When I say, ‘Don’t try these at home.’ what I really mean is, please use caution when trying the poses described here, even though they’re not particularly advanced. If you have any questions or concerns, it’s always good to consult your yoga instructor and proceed slowly. If you don’t know whom to ask, contact us and we’ll connect with you someone knowledgeable.
Developed for couples trying to conceive, yoga for fertility adds several postures that can help increase the chances of pregnancy. Fertility yoga also works to balance the body’s hormones and helps direct energy to your reproductive organs, all of which can make your body more receptive to conception.
If you’re interested in trying fertility yoga, here are a few yoga postures to explore:
Supported Bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Move your feet as close to your buttocks as possible. Inhale and exhale, and then slowly raise your pelvis and buttocks off the floor, while keeping your thighs and inner feet parallel. Clasp your hands behind your back. Hold this pose, while breathing deeply, for a minute or so. If this feels like too long, try holding the posture for one breath, then release and enter the pose again. It’s better to maintain postures correctly for shorter amounts of time, than straining to stay in the pose for longer. As your strength increases, you’ll naturally hold postures for greater amounts of time. To learn more, watch some of our Three Minute Egg Videos on Supported Bridge Pose.
For more support, try this with Eggs under the sacrum (tailbone) and hands at your side.
Legs up the Wall
Lie on the ground with your buttocks close to a wall. Slowly inhale and exhale, while extending your legs up the side of the wall. Rest your legs on the wall so that you create a 90-degree angle at your pelvis. Hold for 3-20 minutes and then release your legs slowly. If you plan on staying there longer, tie (or have someone else tie) a strap around your feet holding your legs together. This will make it that much easier for you to relax and unwind. This posture is also great for lower back pain.
Try this with 2 or 3 Eggs side-by-side, round side up, under the lower back and sacrum for added restorative benefits.
Baddha Konasana - Butterfly Pose - Cobbler's Pose
Sit on the floor with your legs stretched straight out in front of you. While inhaling, bring your feet towards your groin, and push the soles of your feet together. Slowly try to lower your knees to the ground while holding on to your toes. Hold this posture, without straining your legs, for between one and five minutes.
This is a great pose anytime of day. If you're less flexible, try sitting on some Eggs in "Lotus Booty" -- this is where the Eggs are on the flat sides and angled so as to support your legs.
Read more about yoga and fertility in my next post, Types of Fertility Yoga.
I’d like to thank Bahia Ohlsen of The Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Yoga Center in Chicago, Shared Journey, and Yoga Journal for some of this information.