by Beth Heller, MS RYT

Yoga poses are a mystery in my book.  We go to yoga class, stand on a mat in our bare feet and proceed to bend and twist our bodies until we take on a completely different shape.  What are these shapes?  Why on earth do they make us feel so good?  Why are they such a gift when we are experiencing life and health challenges such as infertility?

There is a lot of information about the physiological benefits of yoga.  Clearly, yoga postures are good for our bodies.  Stretching tight musculature improves our posture, strengthens our digestion and makes our muscles strong and supple.  Hip opening postures feed blood to the uterus and ovaries, backbends stimulate our nervous system and free our respiratory system from chronic tension, and twists “wring out” toxins and stale fluid from body tissues.  But aren’t postures just physical exercise?  The answer is yes, and no.

In his master work Light on Yoga, renowned yogi B.K.S. Iyengar explains that names of yoga poses are significant and symbolize the process of evolution.  There are poses named for plants (tree, lotus), poses named for insects (locust, scorpion), poses named for fish, reptiles and higher mammals like dog and camel.  Some are even named for legendary Hindu heroes and even gods.  The point is, Iyengar says, that while we perform yoga asana we assume many different forms, from the lowliest to the most exalted, and recognize the Universal Spirit that runs through them all.   Mr. Iyengar asserts that it is this unspoken presence of the divine that begins to work on the body of the yogi, causing new discipline and spontaneous healing to occur in diet, cleanliness and character.  What a fascinating thought – and how nice to think that tapping into something greater than ourselves is just a down dog away?

Over tea last week, Joyce, a fellow yoga teacher and friend was discussing her yoga practice when she added another dimension to my musing.

“The postures,” she said, “are the constant and I am the variable.  When I move into a yoga pose that I practice regularly, the pose is the same but depending on my state of mind, what I ate for dinner the night before and my present mood it’s a unique experience every time.  When I am tense, my down dog is rigid.  When I am sad I am reluctant to do backbends.  Because the postures encourage me to breathe and reflect, I see how my life affects my body. “

So, while in some ways these insights make the mystery even deeper, my appreciation of yoga asana is ever expanding.  These insights remind me that while yoga for fertility is trendy and hip openers are indeed great for fertility, the roots of this practice run far deeper than we will ever imagine.  And for this I am truly grateful.

Check out our brand new video companion to our book, Fully Fertile. This easy to use practice is great for any level, designed to support your body’s fertility and, with faithful practice, connect you to this universal healing awareness.

by Beth Heller MS, RYT

Jivamukti Yoga Co-Founder David Life tells a famous story about his first experience of mula bandha.   Standing in a yoga class with a famous Indian yoga instructor, Life heard the instructions “Contact Uranus!”

Contact Uranus?  Did he wander by accident into a Star Trek convention?

It took Life a while to understand that his teacher was saying  ”contract your anus,” the basic instructions for initiating mula bandha, a very powerful yoga technique for fertility.

I don’t hesitate to tell you this story because if you’re experiencing infertility you’re no stranger to embarrassing descriptions of things that are happening (or not happening) below the waist.  You can likely rattle off words like “semen” and “cervical mucous,” “vaginal probe” and “post-coital.”   Now, believe it or not, your fertility yoga practice is going to take you there, too.

Mula bandha is an energetic practice that stabilizes the pelvis and sacrum and tones the pelvic muscles.  While Life’s teacher suggested contracting the anus, mula bandha is actually more subtle. In women the action of mula bandha is the contraction of the vaginal and cervical muscles, similar to a Kegel.  If you’ve never heard of a Kegel, you can get a sense of this muscle action by imagining that you are urinating and must contract your pelvic floor muscles to stop the flow of urine.

On a physical level mula bandha tones the muscles of the pelvic floor.  It is great preparation for pregnancy where these muscles experience strain which can lead to urinary incontinence.  But mula bandha is more than just a muscular contraction, it is also an energetic contraction.  On an energetic level, the practice of mula bandha is grounding and helps conserve life energy (prana) in our body.    Mula bandha also clears congestion at the root chakra, also called muladhara chakra, which is concerned with safety and survival.  Mula bandha literally lifts  prana up from the root chakra to the second chakra.  The second chakra is called the svadhishthana chakra and is concerned with sexuality, creativity and fertility – so you can see why this might benefit fertility.  Mula bandha is also said to sever the brahma granthi, the energetic knot at the base of our spine that represents resistance to change, so if you’re feeling stuck or afraid, this work is for you.

To practice mula bandha, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet on the ground.  Slowly inhale and begin to engage the muscles of the pelvic floor (ie. as if you are stopping the flow of urine) over a count of five.  I like to use a visualization of an elevator going up (floor 1, floor 2, floor 3, floor 4, floor 5).   Exhale as you release the contraction slowly and feel the elevator descending floor by floor.  Check in with leg and buttocks muscles to make sure you aren’t tightening them.  Repeat 10 times.

With practice it will become possible to hold mula bandha for longer periods of time, while going for a walk, while doing your yoga, while talking on the phone.  Practiced regularly and with attention mula bandha can bring many gifts.

by Pam Policastro, L. Ac.

Eastern medicine views the individual as a whole being with body, mind, and spirit interconnected and supported by an underlying energy system.  Good health depends on a balanced circulation of Qi, or vital life energy, throughout the body.  Keeping this concept in mind, I will now discuss the TCM(Traditional Chinese Medicine) view on physical exercise.

First of all, there’s the sweat.  In Chinese medicine one of the functions of the Heart is to control body fluids.  Sweat is considered the “fluid” of the Heart, if you sweat a lot you are actually unbalancing the Qi, or energy, of your Heart.  In the case of perspiring too much and losing too much fluid, you are creating a deficiency of the Heart, which can prevent this organ system from functioning well.  What does this mean in terms of fertility?  The Heart and Kidney energies control the process necessary for female fertility.  The Heart “governs” the blood and is an integral part of the production of blood, therefore contributing to nourishment of the endometrium and embryo.

Then there’s the issue of the tendons and ligaments.  These areas of your body are dependent upon sufficient blood from the Liver to nourish them.  Strenuous and excessive exercise, such as intense aerobic and running workouts, is hard on the joints(tendons and ligaments).  When you overwork your joints, the Liver must send more blood to help restore them, and on a continual basis this depletes the Liver’s energy.  The Liver is a very important organ in terms of women’s fertile health.  This is because blood is stored in the Liver, especially when the body is at rest.  Some of this blood must be passed onto the uterus before preparation for pregnancy or menstruation can occur.  If the Liver Blood is deficient, then menstruation may be scanty, infrequent, or missing…compromising fertility.

Chinese medicine sees intense physical exercise as spending precious internal energy that is very difficult to replace, and not creating true health.  It is also detrimental to fertility. Wouldn’t  it make sense then, to pursue a form of “exercise” that actually increases life-enhancing energy instead of using it up?  Meditation, Qigong, Taiji, and Yoga have been shown to create positive changes in the areas of the brain linked with emotion as well as increase immune function and blood flow as well as decrease blood pressure.  PS…these more holistic forms of exercise support healthy fertility.

by Beth Heller, M.S., RYT

On April 26 we are offering a free Laughter Yoga class at Pulling Down the Moon in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week .  I can imagine that some people might be offended by the idea.  Infertility is no laughing matter.

On some level that’s true – but on another it couldn’t be farther from the truth.  I can remember sitting out on the steps in front of my RE’s office after a bad ultrasound the day before Mother’s Day early on in my fertility journey.  I ran into my friend Heather at the office – she was starting her second IVF cycle – and she sat with me as I cried.

“On the bright side, Beth,” she said.  ”We can go out together on Mother’s Day and drink martinis and eat raw fish!”   The need to avoid sushi was something that had concerned both of us about being pregnant back in the days when we thought pregnancy would be easy to achieve.  Now raw fish was our consolation prize.  I don’t know why but that struck us both as enormously funny at the time and we laughed until we could barely breathe.  Sad as I was that my cycle had failed, I felt worlds better after that laugh.

The ability to laugh is one of our most profound self-healing skills.  Little kids laugh simply because it feels good and it makes them happy.  As adults we lose this spontaneity and, in turn, lose connection to the well-spring of physical, emotional and even spiritual benefits of laughter.  ”Mirthful laughter” has been shown to help reduce chronic pain, improve immune response, alleviate depression and improve cardio-vascular health.  To thicken the plot, it seems that laughter may improve IVF outcomes.  Researchers in Israel followed 229 women and found that a 15 minute visit from a trained “medical clown” immediately after embryo transfer increased the  pregnancy rate to 36%, compared with 20% for women whose embryo transfer was comedy free.

So how might laughter help fertility?   Perhaps by stimulating the relaxation response.   When people are stressed they tend to take shallow breaths. Extending the exhale (which is exactly what laughter is –  HA HA HA HA – gasp for breath – HA HA HA HA) has a profound effect on blood chemistry.  Breathing patterns that emphasize the exhale increase blood CO2 levels.  This change in blood chemistry relaxes blood vessels and promotes blood flow to the brain as well as the release of oxygen from the hemoglobin into the tissues.   In addition, laughter stimulates beta-endoprhins, our feel-good chemicals.  Interestingly, these are similar benefits to those believed to result from acupuncture treatment that is also associated with improved success of IVF cycles.

From the yogic perspective, laughter plays an equally important role.  Inside each of us, yoga teaches, is a core of joy.  This core is clouded by negative thought patterns and what we have allowed to become the daily grind of our existence.  If we can connect to that spark of  joy, yoga teaches, it can begin to transform – even “burn away” – the negativity that has grown up around it.  Laughter sparks that joy.  It begins a profound process of coming back to our own innate radiance.

So, come and join us for Laughter Yoga on Tuesday April 26 from 7 to 8 p.m.  The class is free.  This class will combine breathing and spontaneous laughter that will create an amazing shift in the chemistry of your body and brain.  We provide a silly, safe and nurturing environment for you to explore this wonderful practice and leave smiling.

Click here to register!

http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=3556&stype=-8&sTG=23&sVT=169&sView=day&sLoc=0

This week is an exciting week at PDtM.  We have two new drop-in classes on the schedule, iRest ™ Yoga Nidra for Fertility and our Reiki & Meditation Circle for Women.  Your first session in either of these classes is FREE so  sign-up now and give them BOTH a try.

Ellen MacGran

iRest for Fertility starts Tuesday April 5 and runs from 7 to  8 p.m.  Our teacher Ellen MacGran has a gentle, soothing voice and has trained extensively with Dr. Richard Miller, one of the foremost experts on yoga nidra in the country.  Yoga nidra, which means “sleep of the yogi,” is a guided relaxation practice that is done laying down and creates a state of deep rest for body and mind.  Men are welcome to join this class.  You can even bring a pillow and your favorite blanket.  Cost $15 drop-in.  First class FREE!

Lisa Espinosa, Reiki Master

Reiki & Meditation Circle for Women begins Thursday April 7 and runs from 5 to 6 p.m.  This beautiful class combines beginning meditation instruction, sitting practice and healing energy work.  Your instructor is Lisa Espinosa, Reiki Master.  Cost $15 drop-in.  First class FREE!

Other wonderful events include two FREE patient education seminars:

Fertility Cleanse Thursday April 7,  6 to 7 p.m. Click here to register for this free program sponsored by Fertility Centers of Illinois

FEM Protocol Fertility Massage Class Sunday April 10, 12-1 p.m. Click here to register for this free program sponsored by Fertility Centers of Illinois

Upcoming Events Include:

Laughter Yoga

***THIS IS A FREE EVENT IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK *****

When is the last time you experienced an amazing giggle fit or a gut-busting crack up? Believe it or not, new studies show that laughter may improve IVF outcomes. Beyond fertility, we know that laughter can improve brain chemistry, release feel-good chemicals called endorphins and even stimulate the relaxation response.

Join Pulling Down the Moon Co-Founders Tami Quinn and Beth Heller for a Laughter Yoga practice that combines breathing and spontaneous laughter to elicit an amazing shift in the chemistry of your body and mind. This wonderful community event will lighten your heart and mind and connect you with the spark of joy that is present within all of us.

Click here to register for Laughter Yoga.

Therapeutic Yoga and TCM for PCOS

If you have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome this unique workshop will empower you to use two ancient healing systems, yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine, to help manage the symptoms and adverse health consequences that are associated with PCOS.

At this workshop we will explore PCOS from the perspectives of yoga and TCM, learn a therapeutic yoga program that addresses the specific health concerns of PCOS and meet other women who are learning how to be radiantly healthy despite PCOS. You will leave with tools to support your physical, mental and spiritual health.  Pre-registration is required for this event.  Cost:  $35

Click here to register for Therapeutic Yoga and TCM for PCOS.

By Beth Heller, MS RYT

It has been one of those amazing weeks where emails from past yoga students have filled my inbox.   As I read the comments of women who have taken class with me or with another of our teachers or used treatments like nutrition, fertility massage and acupuncture at Pulling Down the Moon I realize how blessed I am that this is my life’s work.

Moreover, I am drawn back to the beauty of yoga and my faith in its applicability to the fertility journey.

In a week where headlines have trumpeted the results of a meta-analysis that shows that a woman’s stress levels do not impact her odds of IVF success (you can read an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of this study here), I am reminded that yoga is far more than a stress-reduction technique.  From the strength and flexibility benefits gained from practicing poses, to the clarity and calm cultivated with breathing and meditation, yoga works on many different levels of being.  It invites us to step into the flow, to welcome ourselves not as we think we should be but as we really are and to embrace what we find.  Yoga engages us in the process – not just of conception – but of becoming whole.

I wanted to share some of what our students have shared because their words convey the gifts of yoga better than anything I can write.

“Because of my time at PDtM, meeting with and sharing such personal feelings with other participants, I have a kinder view of the world.  There are so many good, deserving ppl out there.  On one hand, it makes me hurt for women/couples like us when I see stories regarding children in need and think how unfair it is, but it also gives me a warm feeling to know that whatever souls end up in our care will be so loved and cherished.  The strength of ppl in our shoes continues to amaze me…Because of it I have more self-confidence and am more sure of myself in my own skin.  I know what I want and will do whatever it takes to get it.  While I realize the struggle to become parents can put a chink in the armor of marriage, I also know, first hand, that is can make a marriage stronger.”

“Everyone’s fertility journey is long, but I shall make this brief. After a miscarriage, my husband and I struggled to conceive our second child. I picked up your brochure at FCI.  I started coming to Moon in Chicago at the same time we started our relationship with FCI. When we were forced to take a month off after a failed artificial insemination, we conceived spontaneously…I truly believe that the acupuncture, your yoga dvd (my schedule didn’t allow me to come for the class), the meditation, the holistic vitamins…everything…helped us conceive our lil’ boy.  I think, most importantly, I felt empowered by these new practices and lifestyle changes. Western technology is amazing, but it puts the power in drugs, in ultrasounds. Moon provides a healing, grounded environment to come, breathe and gain strength in your body, in your spirit and in your mind.”

“I came to the doorstep of Pulling Down the Moon’s Yoga for Fertility Class in a very dark place. After two IVF cycles that both ended in miscarriage I needed to find a space in my life where I could not only  link up with supportive women who had similar experiences to mine but  a space where I could learn a Yoga and meditative practice to help my  body and mind heal. This is exactly what I found! This class gave me  the support and the tools I needed through Yoga with a community of  women to move onto to the next thing in my fertility journey. Our  teacher Rebecca was outstanding. I would highly recommend this class  to anyone no matter what part of the fertility journey you are on.”

I hope you will join me for our upcoming Yoga for Fertility sessions beginning Sunday, March 6 from 9:30 to 11 a.m.  The class runs for six weeks (no class on April 10) unti April 17.  Click here to register, or send me an email with your any questions to beth@pullingdownthemoon.com.

Today is the Autumn Equinox, a time when the length of day and night are nearly equal.  It is a time to reflect on balance and equilibrium, and to address areas of imbalance in our lives.  Alternate Nostril Breathing is a yoga breathing technique that is deeply calming for both body and mind.

Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing with PDtM yoga instructor Jenilyn Gilbert.

by Ellen MacGran

Each of us has great inner wealth – an abundance of wisdom, joy and peace.  How can we become more present to this in our daily lives?

After years of exploring meditation practices in search of greater access to this inner treasure, I found Beth Heller’s weekly iRest class at my gym.  The practice brought a deep sense of peace and relaxation from the very beginning.  iRest is short for Integrative Restoration and is based on the ancient practice of yoga nidra.

As I experienced the benefits of the practice, my commitment deepened and I decided to make iRest a bigger part of my life.  I enrolled in the certification process led by Richard Miller, the developer of the protocol and Beth’s teacher.  Richard, a clinical psychologist and spiritual teacher, has demonstrated the benefits of iRest in numerous clinical studies, showing its effectiveness in addressing various conditions such as PTSD, anxiety and sleep disorders. Participants using the iRest protocol have reported many benefits including decreased insomnia, reduced depression and anxiety, improved interpersonal relationships and a greater sense of ease in daily life.

In the two-hour workshop at Pulling Down the Moon, you will receive a brief history and overview of the iRest protocol, and a 60-minute iRest practice session giving participants a real sense of the practice’s power.  Bringing this practice to your community, which is already committed to holistic health and well-being, is an honor and a privilege.

Here’s what to expect from an iRest practice:

• The practice is done lying down in a comfortable position on a yoga mat, with blankets and bolsters to support your body
• The teacher will guide you through an exploration of your physical body, breath and thought patterns
• The process is deeply relaxing and restorative – and you may even fall asleep!
• Perfect for folks who think they can’t meditate
• The practice is a wonderful way for partners to share a program of relaxation together
• iRest has been shown to reduce the severity of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in military vets.  Experiences like miscarriage, child loss and even failed cycles can create lasting emotional scars and iRest can help manage and release these negative experiences.

Learn more about iRest research here.

iRest and Fertility

Click to register for the free iRest workshop at Pulling Down the Moon workshop on September 26 1-3 p.m.

I look forward to the workshop on Saturday, September 26.

Namaste,
Ellen

by Rebecca Bossen, R.Y.T. and Chief Shady Grove Goddess

True confession: I used to be a gym rat. At 5 AM, you could find me mixing a protein shake and listening to the clang of metal hitting metal as the morning weightlifters began their routines. It was 1999, I was twenty-two, and it seemed perfectly logical to me to work the front desk at the gym until 10 (free membership!), rush to my other job as a nanny, and then throw myself into college classes. Of course, I always pushed myself through a daily hour-and-a-half workout. I would challenge men twice my size to leg press contests. And win. I loved it. I was in great shape…right? Well, great shape in that I had killer quads and six pack abs. I also had torn cartilage in both hips, a cold I couldn’t kick, frequent heart palpitations, a hair-trigger temper, and zero energy. My cardiologist (yes, I had to have a cardiologist in my early twenties) listened to my heart and made the grave pronouncement: “Kiddo, you have got to relax.” Um…relax? I replied, “Why? I’m fine. Totally fine. I’m-perfectly-calm-and-I-don’t-need-to-relax-at-all-thankyouverymuch!”

Relaxation was as foreign to me as Kuala Lumpur.

Exercise is fundamental to the health and well-being of the human body. It strengthens the muscles, improves cardiovascular efficiency, prevents disease, boosts your mood…the benefits are so numerous and obvious that there’s no need to list them all here. However, not all exercise is created equal. The exercise that I was doing at the gym was intense, high-impact, and—ultimately—detrimental. Sometimes too much of a good thing is simply too much. Everybody’s body is different, everyone’s limits are different, and it takes a special kind of discipline to recognize when it is time to slow down. There may be a time in your life when the heat-building, sweat-inducing exercise is exactly what you need. If you’re preparing for an endurance race, you need to get your body accustomed to what it will face on the course. When you’re trying to conceive, however, the goal is quite different; you aren’t trying to whip your body into shape, but to create a warm and nurturing internal environment. One way of thinking about it is that you are moving from a “yang” (assertive, outwardly-focused) energy to a more “yin” (receptive, inwardly-focused) energy. Or, more colorfully, you can think of your body like an oven—if it’s too cold (i.e. no exercise) nothing much will happen, but if it’s too hot (overly strenuous activity) you won’t get a great result, either. Warming, gentle, moderate exercise is the key.

Yoga is a wonderful, fertility-friendly exercise option. It releases tight muscles, tones the body, opens the breath, and—perhaps most importantly—calms the mind. And there’s no need to be a lithe, graceful, rubber-limbed yogini who can tie herself in knots. The postures, or asanas, are not a goal in and of themselves, but a means to an end: mental calm. The thoughts want to go in a million directions at once (sound familiar?), so the postures are there to give the mind a place to focus.

When I was in a stressed-out graduate school frenzy, my yoga mat became my safe haven. After several weeks of whining (“but it’s so slow…and it’s really hard!”), I discovered that I got a lot more out of my exercise when I actually paid close attention to what my body and mind were doing. These days, relaxation isn’t exactly my home address, but at least it’s a slightly less exotic location. It helps that yoga does not require that you push yourself to the next goal; rather, it’s about exploring exactly where you are at the present moment and accepting it for what it is.  Is there any better—or harder—exercise than that?