The Power of Rhythm: Using Breath, Rocking and Stillness in Advanced Prenatal Sessions

As massage therapists, we are deeply familiar with the intricacies of the muscular, skeletal, integumentary, circulatory, and lymphatic systems. Yet, one system that deserves equal attention and can profoundly amplify the impact of our work: the nervous system.

Massage is well known for calming the nervous system, promoting relaxation, and reducing stress. What’s especially powerful, and sometimes less emphasized, is how massage can help guide the body into a parasympathetic state. In that state clients can rest, repair, and restore. By bringing more awareness to this aspect of our work, we can deepen the benefits our pregnant clients and their babies receive.

Our prenatal clients can especially benefit from a calm nervous system, since they are supporting another life, and their body has more demands during pregnancy. Rhythmic touch, gentle rocking, mindful breathing, and intentional moments of stillness are simple yet powerful ways to bring the body and mind back into balance. These elements don’t just relax tense muscles. They signal safety to the nervous system, helping both mother and baby feel calmer and more supported.

Let’s dive into the nervous system, and explore why it’s imperative to lead our clients into the parasympathetic state during our sessions. There are two main parts of the nervous system: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system houses the brain and spinal cord, and the brain deciphers signals from the nerves. The peripheral nervous system is comprised of the nerves, branching out from the spinal cord, creating a major highway for information in the body. This system sends signals from the brain and spinal cord to the organs and extremities. The PNS has two subdivisions - the somatic and the autonomic (activities such as breathing, that happen involuntarily). The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts - sympathetic and parasympathetic (Cleveland Clinic, 2025).

Nerve cells, or neurons, are the foundation of the nervous system. There are 100 billion neurons in your brain and these cells connect throughout your entire body. Visualize your nervous system as a tree. The central nervous system is the trunk of the tree and holds your brain and spinal cord. The tree branches are your peripheral nervous system/nerves. The branches extend from the trunk to reach all parts of the body (Cleveland Clinic, 2025).

Since we’re focusing on helping our clients achieve a calmer state, it’s important to understand the differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Each has opposite actions. The sympathetic system is known for the "fight or flight" response and serves an acute response that takes place during an imminent threat or even during intense mental distress. Noradrenaline activates and directs blood to flow to skeletal muscles, lungs, blood vessels and raises the heart rate. This prepares the body for self-defence through a fight or an escape (flight). Conversely, the parasympathetic system regulates resting responses such as heart rate, digestion, immune function and homeostasis. This allows the body to heal, repair and restore itself. We all aspire to spend the majority of our days in this state, although it’s becoming increasingly difficult with life’s stressors and demands.

Pregnant clients who experience high stress spend more time in a sympathetic state. The body is flooded with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which don’t just affect the mother. These also cross the placenta and impact the baby. Both mom and baby feel the effects of the stress hormones, making it even more essential for massage therapists to create conditions that support a parasympathetic shift. In that calmer state, the mother’s body can heal, rest, digest, and repair. This will provide a healthier environment for both the mother and her baby.

Studies show that pregnant people who experience high stress are more likely to deliver babies that are preterm or have low birth weight. Additionally, these infants show greater risk for developing neurodevelopmental challenges, including ADHD and even cardiovascular issues (BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth; Finland ADHD study; Hypertension journal, 2012). Many of our clients are not aware of the effects of stress, and how they can negatively impact their growing baby. As practitioners, I believe we have the opportunity to guide our clients’ nervous system into the parasympathetic state during each session.

We can also use breath, rocking, and stillness to support the parasympathetic nervous system. Breath is one of the most direct ways to influence this system. We can guide clients toward steady and slow diaphragmatic breathing. During this type of breathing, the vagus nerve becomes stimulated, heart rate begins to slow, and the body receives the message that it’s safe. For our pregnant clients, this shift calms the mother’s mind and body but also improves oxygen flow to the baby. How would it feel to give clients a few gentle reminders to return to the breath during the session?

Rocking has a deep effect on the nervous system. Throughout history, humans have been soothed by rhythm by being rocked, held, or swayed. In massage, this same rhythmic movement can be incorporated during a side-lying session using sacral stretching/rocking, side-lying sways (especially standing behind your client and using soft fists or forearms on their hips and gluteals). These movements signal safety and encourage the release of muscular or emotional tension. Rocking is more than just a technique; it’s a way to remind the body that it’s supported.

Therapists usually don’t associate stillness with massage techniques, but stillness can be just as powerful as movement. We can pause with intention, tuning into your client’s body to discern where they need you to rest your hands lightly. This allows the nervous system to integrate the work that has already been done, and let it “settle.” This is where the techniques meet integration, and the client can drop into a deep state of rest and repair. Stillness is a welcome gift to mother and baby, allowing both nervous systems to reset and restore.

As advanced prenatal massage therapists, our role goes beyond alleviating pain and easing muscle tension. It’s truly about creating a safe, restorative environment where both mother and baby thrive. By incorporating breath, rocking, and stillness into our sessions, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system and this has a lasting impact for mother and child. When we intentionally work with the nervous system, we elevate our practice. It’s a pathway to resilience for our pregnant clients.

References:

Bussières, E. L., Tarabulsy, G. M., Pearson, J., Tessier, R., Forest, J. C., & Giguère, Y .
(2023). Chronic Stress in Pregnancy Is Associated with Low Birth Weight: A
Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Global Women’ s Health.

Dunkel Schetter, C., & Tanner, L. (2012). Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy: Implications for mothers, children, research, and practice. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.

Nolvi, S., Karlsson, L., Bridgett, D. J., Korja, R., Huizink, A. C., & Karlsson, H. (2020).
Prenatal stress: Effects on fetal and child brain development. International Review of Neurobiology, 150, 95–130.

Sucksdorff, M., Lehtonen, L., Chudal, R., Suominen, A., Joelsson, P., Gissler, M., &
Sourander, A. (2015). Association Between Preterm Birth and Poor Fetal Growth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(8), 593–602.

Lewandowski, A. J., & Leeson, P. (2024). Cardiovascular Health Starts in the Womb. Hypertension, 83(2), 314–323.

Cleveland Clinic. (2023). Stress During Pregnancy: Effects, Signs & Stress
Relief.https://my.clevelandclinic.org...