Fertility Bliss
Yoga for infertility has picked up tremendously for the past 20 years. It is no longer the untested fringe panacea, but a complimentary package to various allopathic and holistic treatments. According to Rahul Sachdev, M.D., a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, incorporating the health-enhancing benefits of yoga with traditional and innovative medical intervention can relieve the stress associated with infertility, thus vastly increasing the chances for conception. True, stress has physiological effects that will alter the balance of hormones in the body—especially relating to fertility. Yet another physiologist and yoga scholar Roger Cole, evidences stressful emotions activate the sympathetic nervous system, causing the adrenal glands to release epinephrine into the bloodstream. Many strong emotions like fear and anger, which are actually other names for stress, can cause the body to produce more cortisol and fewer sex hormones. All of these changes are part of the “fight or flight” response, which prepares the body for emergency action but also interferes with its ability to repair itself and digest and assimilate food, and in turn increases the chances of infertility.
I have gotten countless requests to design a targeted fertility routine for students and patients. While there is sufficient yogic literature that discusses and visually references the benefits of asana, visualization and relaxation on enhancing healthy conception, there are very few complete sequences that not only demonstrate correct execution of asana, but also provide the subtle transitions to facilitate deeper stretching and strengthening of the pelvic floor, eliminate stress and increase the blood flow. Most of fertility boosting videos and books offer the orthodox recipe for stress relief through the practice of restorative poses that are held for an extended period of time and are aimed at inducing the parasympathetic nervous system response.
With its emphasis on coherent sequencing Yogea incorporates various stress-reduction practices like meditation, visualization and nervous system soothers, while creating a devotional connection of any woman to the fertile resources of her body. The causes of infertility range from increased exposure to environmental toxins to a drastic drop in sperm counts. Other factors that can influence a woman’s ability to conceive are infection-related scarring in the reproductive tract, hormonal imbalances, thyroid irregularities, poor diet, low body fat, smoking, and excessive drug and alcohol use.
Whatever the individual factors may be, every woman is a separate universe and is entitled to unearthing her pro-creative potential. Besides focusing on deep relaxation, guided visualization and breathing to trigger the relaxation response the methods for emotional expression, nutrition, muscle relaxation, and imagery, I like to offer a flow-based practice that invokes a sense of continuity and discusses the importance of emotional expression, nutrition, and cognitive restructuring in identifying recurrent negative thoughts. In yoga, suffering is caused by attachment to a result or by resistance. There’s nothing that brings up these two things more: you’re attached to wanting to get pregnant and you’re resistant to the fact that you can’t. The gist is to constantly practice surrender and acceptance, positive affirmations and poses that promote the downward current of energy, known as “apana”, the downward moving prana, or energy, which for women is centered in the pelvis. Allowing apana to flow freely could be the key for reproduction to occur. Anchoring deep into the seat of our soul we create space for maturation and growth. This aligns us all women to the magnetic forces of gravity and reminds us that we are all fertile extensions of the Earth’s fecundity in our quest to nurture and bear fruits of life.
If you’ve already checked out the gentle and restorative yoga offered line, venture into this fluid and sensual routine that feels like a perpetual ripple of Earthly delight.
Yogea Women’s Flow Fertility Bliss (intermediate level)
This Yogea sequence has an upbeat pace that stimulates the entire glandular system, and abounds with hip-opening poses that help align the uterus properly and increase the micro-circulation in the reproductive tract, rendering conception more viable. The inventive hip-stretchers, forward bends, deep squats, graceful backbends, elongated twists and subtle inversions are strung by sensual Moon Salute variations that promote the flow of “apana” throughout the entire body. The transitions happen seamlessly and are intended to correct postural alignment and release tension, promoting resilient connections between the hips, pelvis, and lower back, and stimulating the immune and endocrine systems. The fluid sequencing provides an experience of continuity and cyclic yielding. The core is strengthened isometrically, the pelvic floor toned, while the shoulder girdle opens into an uninhibited yawn. Performing this sequence gives your body a libido boost by opening and strengthening your hips and pelvis. You’ll know you’re doing it correctly if you feel a stretch in the front of your pelvis and hip flexors, and along the side of your torso and hip. The twists help to wring out any fertility-compromising tension that may be in your organs and muscles. In addition to allowing “apana” to move more freely, these asanas help to soften and “make space” in the pelvis and let go of tension in the abdomen. A goddess-pose Savasana makes the body available for fertile flow.
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