Going Yoga For A Baby

The phrase “mind over matter” is more than a saying to hopeful future mommies taking yoga classes with instructor Sue Dumais.             

Rather, the stresses of infertility on her clients are very real. The struggle is one Dumais can clearly relate to after needing a few classes herself.            

“I was on an emotional roller coaster,” says Dumais, about the hardships she experienced during her own fertility journey, as she struggled to conceive her son.            

Under normal circumstances, having a baby is a joyous occasion for most couples. However, Dumais’ classes address the many physical and emotional triggers that decrease a woman’s chances of conceiving.            

“So many women haven’t even shared their fertility challenges with their family and friends, so the thought of attending a group class can be worrisome,” says Dumais.

Dumais started the growing Yoga for Fertility trend in Canada in 2005. Her Vancouver-based studio, Family Passages, focuses on fertility and pre- and post-natal health and fitness.              

Remembering what her own struggle was like, she said she was almost consumed by negative thoughts of not being able to get pregnant.            

“It affects you at your deepest core,” says Dumais. “Procreation is part of what we do, it’s something our bodies are supposed to do naturally, and you begin to question whether you’re meant to be a mother.”            

Today, Dumais is taking her classes to the world, by continuing to expand their availability to more women who need them. So far, she has trained Fertility Yoga instructors across Canada, the U.S. and Costa Rica. When Dumais began teaching Yoga for Fertility, in Canada it was only available through Family Passages, but now there are classes in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and other areas of British Columbia, she says.            

“Unless someone has had a personal experience with fertility issues, they just don’t get it,” says Dumais.            

The response to her idea was overwhelming. “I was surprised when the class filled up so quickly,” she says about teaching her first yoga for fertility class. “I didn’t realize there were so many other women having difficulty conceiving. It was comforting to realize we were not alone.”            

Through guided meditation, selected poses and one-on-one support, techniques that calm anxiety are learned, as well as letting go of negative thinking. Physically, the poses focus on muscles which open the pelvis and help to stimulate energy channels associated with reproduction.            

However, Dumais suggests avoiding power yoga or hot yoga, as the poses in these classes may not focus on the areas that reduce tension in the pelvis or lower back and stimulate blood flow to reproductive organs. Since she began teaching, Dumais has travelled across Canada and there’s also an online “webinar.” When women come to class, Dumais says it is wonderful when many of them do conceive. But more importantly, they feel better.                                                                                                                     

“It’s about more than helping them become pregnant,” she says. “ It’s about helping them find the tools that can help them in every life situation, in every moment of their day, so when they’re sitting at the doctor’s office they can use the breathing exercises while they’re there.”• 

Step One, Breathe

A study by psychologist Dr. Alice Domar suggests mind-body techniques that elicit a relaxation response, such as meditation and yoga, can reduce stress and increase a couple’s chance of conceiving. In general, the higher a woman’s stress level, the less likely it is she’s able to get pregnant, according to Domar, author of Conquering Infertility.

Psychological or physiological stresses such as life changes, loss of a loved one, college stresses and dieting have all been associated with menstrual cycle disturbances, increased cortisol levels and a decrease in reproductive functioning.

                                                                                                                                        

Stress reduced the chances of conceiving with in-vitro fertilization, according to several studies. In one study, women with symptoms of emotional distress were half as likely to conceive as those who were not depressed.

Current research from psychologist Alice Domar, director of the Mind-Body Centre for Women at Boston IVF, from the Family Passages web site. The study was conducted in 2001, under Dr. Domar..

Photos courtesy of Sue Dumais