Of all the books I bought during my pregnancy, this was absolutely the most useful and helpful during the actual birthing process. I found it to be the perfect guide to a happy and healthy birth. You are encouraged to trust your body and your mind, and to be the vessel that brings about the perfect childbirth for you.

If you are already a student of yoga, the principles and exercises in the book will be easy to understand and more than helpful. I've taken several yoga courses, though I am by no means an expert, and had no trouble with the pre-partum and birth postures and exercises. By focusing on the ways in which the mother can take control of the birthing experience, it removes the fear and anxiety that can often come along with birth. Instead of being vulnerable, on your back in a bed, tied up with wires and numbed to the experience of birthing, this book helps you prepare for and experience birth the way nature intended, gloriously upright, using your body and muscles to facilitate an easier birth, feeling strong and confident.

If you've never done yoga before, you may want to take a class for expectant mothers before you try to emulate the illustrations in the book.