In India, the home of Ayurveda and Yoga, promoting and protecting the health of the yoni or female reproductive system, was considered paramount. Great care was taken through all stages of life to keep women from disruptive energies, especially during more vulnerable times of bleeding, pregnancy and after birth.
Flash forward to the modern age and many of us have become divorced from a deep conscious connection with our femininity, our wombs, our cycles and the sacredness of our being.
Challenges such as difficulty conceiving and opportunities such as conscious preparation for conception can open up pathways to recover not only our vibrant health, but these sacred feminine foundations.
Healing the Womb in Preparation for Conception
Holistically, healing the womb in preparation for conception is a multifaceted journey. From an Ayurvedic (Traditional Indian Medicinal) perspective, the process requires time so that the cleansing of the deepest tissues and emotions can be achieved. Once this is complete, it is followed by a gentle restorative journey of deep nourishment and reconnection.
The whole process restores foundational health (to both partners) and brings balance to the menstrual cycle in preparation for conception. Ayurveda always works to calm disturbed energies (vata), nourish the digestive capacity (agni) and restore the grounding and nurturing flows of energy (apana vayu) in the body. We can support these with our everyday habits and our regular yoga practice.
Yoga has always been used as a therapeutic part of Ayurveda and is particularly supportive when preparing for a big change of life or navigating a challenging fertility journey. As taught in all the Bliss Baby Yoga trainings, we can use our practice to honour the needs and limitations of our body and circumstances whilst turning our awareness back towards the womb.
Along with reconnecting to our cycle through a feminine yoga practice, we can learn to slow down and be open to receptivity with restorative practices. These are fundamental healing steps that enrich the whole body and prepare us for parenthood.
When we turn towards the womb, we can explore and connect to the rich wisdom and power of the female body. We also inevitably come into connection with old wounds, unprocessed emotions and even limiting beliefs that have been tucked away in the base of the body.
Exploring what the body is holding emotionally through meditation, journaling or working with a holistic bodyworker or therapist gives us the opportunity to tie up the loose ends of our past and reclaim the yoni as a sacred space. Through this we can release any holding and tension and restore receptivity.
How do we do this?
Thankfully it’s not hard to reconnect to the womb and explore what she is holding. It’s also surprising how much medicine and wisdom she is ready to offer. But it can take practice!
To start with, see if you can breathe your way down to the womb space, and be curious about the energy there. Is there a sense of holding? Or a feeling of release? Does the space feel receptive? How do the sensations change when you contemplate conceiving?
Try opening to the expansive support of spirit and see how that feels. Perhaps you may encounter waves of emotion arising from the womb. Let them flow and imagine them washing out of the space through the vagina down into the earth. Ask your womb what she needs and practice being open to receiving. Make sure you take notes and take action on any advice your body offers.
There is deep healing available when we explore these places of holding in our psyche, our emotions and our physical body. Exploring the physical and emotional landscape of the yoni and pelvic floor either by yourself, with a partner or with a holistic pelvic bodyworker can be a powerful and pivotal way to bring presence and healing to the tissues.
To find out more, search Holistic Pelvic Care™ and read the books of Tami Lynn Kent who combines turning towards the womb with gentle yoni massage and exploration of the pelvic space.
Reach out to a practitioner, particularly for help in healing from previous birth trauma, abortion, miscarriage, loss or anything that feels too big for you to explore on your own. We can’t change what has happened in our life. However we can change the way it is held in our body and be open to the possibilities of a fertile future.
Combining these types of practices with womb centred yoga, deep rest, nutritional and other medical and clinical support brings you into deep connection with your womb space and helps you to move forward in a rich and resourced way.
May your connection be deep and your journeys fruitful.
May you remember just how sacred you are.
Chaitanya Morly-Southall from Womb Temple Yoga is a Bliss Baby Yoga Trained Yoga Teacher who combines Holistic Pelvic Care, Deep Rest and an Ayurvedic perspective to help women heal and reconnect in the womb space. She offers Zoom your Womb online support and in person sessions in the Mid North Coast NSW. You can connect with her at wombtemple.com
Further Reading related to this topic:
- Chanting for Fertility by Rosie Matheson
- Understanding Fertility Yoga by Tanya Neate
- On Fertile Ground: Yoga for Fertility (with Womb Meditation Script) by Ana Davis & Rosie Matheson
- So you want to become a Fertility Yoga Teacher by Tanya Neate
- Nadia Parisi – Supporting Women from Pre-Conception to Motherhood by Ana Davis
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