I have been researching into Yoga to enhance fertility for quite a while now, partly because it is included in the prenatal yoga package that I would love to offer to moms-to-be both as a book, and as an online manual. I have also received tons of requests from viewers on the Yogea Yoga channel to incorporate more fertility boosting yoga in our rich menu of customized routines.

While I was pregnant I pondered a lot on what allowed me to conceive naturally at the age of 40. Of course being fertile is part of a holistic lifestyle that encompasses yoga, proper nutrition, herbal supplementation, and an open mindset that does not turn your desire to get pregnant into an obsession. Such an attitude will teach you not to control the outcome of how and when the actual pregnancy will take place. There is no right or wrong way for getting pregnant. Nowadays we have the luxury of combining natural and allopathic medicine and can take advantage of all the medical advancement in that field. And we can also benefit from all the naturopathic knowledge, including herbology, acupuncture, moxi-bustion, reflexology and yoga that accounts for a big chunk of the wellness industry. The question is not about favoring one path over the other, but about combining both and doing what’s optimal for you.

Yoga for fertility includes asana, breathing and meditation. The meditation focuses on releasing the stress from trying to get pregnant that is accompanied by an upsurge of cortisol and adrenalin levels. Physiologically, it is time to visualize the toning of the uterus and the opening of the womb to receive life. The breath work is geared to promote flow in the uterus. There are wonderful Qi-Gong and Yoga pranayama techniques like bellows breath, Ying and Yang breath, fire and buzzing bee breath, and uterine (yoni)breathing to increase the blood flow in that area. Coupled with the right mudra and visualization practices, these breathing tools open the energy pathways to promote optimal circulation and flow. The mudras help gather energy around the uterus and prepare the uterine lining for implantation and later for childbirth.

The fertility asana practice emphasizes forward bends to calm the mind and relax the nervous system; hip openers to stimulate and tone the uterus; and inversions to promote circulation, and bolster reproductive glands. The secret is to incorporate all these life animating poses in a more dynamic flow that encourages frequent pulsing and repetition rather than static postures. In the fertility phase every woman has to submit to the ebb and flow and learn to go with the tides of nature. Becoming an extension of this natural recurrence should surface up in the design of the yoga classes so they offer more organic flow, rather than a rigid shifting from one pose to the next.

In my fertility boosting classes, I like to give a creative twist to all the inverted, standing, forward & back bending poses and hip openers. This adds a flavor of innovation and delight through the practice – making it practical, but also exciting. I also love to adorn the poses with special binds that cross the main meridians and boost vitality into the pelvic floor while opening the hips and shoulders. In the past, I focused on the creative component of the practice, arguing that fertility is a state of expanded and joyful creativity. Now I have resorted to keeping it safe and down-to-earth. Practicality matters when you are trying to get pregnant and you don’t feel like playing with the asana too much. You just want to do what’s needed and move on with your life. I tend to agree with that. You don’t want to get too artsy and go into a futile flow that is fun, but not necessarily useful.

For this reason I have kept this fertility boosting practice simple and to the point. It comprises all the valuable ova boosting asana of the yogic menu sequenced safely and organically. So when you move from one pose to the next, you enter an uninterrupted flow and feel how the pose moves you. Rather than you assuming a particular pose, the pose serves as a blueprint for your soul – taking you into an inward journey towards reclaiming your fertile ground– the fecund soil that will help you conceive, bear and rear your offspring. And no matter how this is going to happen, enjoy the process. Do not worry about the outcome. It will unfold in the most perfect for you way.

I would like to extend special thanks to the inspiring yoga teacher Vanessa Alfano for hosting our most recent Yogea Yoga YouTube videos series at her magnificent LakefrontYoga “shala”, where she offers holistic yoga classes and retreats. For her detailed class schedule, please, visit: www.LakefrontYoga.com.

Fertility Yoga Routine: Ova Boost (open level)

This fertility yoga sequence contains all the vital asana ordered safely and organically to tone your uterus, promote the circulation in the pelvis, relax your mind and boost the quality of your eggs. The carefully selected standing poses strengthen the muscles and limber up the joints. The hip openers prepare the womb for healthy conception and the uterus for implantation as you tap your creative resources. The inversions promote circulation and boost ovarian secretion. The forward bends calm and mind and get the body into a receptive and inviting state – all poses, transitions, binds and variations wisely strung to ease you into the luminous stage of motherhood.