When Kate first came to Yoga Therapy, she was 33, deeply yearning to start a family. She and her partner had been trying to conceive for over two years. She had a history of painful periods, an underactive thyroid, and a body still recovering from endometriosis surgery. Kate felt burdened by stress, confusion, and a quiet fear that maybe her body was broken in some way.
Kate’s story is one that so many women can relate to. Having experienced painful periods early on which she had to manage with the pill, it wasn’t until later that she discovered deeper issues. Through a persistent and long-drawn out health journey, it was finally discovered that she had stage 4 endometriosis. The invasive surgery that followed helped, but it also left her feeling physically and emotionally raw. She faced the complex world of fertility treatments, and it was just before starting her first round of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) that she came across Yoga Therapy.
The Healing Begins: A New Approach
When Kate began her Yoga Therapy journey, she was doing everything she could and often doing too much. Her nervous system was overloaded, her body pushed beyond its limits with intense exercise, and her mind filled with the heavy noise of “shoulds” and “not enoughs.”
In the first session, Kate shared that she felt she needed to be “fixed.” But the truth she gently explored through the session was this: her body was not broken. It was already whole, already wise, and deeply deserving of love.
Yoga Therapy gave Kate more than stretches and breathwork, it gave her a new relationship with her body.
A Practice Designed for Fertility
Kate’s practices were carefully designed to support both her physical reproductive health and her emotional well-being. In Yoga Therapy, we don’t follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, every practice is suited to the unique needs of the individual. Kate was given both a morning and evening practice.
Kate’s sunrise morning practice was designed to increase prana (life force) and direct it toward the womb space (apana region). Gentle sun salutations invited warmth, vitality, and light into her body to call in new life. Kate focused on the inhale breath to bring more energy into the lower abdomen and support the clearing of stagnation. Supported inversions and restorative postures soothed the nervous system and encouraged hormonal balance.
In the evening, Kate’s practice focused on the exhale, deep rest, and the sacred feminine. She was given the mantra “Ma” – a gentle, grounding chant invoking the archetype of the mother. A deeply calming bhavana (visualisation) helped her imagine her womb as a lush, abundant garden full of her favourite plants and flowers, ready to welcome a seed. Breath and movement continued to bring warmth and prana to the belly, while encouraging deep letting go.
Each night, Kate would end her practice with the Gayatri Mantra. This sacred chant invokes the radiance of the sun and illuminates the mind and heart. It became a source of strength, faith, and inner light for her.
The Mind-Body Connection
Kate’s healing wasn’t just physical. Her mindset, like so many navigating fertility journeys, had become clouded with guilt, fear, and self-blame. Through the Yoga Therapy sessions, she explored tools to shift her relationship with herself. Letting go of the inner critic and the harsh “shoulds.” Learning to rest without guilt.
She was supported to reclaim her joy by being encouraged to be outside surfing, in sunshine, and with more laughter. We also gently adjusted her nutrition toward fresh, easily digestible foods, meals that were light, prana-filled, and nourishing, to support both digestion and vitality.
The Turning Point
For eight weeks, Kate committed to her practice morning and night. It became a sacred container, not just for fertility, but for healing, self-love, and surrender.
The day before she was due to begin IUI medication, Kate got a surprise: a positive pregnancy test. Her son, now a joyful two-year-old, is the living embodiment of that journey.
And the Gayatri Mantra? Kate still sings it to him today. It remains, for her, a song of hope, light, and transformation.
A Final Reflection
Kate’s journey is a beautiful reminder that fertility is not only a physical process but an emotional and spiritual one too. Yoga Therapy gave her tools to restore balance, connect deeply with her body, and make space for life in all its forms.
If you’re on a fertility journey and feel overwhelmed, unheard, or unsure of what your body needs, Yoga Therapy can be a gentle, powerful ally. Your body is not broken. You are not alone. Please reach out to us for support with Yoga Therapy if you feel curious to try it. Learn more about our consultations here.
