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Recent studies have shown links between women’s day to day stress levels and lowered chances of conception. It has been proven that women whose saliva had high levels of alpha-amylase, an enzyme that signifies stress, took longer to get pregnant as compared to those who had lower levels. Your body is smart, and it knows that stressful periods aren’t good times to have a baby.
Can Yoga Help With Your Fertility?
This is why it is so important to find ways to reduce stress when you are trying to conceive. Stress brings negative habits such as smoking and heavy consumption of alcohol which also contribute to the less likely chances of falling pregnant. The pursuit of professional success has become a huge priority amongst modern-day individuals in general, unfortunately, this brings stress and other associated health problems such as high blood pressure. Even though the consequences of stress may not be visible immediately, the late nights, short deadlines, jam-packed schedules, and hectic lifestyles impact your physical and mental wellbeing. Infertility is a common aliment induced by stress and erratic lifestyles.
Yoga is famed for being a stress and anxiety reducer, these attributes can come in handy to those trying to conceive, but can this help you get pregnant? Despite continuous attempts and medical assistance, many couples are unable to conceive. If this is a problem you are going through, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to embrace the curative practice of yoga. In addition to healing your mind, body, and soul, yoga might just quicken the pace of conception. Yoga is a good practice to build on if you’re looking to boost fertility and maintain your overall health
Here are the top seven yoga Posed that can help boost fertility:
1. Bee Breath
The Bee Breath is a good position for stress-relief. This calms the body and relieves it from stress and anxiety.
Sit straight with your eyes shut, place your index fingers on the cartilage of your ears. Inhale deeply whilst gently press the cartilage when you exhale. Continue pressing the cartilage in and out as you inhale and exhale as you make a humming sound.
6-7 reps of this breathing pattern are encouraged for best results.
2. Seated Forward Fold
The Seated Forward Fold helps exercise your hamstrings, lower back, and hips. This position is thought to help vitalize the ovaries and uterus (key organs responsible for the conception
Sitting straight with your legs stretched out and your toes arched towards you. Inhale and stretch your arms above your head. Exhale and bend forward at the hip, touching the sides of your feet with your arms, while keeping your spine erect.
Breathe steadily and bend further towards your legs each time you exhale. Stay in this position for one to two minutes and then inhale deeply and come back to the sitting position with your arms stretched out. Exhale and lower your arms.
3. Reclining Bound Angle
This pose exercises your inner thigh and groin muscles. It also helps relieves stress, along with the discomfort of symptoms such as menstrual cramps.
Lie on your back, and rest your neck on a pillow. Bend your knees with the soles of your feet on the ground. Slowly, open your legs as your knees drop to the sides, such that the soles of your feet touch each other. With your palms facing up, place your hands beside you. Stay in the pose for about 10 minutes as you inhale and exhale.
4. Shoulder Stand
This pose helps stimulate the thyroid gland, of which dysfunction of this gland can lead to infertility. It also improves calm the mind and relieves stress.
Lie with your back on the ground and your arms on the sides of your body with your palms facing down. Then, raise your legs to a 90-degree angle. Press your palms into the floor to lift your waist, whilst bringing your legs forward, keeping them vertical to the ground.
With elbows on the floor, your palms hold your waist and raise your legs to form a 90-degree angle to the floor. Hold that position for one and a half minutes. Then gradually relax and come back down gently
5. Legs up The Wall
This is performed after intercourse to enhance the chances of conception. This pose will help keep the sperm inside your body close to the uterus, opening and increasing the chances of the sperm of reaching the matured egg for fertilization.
As you lay on your back, raise your legs straight up against a wall and hold this position for 15-20 minutes.
6. Cobra Pose
The Cobra Pose is one of the best poses for improving fertility as it helps increase the flow of blood flow to the ovaries and the uterus. This creates a hormonal balance, as well as increased production of cervical mucus which makes the journey of the sperm to the egg easier.
Lie on your tummy with palms facing the floor and the tops of your feet on the floor. Inhale and exhale slowly, and lift your body, arching your back while pushing your feet, hands, and hips downwards.
Hold this position for half a minute but concentrate on your breathing. Then, release your body and lie flat.
7. Supported Bridge Pose
This pose helps to open up and expand your pelvic region. The thyroid gland is also stimulated by the increase of blood flow, and thus improving its general function. By performing this pose, you can treat symptoms like anxiety, stress, depression, and fatigue.
Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, but slightly apart. Place your arms on the side with your palms facing up. Exhale as you press your lower back to the floor. Lift your spine and buttocks from the floor Form an arch by curling your tailbone. Hold this pose for one to two minutes as you inhale and exhale, after which you can gradually loosen up your body and bring it back to the floor.
Conclusion
Yoga has many benefits for your mind and body. It helps improve flexibility and strength, it boosts mindfulness and release of tension.
On top of that, it also has some major benefits if you’re trying to get pregnant. Regularly practising these poses will help improve your state of mind, the body as well as increasing your chances of conception.
However, we encourage consulting with a certified yogic practitioner for training to avoid the risk of injury.