Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash
Can I ask you a question?
In 2023, did you experience any of the following:
Anxiety, overwhelm and stress
You are overly busy
You are giving too much energy away to your IVF todo list, to your family, to your career, to other people
You have panic attack
You find yourself hyperventilating
You get triggered when you see babies or pregnant women
You find it difficult to fall asleep at night
You are always overthinking stuff
You procrastinate
You get angry and irritated easily
If you've experienced at least one of the above, it's a very good reason to practise yoga for your Self Care to support your mental and emotional health, especially you are TTC.
It's so easy to get caught up with the busyness of the new year and your regimented IVF life, and I know from personal experience, that it's really hard to find time for yourself.
But I know that when I do yoga, it feels like I've come home to this safe sanctuary that I've created, MYSELF.
“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat any time and be yourself.”
Of course, I'm biased! I'm a yoga teacher after all.
I want you to choose yoga as your Self Care tool for your IVF journey.
I want you to learn the tools that can help you with the emotional roller coaster of the IVF journey.
I want yoga to be part of your lifestyle, regardless of your IVF outcome.
And if you are like me and you have a tendency to catastrophize the worst case scenario - then yoga is what you need in your life.
Sure, - you can do fertility yoga, in fact I highly encourage you to do so - you can find free ones on youtube, or sign up for my seasonal IVF yoga workshops or if you follow me on Instagram, I do share occasional yoga poses.
But the thing is - most of us, who started, will stop doing yoga when we’re not actively trying, or if we’re taking a break in between cycles, or when it becomes a sad reminder of our losses.
Am I right?
I know this because it happened to me. I took fertility yoga courses. I did the fertility yoga classes and fertility meditation. I practised during my cycles, and they were super helpful in creating a state of calm and rest!! It really helped me thrive on my worst days. AND THEN, I stopped when we got the bad news!
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that because it’s important to reset and do a check in to see what’s best to support our mental health. (and probably binge read or binge watch Netflix or go on holiday.:)
But I’m grateful for my weekly Yoga for Self Care class. I can’t get out of it because I’m the teacher lol but it’s all good because the moment I got on my mat, I felt safe again.
“The real benefits of yoga cannot be seen; can only be felt, and needs to be a lived experience, and we need to go all in, and commit to your version of consistent practice without being attached to the outcome.”
But I hear you - you don't have the time for a 6o mins class.
Well - there's a general misconception that yoga is a physical practice, and it's more than that. But you do need to learn, you do need to make time to get the experience of the inner peace, which only comes if you make it a habit to invite inner peace and calm into your life.
We tend to forget that the goal of yoga is to still the fluctuations of the mind, and the physical asana is one way, but according to a wise sage, Patanjali - there are various other practices like meditation, mantras, pranayama (breathing etc) that can help us on our way to a peaceful life. And Patanjali says further that abhayasa and vairagya is the key. (Abhyasa : effort, willpower, practice. Vairagya : letting go, acceptance, detachment.)
With consistent, regular practice, you get to practice to be present and let go of the outcome and any anxiety or tension that you hold in your body and your mind.
Time is subjective.
If you are yes to yoga, you will make time.
If you are a Yes to Self Care and being kinder to yourself every day, everything else will fall as it should do.
If you are a YES to nourishing yourself and to take better care of your mental health, you will make it happen.
But I know I can't convince you to start taking care of yourself if you’re not ready to make that shift in your mind; if you’re not willing to take charge of your fertility mental health and that you don’t believe that you do have time to slow down, and that you do deserve to rest.
But since you’re here and reading this post, then you are ready for change.
“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.
”
If you ask me what's the difference between yoga for Self Care and yoga in general, the one major difference is the intention. When you practice yoga for Self Care, you practice with the intention of taking care of parts of yourself that has not been taken care of.
Physiologically, what you are really doing is helping your nervous system feel safe enough to rest, and with regular practice, you help your body remember what it feels to be calm and at peace, which eventually will be your automatic response in a stressful situation.
In a way, you are also disrupting the vicious stress cycle of infertillity. And those of us, who's been TTC for a long time, we know that there is a direct correlation of stress on fertility success rates.
Of course, there are other Self Care activities you can do other than yoga like slow walks, massages, facials, gym, watercolour painting, flower arrangements etc and you can do all that (which I did) but can you take a pause and reflect, with no judgement at all and with a lot of love:
Which ones help you focus on your breath?
Which ones help to move oxygen, blood and nutrients through your reproductive system?
Which one balances your hormones?
Which ones help you rest and relax?
My answer is YOGA, hands down!
“Yoga - The Gift that Keeps Giving! ”
My yoga practice has evolved over the years. I used to wake up for a 7am class to teach and to practice, but at this moment, my personal mission in life is to be kinder to myself and a daily physical practice doesn’t align with that mission.
TBH and I'm not ashamed to tell you this - I don't practice yoga every day.
Instead I practice my version of yoga every day. The kind that gets me feeling good about myself when I wake up because I've set myself up for a great day with my evening and morning rituals.
Legs up the wall - 10 mins before bedtime DONE
Box Breathing x 4 cycles when I wake up! DONE
Journaling 5 mins in the morning DONE
And I get to practice for yoga for Self Care with my students every Tuesday night. It's a win win for me!
So don't underestimate what an hour of yoga dedicated to Self Care can do to support you on your IVF journey.
Thank you for listening to my rant!!
This post basically and selfishly - I am self-promoting my class. I’m sharing what I love and what works.
And y0u know what, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what kind of yoga class you take, as long as you do your kind of yoga, and put in your schedule.
And for every class that you do, all I ask that you practise with the intention of “I want to care and love myself more” or “I wan to find peace and calm”.
And then on your mat, while practising, check in, once in a while “How can I embody my intention in this flow/pose? What is one thing I can add or modify to this shape to be aligned with my intention?”
Sophie x
“Where the intention goes, attention follows and good energy will flow.”
