There are so many different aspects that contribute to creating a healthy baby and pregnancy. Yoga is a great way to help support you on journey into a healthy pregnancy. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means to unite. Yoga is about the connection of mind, body, breath and movement. The mind-body connection has a huge impact on our overall health and fertility. One of the key aspects of fertility is to initiate the relaxation response. Yoga is a combination of asana (postures) and breathing techniques that will actually help you reach that state of relaxation and meditation. Hallelujah!
Yoga asana works by increasing strength, improving flexibility and helps balance our hormones and menstrual cycle. Modern research has proven yoga to reduce the stress hormone- cortisol and in yoga physiology it is believed that specific yoga postures increase blood flow and life force ‘prana’ or ‘qi’ to the reproductive organs. Not only are we reducing stress but also increasing our well-being and chances of conceiving.
Yoga for fertility focuses on the centers of the body or charkas associated with fertility and reproduction. In particular it uses specially designed yoga poses that open the pelvis and stimulate the second charka located just below the navel. This vital centre has long been associated with fertility and creativity. But more than just improving blood flow to the reproductive organs, yoga for fertility helps relax the body and restore physical and emotional balance.
The breath plays an important role in yoga and has a powerful influence over our physiological and psychological well-being. Breathing is something we don’t pay a great deal of attention too. In fact, it’s is an unconscious response we do naturally.
Different types of breathing patterns have distinct physiological effects. When we connect to conscious breath, it triggers the physiological response of rest and digest. Everything in the body begins to slow down; our heart rate, our mind, our breathing becomes deeper and consciously we begin to connect into our body. Suddenly, we notice we are in a more relaxed state.
The breath we want to promote in fertility is the belly breath. Slow deep rhythmic abdominal breathing. Belly breathing stimulates our vagus nerve, which controls important body functions such as respiration and digestion and sends sensory information to the brain. Using this breath shifts the hormonal milieu in the body from “flight or fight” to “rest, digest and nest”.
Whilst yoga can be described as a physical form of exercise it is so much more than its physical asana. When we break it down, yoga works the physical body in different ways. Yoga works on the mind, and as we become healthier and clearer, space is created for us to have a look at our patterns and contents of our thoughts. Huge! We learn to become the observer rather than the reactor and helps us to identify our patterns of negativity. It unites the conscious with unconscious creating a greater sense of awareness. Rejoice.
Yoga finally brings a sense of magic into your daily life. What you practice on your mat you can take off your mat and use in everyday life. This brings a whole new paradigm of health and well- being to you.