
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Improves pain-coping capacity by teaching you to stay with sensation, moment by moment
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Supports emotional resilience in pregnancy and postpartum
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Strengthens the bond between partners, turning preparation into a shared spiritual path
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Sows the seeds for mindful parenting from the very beginning
What Happens in Class?
The MBCP course includes:
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Mindfulness meditations like the body scan, yoga, and loving-kindness
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Pain-coping practices to simulate contraction intensity
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Deep inquiry into fears and hopes about birth and parenting
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Mindful communication tools between partners
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Education on the physiology of birth and postpartum
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Time of silence to embody stillness and presence before the storm of new life
Parents often finish the course saying, “It wasn’t just a birth class — it changed how we live.” I’ve seen it soften fear, open hearts, and even heal relationship wounds, as couples come into deeper presence together.
Why I Hold This Work Close
As a mindful birthing coach, I don’t just want to “educate” you. I want to hold a lantern as you cross into motherhood — your way.
Because whether your birth is gentle or wild, short or long, at home or in the hospital — what truly matters is how youmeet it. With breath. With presence. With love.
Mindfulness offers you a way to be with what is, rather than what you wish it could be. And that’s the kind of strength that never leaves you.
At Root in Wellness, we offer prenatal yoga in Beirut, Lebanon, and the region’s only full Mindful Birthing course— designed to support you through this powerful transition with body-based wisdom and heart-centered guidance.
Join Us: Root in Wellness in Beirut, Lebanon
Online mindful birthing courses: For women across Lebanon and Middle East
Private sessions available: Tailored support for mindful birth prep
Resources & References:
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Bardacke, N. & Duncan, L. G. (2014). Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting: Cultivating Inner Resources for the Transition to Parenthood and Beyond. In: Baer, R. A. (Ed.), Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches (2nd ed.), Elsevier.
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Bardacke, N. (2012). Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond.
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Vieten & Astin (2008), Beddoe et al. (2009), Duncan & Bardacke (2010) – Early research showing significant reductions in prenatal anxiety and increased emotional resilience.