Your bag is packed with everything you could ever want for your hospital stay.  Your birth plan is meticulously and beautifully crafted.  If you have experienced loss before, we take this into account and empower you to discuss your fears with your physician far in advance.  You’ve had a romantic date with your partner where you've lovingly communicated all of the things he/she/they can do and not do to make you feel closer than ever before. You feel calm and confident as you approach the single most important day of your life.  You have miraculous trust in your body and while the birth process doesn’t always go as planned, you know that you have the tools, resources, and love surrounding you to get through anything.  Your hospital room doesn’t feel sterile and instead is full of flowers, electric candles, and soft blankets to soothe your nervous system.  

Yoga offering: Private yoga classes online designed especially for the woman on her journey to motherhood. 

While all women’s struggles with infertility are different, yoga can help keep your mind centered and your body relaxed as you navigate through this stressful yet rewarding journey to motherhood. In response to stress, cortisol (the stress hormone) increases glucose (sugars) and creates the “flight-or-fight” response. But at the same time, cortisol curbs functions that would be nonessential in a fight-or-flight situation. It can alter the immune system and suppress the digestive and reproductive system. Numerous studies have shown that distress is often associated with lower IVF success rates. The more distressed the patient is, the less likely she is to conceive. While it’s easier said than done, it’s important for couples who are trying to conceive to relax and reduce stress.

Harvard Medical School researcher Alice Domar, Ph.D., published the results of a study in the journal “Fertility and Sterility” [1] that showed women who participated in her 10-week mind body workshop were almost three times more likely to get pregnant than women who didn’t. In her workshop, 184 infertile women who had been trying to conceive for one to two years received nutrition and exercise information, practiced sharing and emotional expression to reduce feelings of isolation, and participated in relaxation training—including yoga, meditation, muscle relaxation, and imagery while going through the IVF process. The group also learned cognitive restructuring, identifying recurrent negative thoughts, such as “I will never have a baby” and changing that thought to “I am doing everything I can to get pregnant.” The results were impressive. More than half -- 53 percent -- of the women undergoing IVF in mind body group got pregnant within a year, compared to only 20 percent of the women undergoing IVF in the control group who did not attend any sessions.

As you know, nothing is a guarantee on the path to motherhood. But yoga can be one more positive step you take to help your outcome, meet women on a similar journey and give your mind and body a boost.

[1] “Impact of group psychological interventions on pregnancy rates in infertile women” by Alice D Domar, et al. Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 73, Issue 4, p805–811. Published in issue: April 2000

One 60 minute yoga + relaxation session designed for use the day before your embryo transfer.  $150 

We do this together over zoom or in the comfort of your own home.