If you’re trying to get pregnant and looking to boost your fertility, yoga can be beneficial in a number of ways.
The stress-relieving qualities of yoga are the big player here. But, why is relieving stress so important when you’re trying to conceive? Well, when you’re dealing with chronic daily stress, your adrenal gland goes into overdrive, wreaking havoc on your hormone balance and reproductive cycles.
And that’s not the only way yoga can support your efforts to conceive. Moving from pose to pose during yoga practice also promotes oxygenation and blood flow to the reproductive organs. This is crucial for reproductive health and supporting fertility.
As an added bonus, building your strength and flexibility through yoga practice can also help to prepare your body for pregnancy. Here’s a deeper look at how beneficial yoga can be when you’re trying to get pregnant.
The Benefits of Yoga When You’re Trying to Conceive
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Reduce Stress and Anxiety
We live in a stress-filled world and there’s simply no way to avoid it entirely. From our jobs to bills and relationships, our lives are full of chronic stress. And when you toss trying to get pregnant into the mix, your stress level can go up exponentially.
But one of the first things your doctor or fertility coach will tell you is to avoid stress when you’re trying to conceive. In fact, it’s a major issue for all aspects of the reproductive cycle… not to mention your overall health.
Chronic stress causes a domino effect within the body, throwing off your hormone balance and leading to irregular menstruation and ovulation. It also weakens the immune system, contributes to digestive issues, and affects your sleep quality.
Committing to regular yoga practice can reduce stress and anxiety and help you manage them on a day-to-day basis. It encourages mindfulness so that you can deal with stress and other negative emotions before they affect your health.
In essence, yoga helps the body to suppress its fight or flight response to stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This tells your body that it’s safe and there’s no need to be worried or anxious. Managing the stress response in this way can help get your hormones back into balance and promote healthy reproductive cycles.
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Reconnect With Your Body
Yoga is known as a mind-body practice. Its ability to help you reconnect with your body can be incredibly beneficial when you’re trying to get pregnant. Many of us spend our days in an office sitting behind a desk, using our brains, but paying little attention to the needs of our bodies.
This results in a sense of disconnect between the mind and body. We fail to notice the subtle cues the body gifts us to tell it what it needs or when something’s a little off. If you’re struggling to conceive, you might even feel a bit betrayed by your body and feel even more disconnected.
Yoga is a wonderful tool for building the mind-body connection. It encourages you to step away from day-to-day stressors and simply focus on your body and your breathing. It promotes a sense of mindfulness and helps you begin to notice the subtle shifts and sensations within your body.
Practicing yoga regularly also teaches you to connect your movements with your breathing. You learn to listen and work with your body, rather than against it. This is incredibly valuable, not only for fertility and pregnancy but also during labor and delivery.
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Improved Circulation and Blood Flow
The benefits of improving circulation and blood flow to the reproductive organs can’t be overstated. Most of us spend a lot of time sitting down, which cuts off blood flow and oxygenation to the pelvic region. Women also tend to hold onto tension in this area, which further restricts circulation.
Yoga postures that open up the pelvic region help to increase blood flow to this area, delivering oxygen and other nutrients to the reproductive organs. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, stagnant energy can contribute to reproductive issues. Opening up this area also helps energy flow freely.
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Supports the Endocrine System
The endocrine system is a network of glands, including the adrenal gland and thyroid, which produce a host of different hormones- including reproductive hormones. When one part of this system isn’t functioning correctly, the entire system is out of balance. Supporting the endocrine system is vital for boosting fertility.
As we’ve already mentioned, stress is a major contributor to hormonal imbalances. Stress triggers the release of a hormone called cortisol, which can mimic other hormones in the body and throw them out of balance.
Yoga has a balancing effect on the endocrine system. In fact, many yoga poses specifically up with and stimulate certain endocrine glands. This makes yoga a vital tool for supporting healthy hormone balance.
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Processing and Regulating Emotions
Yoga can be very helpful for learning how to process and regulate challenging emotions. The practice requires you to sit in quiet contemplation and possibly mild discomfort during a challenging pose, knowing that the discomfort is temporary.
This is a valuable skill to develop, not only for when you’re trying to conceive, but also for labor, delivery, and on into parenthood. During these stages of life, you’ll likely experience a roller coaster of emotions, from intense joy to anxiety and mild discomfort to pain… and everything in between.
Many practitioners experience an emotional release during yoga practice because the connection between the mind and body becomes so strong. Learning how to open to and release challenging emotions can help you throughout your fertility journey so that you can open up to future possibilities.
Wrapping Things Up
Whether you’ve been practicing yoga for years or you’re just getting started, committing to regular practice is a great idea when you’re trying to get pregnant. You can look for a class that’s specifically meant to help boost fertility or choose a restorative yoga class. Either one will help to nourish your body to help you conceive and achieve a healthy pregnancy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NICOLE MCCRAY Nicole is an experienced content writer with a passion for all aspects of wellness. She worked a side gig at a yoga studio for years before becoming a mom, and absolutely fell in love with holistic and alternative therapies during her first pregnancy. She’s been proclaimed the “health nut” amongst family and friends, and when she’s not writing, Nicole can be found studying to become a health coach and reading up on all aspects of healthy living!