Yoga for the two week wait
Fertility yoga is a special blend of restorative yoga poses and poses that target our reproductive organs, infusing them with qi or prana and blood circulation. Fertility yoga has many benefits. This particular routine is specially designed for the two week wait after ovulation or egg transfer.
The opening meditation is a practice I take women through when they are receiving fertility acupuncture in my clinic. It is a beautiful nurturing practice that brings awareness and loving energy to your womb, being receptive to new beginnings.
The focus of this practice is to bring gentleness, energy, warm and blood circulation to the body and especially to the womb space, it is to help relax and promote wellbeing, reduce stress and anxiety and promote acceptance during the 2 week wait as it is often a highly charged time for women wanting to conceive.
Opening Meditation & pranayama
Sit cross legged, or in a comfortable position. Place one Hand on your heart, and your other hand on your womb space. Feel warmth and golden light in your heart. Once you have visualised the golden light in your heart, let it expand throughout your whole body. Bring your intention back to your heart, and visualise a golden ribbon of light flowing down to your womb space, warming and filling your womb space full of love and open to new life.
Start this practice with being open and loving to yourself. Now dedicate this practice to something that is meaningful to you.
WE are doing this meditation to clear any blockage in the Bao Mai (uterus and heart meridian) which when blocked can cause difficulty to conceive. This meditation creates connection between the heart and uterus.
Chant OM
Bring your hands in prayer mudra and chant OM three times.
Chanting stimulates the vagus nerve. It reduces tension and balances the nervous promoting relaxation. Chanting also effects the endocrine systems to improve hormonal balance.
Parvata-asana
Sit with your legs crossed, as you breathe in, interlock your fingers, turn your palms out and as you breath out, extend your arms forward bending your spine. Breathe in as you straighten your back and extend your arms over your head, palms facing the sky. Lift your shoulders blades upwards. Ensure your elbows are straight and your arms behind your ears. Breathe in, raising your chest and chin towards the sky and straightened arms back. Breathe out and bringing your arms down the side and interlace your fingers behind your back, shoulders back, chest forward. Repeat 5 times. Then bring left hand to floor, right hand stretching to sky, the bend torso to left, allowing your right hand to follow, do opposite side. Repeat 3 times.
Here we are opening the heart space. These poses will also stimulate the nerves of the spine, which innervate the internal organs including our reproductive organs. It improves blood circulation and massages the abdominal organs.
Surya Narmaskar
Tadasana with gentle hip circles
Come to stand gracefully, with your feet together. Hands by your side, draw your shoulders back and down, opening your chest. Gently circle your hips clockwise 5 times and then anti clockwise 5 times. Breathe in, Stretch your arms over your head, palms together.
Uttanasana – Standing forward bend pose
As you exhale bend forward, sweeping your arms down, fingertips or palms to the floor, bending your knees if you need to.
Adho mukha svanasana – downward dog
Step your feet back into downward dog, soften your belly and breathe gently.
Anjaneyasana – lunge
Exhale and step your left foot forward between your hands, ensure your left knee is over the heel. Lower your right knee to the floor feeling a comfortable stretch in the right thigh and groin. Release the toes and lower the top of left foot to the floor.
Inhale and lift your torso to upright. As you do, sweep your arms out to the sides and up, fingers reaching for the sky. Draw the tailbone down toward the floor and lift your pubic bone toward your navel and softening your naval. Lift your chest opening your heart space heart.
Virabhadrasana II – warrior 2 pose
Bring your arms back to the floor, Lift your back foot back on to your toes, and left your knee into a high lunge, sweep your arms up pointing to the sky. Put your right heel down with your foot at a 45- 90 degree angle then rotate your hips to the side wall and bring your arms down to shoulder height.
Shanti Virabhadrasana – peaceful warrior pose
As you breathe in, turn your left hand towards the sky, bring your left arm up over head, pointing to the sky, gently bending your back and gaze upwards. Drop your right arm to the back of your thigh.
Breathe in, as you breathe out cartwheel your hands back down to the floor in to a high lunge.
Parivrtta parsvokasana – revolved side angle pose
Bring your right hand towards the left foot (put on the outside of the left foot for a stronger variation) and gently twist the torso to the left, and raise your left arm to the sky.
Anjaneyasana – lunge
Exhale and step your right foot forward between your hands, ensure your right knee is over the heel. Lower your left knee to the floor feeling a comfortable stretch in the left thigh and groin. Release the toes and lower the top of right foot to the floor.
Inhale and lift your torso to upright. As you do, sweep your arms out to the sides and up, fingers reaching for the sky. Draw the tailbone down toward the floor and lift your pubic bone toward your navel and softening your naval. Lift your chest opening your heart space heart.
Adho mukha svanasana – downward dog
Repeat for the other side
A gentle surya namaskar for anxiety and depression, releasing tension and increasing blood circulation throughout the whole body and especially the reproductive organs. When the head is below the heart, this reduces anxiety. We are also open the heart centre and naval centre to promote receptivity. The focus is gentleness, soft belly and opening the heart and naval centres.
Balasana – Childs pose (with bolster)
Lower your knees to the mat and spread them as wide as your mat, keeping the tops of your feet on the floor with the big toes touching.
Bring your belly to rest on a bolster or pillows and cushions between your thighs. You can turn your head and rest it on the bolster. Relax the shoulders, jaw, and eyes. Soften your belly. Breathe gently, relaxing and resting. Bring your attention to your womb space, softening the naval further, visualising it as a warm nurturing place, full of nourishment, ripe for new life.
We are using this pose to rest and restore, soften the belly and visualisation to warm the womb for implantation. It calms the nervous system and balances endocrine system.
Supta Bada Konasana supported reclining butterfly pose
Now roll over on to your back. Put the bolster under your knees, feet together. Then allow your knees to drop outwards, resting on the bolster or cushions with the soles of your feet together. Stretch your arms over head, then bring them to rest in a t shape, palms up for heart opening. While in this pose, gently breathe into your naval centre, visualising the implantation of new life, snuggled and warm in your womb space.
Ananda Balasana – Happy baby
While lying on your back, bring your knees towards your shoulders, soles of your feet towards the sky. Reach forward and grasp your feet, spreading your knees towards your armpit. Gently rock from side to side.
The rocking of happy baby pose is a self-soothing and gentle pose to help release tension and improve mental wellbeing. It opens the hips and pelvic region.
Shavasana – Corpse pose
Lower your legs and relax. Use this time to feel the effects of the practise on your body and mind. Gentle breathe, relaxing and softening your abdomen, and womb space. Put your hands on your heart and womb space and repeat the opening visualisation of the connection between the heart and womb, seeing the womb as a safe haven for new life to begin.
