When I was in high school I had a lasting crisis of amenorrhea. I run all kinds of endocrine tests that showed no anomaly, but I was still not getting my period regularly. I tried every available cure – from pills to acupuncture; from herbs to fortified diet. None of that worked until I stumbled on a series of books by a Thai medicine man Mantak Chia. I was fascinated by the way the reproductive system is sustained by a vital force called “Qi”. When “Qi” was depleted from the abdomen the feminine organs could not function at optimal rate. So I started following the exercises from the books very devotedly until my cycle went back to normal.

Ten years after while pursuing my choreography education in Switzerland, I had the rare chance to meet the same guy who had healed me distantly – this time in person. I immersed myself into a cathartic intensive course with him. In less than two weeks I was equipped with a multitude of practices and tools to enhance the female reproductive system for optimal fertility. Mantak Chia’s theory was that stagnation from what we eat, from pollution, and emotions are a part of a weakening process, especially if we’re constantly engaging in negative emotions. According to Taoist tradition, each of the organs has both a positive and negative emotion related to it, which is part of the balance. The abdomen has to be “open” for the body to be healthy and optimally fertile. Mantak Chia could tell from the belly button what emotion was depleting “Chi” in that area. For most of the participants in the course it was unresolved anger, but for others it was subconscious worry and preoccupation. Some were fear stricken, and others were constantly anxious about the future and suffered from existential angst.

All of these emotions, according to Mantak Chia were a product of a wavering mind. The idea of his teaching was to transfer the mind into the abdomen and transmute it into creative vitality. He taught us how to diagnose the infertility “bug” by inspecting the navel. Usually, organs in the abdominal area become congested. “The navel should be completely symmetrical, but if there are pulls, ridges, or lines of tension, then that tells me what organ in the system is having an issue and what emotion might be attached to that,” highlighted Mantak Chia. During the treatment, we used the pads of several fingers to apply gentle but firm pressure to various points in the abdominal area to release tension, tightness, and congestion, trying to get energy, or chi moving freely again. Then he made us do simple movements that would facilitate the flow of “Qi” through the lower abdominal area.

Years later when I discovered Yoga, I incorporated these simple Taoist exercises into my daily practice. I would always warm up with the Taoist routine and my juices running for the asana practice. I have not abandoned this practice to this very day and thanks to the special blend of Yoga and Qi-Gong I was able to conceive at the age of 40 and deliver a healthy baby naturally at 41. I credit Yoga and Qi-Gong with helping me become a mom. Of course, the diet coupled with my usually positive mindset also played a crucial role in enhancing my fecundity.

I believe, the most common cause for infertility is the stress we go through in our everyday life. The stress arises due to various responsibilities from career, home, partner and other commitments. What’s even worse trying to get pregnant for a long time and not succeeding makes things even more stressful. Stress stifles the entire body cutting the flow of “qi” in the lower abdomen and creating various hormonal imbalances that result in multiple diseases.

Qigong and Yoga actually make an ideal combination for women trying to conceive.  Qi-Qong nurtures the reproductive system by clearing blocked energy from emotional build-up and restoring the Ying (feminine) and Yang (masculine) balance throughout the body. The eggs in a woman’s body come from the pre-natal energies sustained by life force or “Qi”. The menstrual blood is made from the yin or the nourishing fluids in the body.  We burn these up as we age but it is accelerated by busyness, excessive exercise, drinking coffee, or worrying.  Meditation is a very yin cultivating activity.  The problem is that when we do not have much “yin” it is harder to settle down.  There is a nervous energy that is characteristic in “yin” depletion.  Qigong is a moving meditation and is perfect for those people who can’t turn their brain down.  The movements are focused using your intention or “yi” and allow the inside to quiet.

Yoga on the other hand, reduces stress and helps the body to relax and the mind to slow down. The nervous system, which is aided by the breath, helps lower stress hormones like cortisol. Cortisol, is the main culprit for infertility. It blocks certain areas of the body, especially below the waist. Fertility enhancing poses bring more blood flow to the uterus. Coupled with pranayama and meditation these asanas boost all the systems and balance the hormones – bringing a deep sense of peace and connection to our own innate healing capacity so we can feel more empowered during our journey to conceive.

There you go. So now you have both ancient practices merged into a fertility boosting routine that will keep your mind procreative and your womb vibrant. Give it a go. It’s time to cheer your femininity and spawn new life.

Yoga & Qi-Gong Fertility Boosting Routine: Vibrant Womb (open level)

This Yogea routine combines the revitalizing benefits of Qi-Gong with the calming and healing impact of Yoga. It starts off with a standing kinetic meditation to harness the massive power of “qi” into the pelvic girdle and flows into a series of repetitive brisk movements coupled with conscious breath. Each exercise takes you organically through developmental movement, as you spiral from standing, to squatting, to kneeling, to supine to reclining poses. The Qi-Gong pairs with ecstatic Kundalini (creative energy) breath to spark up the Shakti (feminine) force up the spinal column and bring warmth and fresh blood supply to the uterus. As a result the ovarian function is rebooted, and Ying or receptive energy is stored for healthy implantation. A brief creative visualization at the end floods you with a feeling of renewed balance, and restores the trust in your body that your reproductive organs work in perfect harmony to allow an easy conception.