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Pulling Down the Moon - Yoga and Fertility

December 18, 2007 - Tuesday
12:50 PM to (EST)
Guest Speakers: Beth Heller, M.S.

Categories
Fertility • IVF • Pregnancy Loss • Yoga


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Corey_Whelan Welcome everybody to tonight's chat. I am so thrilled to welcome Beth Heller, MS, of Pulling Down the Moon, based in Chicago. Ms. Heller will be chatting with us tonight on yoga, integrative care and fertility treatment. The in's and out's. btw, I'm Corey Whelan, The AFA's chat moderator and director of development. I'm happy to be with you tonight!
Corey_Whelan Hi Lisa.
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Corey_Whelan Beth, welcome! We officially start in around five minutes. Thanks SO MUCH for joining us tonight. It is FREEZING in NYC. How is it in warm balmy Illinois?
Beth_Heller I'm actually in Ann Arbor Michigan and it's cold and snowy. My mom got a new hip yesterday!
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Angelina Hi Angelina, welcome to tonight's chat.
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Corey_Whelan Beth, do you have any information that you wish to lead off with for our attendees when they arrive? Please feel free. I'm no longer ttc, but I am new to yoga, and love it. I am looking forward to hearing what you have to share with us.
Corey_Whelan and Beth is gone, but she'll come back.
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Corey_Whelan Welcome everyone. Please feel free to begin posting your questions for Beth, on integrative care and fertility treatment.
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Dawn Hi everyone? I have a question - hi Beth. I am interested in acupuncture to support my treatment - I'm doing IUI's. Is that a good idea?
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Beth_Heller Hi Dawn, yes there is increasing clinical data that acupuncture can improve the thickness of the uterine lining as well as blood flow to the uterus. Of course these are very good things for any form of fertility treatment.
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RoseNYC How often I should do Yoga to get benefits for fertility?
michal69 Hi Beth, do you see that Yoga and proper diet has a definit benefit in succesful IVF
Corey_Whelan ok, Dawn first, then Rose, then Michal.
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Beth_Heller Any yoga is better than no yoga at all. At the Pulling Down the Moon we recommend 3-5 times per week for optimum benefit.
Corey_Whelan welcome kate, hi. How are you?
kateknox68 Good Corey - thanks
lisa what about doing massage to help with fertility
RoseNYC Sometimes I feel too tired to do Yoga. Should i push myself to do it anyway?
michal69 What type of yoga is the best, what are the benefits, what do you think about Hatha Yoga
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mia1502 Hi Beth, which type of yoga is best for fertility issues and can you suggest any fertility yoga dvd
Beth_Heller Lisa, massage helps to increase blood flow and decrease stress, and both are excellent for your fertility. In addition, massage is particularly nurturing. A good massage therapist can compliment either medical or natural fertility cycles with different techniques, aromatherapy and styles.
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Beth_Heller Often once you begin your yoga you will find that you become more energized rather than tired. I recommend that you try and start your practice and if you find you're too fatigued or you feel more drained than nourished by it, turn off your video or leave class and go home to enjoy a few restorative yoga poses and some soft, calming music.
RoseNYC How about Yoga during period?
Beth_Heller Mia, at the Moon we recommend gentle hatha yoga that emphasizes the breath. Power yoga isn't your best bet when you're trying to conceive - often that can turn into just another workout rather than a nourishing experience. We have a great DVD at Pulling Down the Moon that's safe for both natural and medicated cycles. Brenda Strong's Yoga4Fertility is nice as well.
Corey_Whelan I know this may sound simplistic - but how does a nourishing experience actually help with conception?
Beth_Heller Michelle, to more specifically answer your question, the benefits of yoga for fertility are: yoga decreases stress, it increases blood flow in the body and particularly to the pelvis when certain poses are used. Yoga can also alleviate depression and help to clear the mind of the incessant fertility chatter that starts to build up.
Beth_Heller Corey,
michal69 Are there any benefits for men doing Yoga to increase their fertility?
Beth_Heller Corey, it's so important to take care of yourself when you're trying to conceive. I believe mind and body need to receive loving care during this time -especially if we're running to doctor's appointments, timing intercourse, caring for another child at home. It's important to send our bodies the signal that there's some energy and care flowing into ourselves, not just out.
Corey_Whelan amen! I believe Michal had two questions up - one about the different types of yoga and this recent one
michal69 Have you seen people conceive that have tried IVF and failed, and then become pregnant by just doing Yoga?
Beth_Heller In this case, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Male partners carry a lot of stress and they need a good supply of blood to their swimmers.
Corey_Whelan Michal, do you do yoga now?
Beth_Heller To Michal's question about types of yoga - this isn't the time to use a really strenuous practice, so things like "hot yoga" and "power yoga" - which are GREAT practices for other times in life - are not appropriate for fertility.
kateknox68 What's a good way to get started? I see all sorts of Yoga classes and I'm never sure which one I should be starting with - sounds like Hatha - what should we look for in a class?
michal69 Corey, I have not done Yoga in a few years. I have been doing accupuncture with the IVF. My accupunturist recommended Hatha I have one of the Giam series DVDs so I'll try that and I'd like to try the one Beth mentioned above.
Beth_Heller Michal - I have seen people conceive naturally at Pulling Down the Moon after failing IVF and then doing yoga but it's not the majority. About 10% of the pregnancies we see in our yoga students at the Moon are spontaneous.
Corey_Whelan Michal, I am a huge fan of at home dvd's and I use all the Giam ones for pilates, but it's not the same as a yoga class.
mia1502 Is yoga for beginners class at local YMCA safe during IUI treatments?
Corey_Whelan I think Kate is up now, and then Mia.
michal69 Beth - were are you located? I am in Florida (Broward County), are there any here?
Beth_Heller Hi Kate. Good question. Pick a gentle hatha class at your local studio and give it a try. Just make sure that you make appropriate adjustments if you're stimming or feeling bloated from ovarian stim meds. We recommend women skip deep twists and belly work during stims.
michal69 Corey - I have not found a good Yoga class in my area.
Corey_Whelan got it.
Beth_Heller Mia, I think I just answered your question in my response to Michal, but you should be fine in your local hatha class if you're feeling bloated or pain and you avoid deep forward folds, deep twists and belly work when you're stimming.
Corey_Whelan While Beth is typing, is anyone here from the San Francisco Bay area?
Corey_Whelan folks, we have just about a half hour left, so please don't hesitate to ask your questions.
RoseNYC How about Yoga during period? could it help with weight loss?
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Beth_Heller It's fine to practice yoga during your period, but it's recommended that you avoid inverted poses (poses that put you upside down like headstand, shoulder stand etc.) Yoga actually helps with the bloating and cramps from your cycle as well as mood swings. Yoga can also help with weight loss. It helps us build strength and lean body mass and also reduces stress which can cut down on stress eating.
mia1502 from your experience , yoga seems to help best for what female fertility issues?
Beth_Heller One thing I would really like to add regarding yoga for fertiltiy is that the yoga poses (asana) we call "yoga" is just the tip of a much larger iceberg of practices including breathing, meditation and visualization -all of which can be very useful in the fertiltiy process.
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Beth_Heller Mia, because yoga is so effective at helping us manage stress I feel that anovulatory disorders can respond well to yoga because lower stress hormones often equates to better reproductive hormone function. Our students also report that yoga helps them cope with medicated cycles (IVF, IUI, clomid) better -better emotional state, less bloating, less side-effects from the meds.
Corey_Whelan I have to say that on days when I do a yoga class I reach a state of relaxation that I have never had before. I wonder, Beth? Is it better to go blank during a class or visualize a result - a pregnancy - I guess what I'm asking is should it be goal oriented or just a blank, clean experience?
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Corey_Whelan Hi NIcholegg. You're logging into our chat about y oga and fertility with Beth Heller of Pulling Down the Moon. Please feel free to post your questions.
nicholegg Thank you!
nicholegg I went through IVF and I had a miscarriage so I'm just curious if you have any suggestions of things that I can do before I try it again and while I'm pregnant to make the process be successful.
Beth_Heller What a great question! I am in the camp that yoga's biggest gift to us is that it encourages us to let go of our desires and open to the wisdom of something greater. We meditate to let things go, not to get things. It gets tricky in terms of fertility, because of course we are not going to let go of our desire to have a child, but yoga and meditation might help us let go of having to control the how, when etc. of how it happens. So, to answer your question, I recommend my students focus on letting go of their old patterns and "goals" and rather dedicate their yoga practice to opening to something bigger than themselves and seeing what comes in.
Beth_Heller Nicole,
Corey_Whelan I LOVE THAT. Thanks.
Beth_Heller Nicole - I found that yoga was very helpful after my miscarriages, especially in the grieving process. My body seemed to hold on to alot of grief that I wasn't conscious of until I started to practice. So, using yoga right now to help you feel more balanced, to let your body release any tension of sorrow that might have accompanied your m/c and to bring your hormones back into balance will be really helpful. When you become pregnant again, I really recommend that you continue with restorative yoga and relaxation techniques during the first trimester (some research suggest a positive correlation between stress and m/c) and then, of course, prenatal yoga once you get the all's clear from your doc.
michal69 Thanks so much, Corey and Beth
michal69 have a Good Night!!
Corey_Whelan you're welcome michal. GOOD LUCK and best always!!!!!
Beth_Heller Thanks for coming! Good luck!
michal69 thank you
Corey_Whelan guys, we still have around 13 minutes
Corey_Whelan Rose? How are you? Any questions? Missanry?
Corey_Whelan no pressure guys. Just want you to get what you need.
Corey_Whelan I mean its the week before Christmas. No pressure there!!!!
RoseNYC Do I have to do ayuverda too for best results? It is kind of stressful.
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nicholegg Great! Thank you. Do you happen to have any suggestions on what type of yoga to do and where I can get more info?
Beth_Heller Ayurveda is a real lifestyle commitment. Yoga can be used on it's own. However, if you've worked with an ayurvedic practitioner and know about your dosha (constitution) this info can be useful in choosing a practice that really suits your optimal health.
RoseNYC How about Yoga's requirement to follow vegan diet? My understanding that proteins are very important when trying to conceive
Beth_Heller Nicole, our website actually posts monthly yoga poses for fertility, so you can visit us and learn a few poses and their benefits. We also have a book coming out in April of '08 that is a holistic plan for optimal fertilty and it includes more about the medical rationale, the yoga theory and includes several practices to use when you're trying to conceive.
Corey_Whelan Beth, please feel free to post the web address
Beth_Heller Rose, both the traditional healing sciences of ayurveda and Oriental Medicine recommend moderate amounts of high-quality protein when someone is trying to conceive. The yoga practice of vegetarianism is based on the tenet of ahimsa, or non-violence. In our opinion, eating fish or meat in moderation can help support fertility. For those who are concerned about violating the rule of ahimsa, offering a heart felt blessing of gratitude to all the food you eat and being kind to all the beings you meet can make up for eating a chicken breast.
nicholegg Yes, if I could have your web address that would be great! Thanks again for the info!
Beth_Heller Thanks, Corey and Nicole. It's so long I haven't wanted to take the time to type it!!! www. pullingdownthemoon.com
Corey_Whelan Guys, we have about five minutes left to our chat. Before I thank Beth, I need to make a heartfelt request to all of you to pass around the hat and consider making a small pledge of support to The AFA to support the chat series. You can make a donation - $10 or so - on our website, and Ithank you.
nicholegg Thank you for your help!
Corey_Whelan And I want to thank all of you so much for being here tonight. Beth, I am so grateful to learn more about yoga - I am grateful for yoga's place in my life and feel strongly that it supports the fertility journey. Thank you so much.
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Corey_Whelan The holidays - gotta love em! We won't have chats for the next two weeks my friends - see you back on Jan 8th for a chat on meditation. love you all!!!!
Beth_Heller You're most welcome. Corey, thanks for having me join in. It was fun! Good luck all!
Corey_Whelan Beth, you're the best. And Pulling Down the Moon does amazing work. Thank you.
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Corey_Whelan good night my friends. I wish you all the best.
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mia1502 Thank you
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RoseNYC Thank you for the answers
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