Yoga has a holistic approach towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and this extends to improving your chances of conception, which is often hindered by high stress levels, PCOS, endometriosis, and many other hormonal problems. Adding some yoga to your everyday routine can really help calm your mind and body. The hormones released while doing yoga, much like while exercising, are good gatekeepers of the balance in your body. With today’s lifestyle and work stress, especially with the new normal where people are working longer hours from home, there’s been an increase in fertility issues. Reports suggest there’s been a steady rise in the number of couples seeking counseling and treatment for infertility. Have PCOD? Yoga is the best form to lower the risk of pcod. Check out yoga for irregular periods here.
Causes Of Infertility
Infertility is common to both the genders, men and women, although in India the onus is usually put only on the women. Demanding schedules, deadline pressure, guilt, depression, and anxiety are the main factors that can significantly reduce the fertility rate. However, stress is the major cause of concern that can severely affect your health and fertility. Most of the time it has been noticed, couples that are facing issues in conceiving have poor lifestyle habits. It is one of the reasons, in spite of no fertility issue, they are unable to conceive. Other times when couples are calculating fertile days while planning a baby, it may fail as their mind and body are undergoing too much stress. Thus, they are unable to create the right condition in the body to be able to conceive.
For women, irregular periods are one of the infertility risk factors. With an irregular cycle of periods, it is difficult to get the right ovulation day as it may vary every month. The reasons for irregular periods are PCOS, Thyroid, Uterine Fibroid, being overweight and eating disorders. Most of them are the outcome of stress, anxiety, poor lifestyle habits, and cause hormonal imbalance.
There are medical treatments, medicines and other approaches toward boosting the fertility rate. With the current situation, people are more inclined towards natural remedies for treatment. Yoga is one of the best natural practices in improving various health issues, and this includes fertility.
Natural Ways Of Improving Fertility
Research studies mention that yoga has benefits for those couples/individuals that are trying to conceive. Yoga may not guarantee conception but it helps to improve quality of life and thus, increases the chances. It helps to maintain the balance between the mind and body. It is also helping in sustaining the quality of daily activities like eating habits, sleep cycle and balancing your work and personal life.
A stress-free mind and healthy body are the most important factors when it comes to conceiving a baby. Yoga helps to have good mental and physical balance.
Benefits Of Yoga For Better Conception & Fertility
1. Management Of Psychological Distress
Yoga therapy is an excellent way to manage anxiety, depression and psychological distress. This is one of the causes found in women facing infertility. Pranayama, the breathing practices in yoga, lowers the stress hormones and increases the chances of conceiving.
2. Weight Management
Being overweight can affect women’s fertility. Yoga helps in increasing metabolism and aids in weight loss. It helps in increasing mindfulness and body awareness. People with eating disorders commonly experience negative and distorted body image. Yoga encourages self-acceptance and peace, and thus it helps in reducing binge eating.
3. Correcting Hormonal Imbalance
When there are hormonal disorders, problems with ovulation can occur which is a common condition. Yogic practices included in the daily fitness regime will help balance the hormones. By choosing targeted yoga postures, it can impact the whole endocrine system.
4. Improving Reproductive Health
It helps in blood flow and stimulates the ovary and uterus. A good supply of blood is important for conception, and also during pregnancy. Yoga will help in both processes while planning a baby and during pregnancy.
5. Resolving Medical Issues
Therapeutic yoga can help in controlling diabetes, thyroid and PCOS. These can cause reduced fertility.
Yoga Asanas For Infertility
Here are a few yoga asanas for improving fertility but they will only help when practised religiously on a daily basis.
1. Setu Bandhasana
The shoulder supported or simply bridge, also called Setu Bandhāsana, is an inverted back-bending asana in modern yoga and hatha yoga as an exercise. It helps in alleviating stress and improves blood circulation.
2. Paschimottanasana
The seated forward bend or intense dorsal stretch is a seated forward bending asana in modern yoga as exercise. It helps in calming the brain while stimulating uterus and ovaries.
3. Padahastasana
The standing forward bend comes with variants such as Padahastasana wherein the toes are grasped. It’s a standing forward bending asana. It helps in blood pressure, and with infertility, headaches and insomnia.
4. Janu Shirsasana
It’s a head-to-knee posture, a seated twisting and forward bending asana in modern yoga. It is one of the popular poses in yoga for infertility treatment. It helps in relaxing the muscles of the abdomen.
5. Baddha Konasana
The Bound Angle posture and is also known as Throne Pose, Butterfly Pose, or Cobbler’s Pose. It’s a seated asana in modern yoga and is suitable as a meditation seat. It helps in soothing menstrual discomfort.
6. Sarvangasana
The shoulder stand posture is an inverted asana in modern yoga as exercise. There are variations to the asana that exist, including with legs in the lotus position and Supta Konasana with legs wide apart, toes on the ground.
7. Bhujangasana
Bhujangasana resembles the posture of a Cobra. It increases flexibility, tones the abdomen, strengthens the back and shoulders and improves blood circulation. The famous Surya Namaskar also has Bhujangasana, but it can be done all by itself, especially as part of fertility yoga.
- Lie flat on the ground on your stomach while keeping your legs close to each other.
- Fold your elbows and place both your palms on the floor near your chest.
- Take a deep breath and lift your upper body pulling away from the ground and stretch as you push your upper body backwards.
For a holistic approach toward infertility treatment, yoga can be a great way if followed as a regular practice. However, it is advisable to get treatment and diagnosis along with yoga. Yoga can go a long way in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing mental stress. Yoga will not guarantee but it can improve the chances of fertility and conception, and boost your mental and physical health.
