What is fertility yoga?

Is fertility yoga a thing, or is it just a new buzz word?

I talk to many women, and I found that the word fertility would trigger a myriad of emotions. Emotions such as fear, excitement and worry would surface. Some women were exclaiming that they would cross that bridge when they got there. Where is “there”? is there a warped idea of the word fertility in our society? Is the responsibility of our fertility only something we should care about when trying to conceive, or does the health of our fertility affect our overall quality of life? Whilst fertility does mean the ability to conceive a child biologically; our fertility does influence how we experience our menstrual cycle, our moods, vitality, and so much more. Our fertility is not something that we can extract from our bodies and deal with it later, but rather it is enmeshed in our entire being.

Fertility yoga, whether a structured programme or part of a daily sequence, aims to improve our quality of life by building a deeper understanding and connection to our bodies.

Fertility yoga may be for you if you are:

Trying to manage irregular or painful periods

About 80% of menstruating women experience premenstrual syndrome symptoms (PMS), such as backache, diarrhoea, headaches and mild to severe lower abdominal pain, which often affects how we go about our daily life. Whilst these symptoms are pretty common; they are not normal. Regular practice of yoga can help to relief PMS by enhancing endocrine function, improving blood flow to the reproductive organs and reduce our physiological and psychological response to stress that can cause menstrual irregularities with practices such as yoga Nidra. Are you part of the 80% of women?

Trying to conceive

Fertility yoga can prepare your body for a better chance at conceiving. The focus is to increase circulation to the reproductive organs, improve flexibility in the pelvic region, and reduce stress which are all fertility boosters.

Undergoing assisted reproductive therapy (ART)

Low impact restorative yoga asanas and breathing techniques help lower cortisol, which increases when we are stressed and can negatively affect our reproductive health. The process of ART can sometimes have you feel disconnected from your own body. Fertility yoga can help you connect with your body, stay in tune with how you feel, provide you with the nourishment and care for your health and empower you through a journey that can be emotionally turbulent.