Research shows that Mind-Body practices are a wonderful companion to fertility treatments and show statistically significant increases in IVF success rates as well as reduce anxiety and stress associated with TTC.
Fertility Yoga is not be prescriptive – there is no secret sequence of asana to be done x times per week. The essence of yoga incorporates holistic wisdom for all the layers of self – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and energetic.
You can positively affect your fertility holistically through the avenues of the body or the mind. When treating the mind, the body follows, and when balancing the body, the mind follows.
So by nurturing and freeing your creative expression, you are also nurturing and freeing your fertility (as well as balancing emotions, confidence, and desire)!
The following is the heart-to-heart sit down I so desperately needed at the time but never got. I hope that the lessons that I learned will bring you some perspective to assist you with moving through your fertility journey with less struggle and more ease.
It’s unfortunate that somewhere along the way, using Yoga props began to be seen as a crutch or weakness. That the mere thought of using a block in triangle pose showed that you weren’t a ‘good yogi’ (whatever that means).
Stress does not have a direct cause and effect interaction with pregnancy. Women all over the world are getting pregnant when they are stressed, and many women who are super chill are not getting pregnant. It’s important to remember that this is an association. Stress does not negate pregnancy – nor does being stress-free ensure a positive cycle!
“I would often find myself lying on the floor of the apartment crying and begging to and negotiating with a God I didn’t even believe in. “
“Now knowing the biology of how stress and relaxation affects our reproductive biology, we can begin to take action to reduce stress by increasing relaxation. The goal is not to try to remove stressors (they happen!) but rather to minimize chronic stress.”
“I came to the mat in a gentle, nurturing way – to heal and to come to peace with our situation. Yoga was my mother and she nursed me back to health.”
