Compositions & Coffee Presents: "Creative Soul Digest"
Mindful Movement Monday
Good Morning/ Good Afternoon/ Good Evening!
Whatever time you are stopping by is a GOOD time! We are continuing into week 2 of our discussion of women’s health. This week we will focus on an all too important subject that deserves way more attention; reproductive health. This area of health is what keeps our society moving forward and yet is always an area of controversy. Fighting for our health and rights to make decisions for our own bodies is just as much a priority as taking care of ourselves. Last week was about the fight and this week is about the health and the “how to”recommendations. Since we are talking about reproductive health let’s look at some tips and tricks to keep our baby making system in tip top shape; starting with YOGA.
Yoga for Fertility
Yoga is a gentle way to ease our body into exercise and movement. For those of us that our wanting to start exercising without burning out too soon and killing ourselves doing so, yoga is the key. Yoga also carries the benefit of increasing our range of motion and flexibility. Slow movements and deep breathing increase blood flow, warm up muscles, and holding positions builds strength. Doing yoga regularly has been shown to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety. When stress is controlled hormone level out. The body, mind, breath, and balance are all connected. With regular yoga practice you can improve the interaction between brain and hormones, meaning overall your hormones are better balanced. With better hormonal balance comes better reproductive functions and increased sexual desire. The key to yoga for fertility is to start slow, focus on your breathing, and do what feels good. Now let’s look at how these poses can increase our flexibility, stamina, and sex drive.
Yoga to Improve Your Sex Life
Yoga helps bring awareness into the present moment and we all know being present when intimate with your partner is very important. Yoga trains you to listen to your body and control your mind. Along with the emotional and mental benefits the physical is where you get the strength, flexibility, and agility. Here are some poses to help kick things up a knotch:
1. Cat poses
a. Loosens your spine helps you relax
2. Bridge Pose
a. Strengthens your pelvic floor which helps reduce pain during sex
3. Happy Baby
a. Strengthens your glutes and lower back
4. One-legged pigeon
a. Great for stretching and opening up your hips. When those hips are tight it can make sex
uncomfortable and keep your from trying different positions.
5. Child’s Pose
a. Another great position where you can open your hips and find deep relaxation to
ultimately illuminate stress.
Here, also, are some poses for stamina:
1. Navasana
a. The Navasana is good for building a strong core
2. Wide legged straddle pose
a. This pose will increase blood flow in your body and lets it reach your groin area.
3. Goddess Pose
a. Good for strength and stamina overall
b. Will stop pain during menstration
4. Bridge Pose
a. Tones your pelvic muscle and makes you stronger and fitter
Join me in trying these poses consistently over the next few weeks and let’s see how we feel and get some feedback from our partners as well. Next why yoga has been such a powerful movement for empowering women…
Empowering Women Through Yoga
The majority of yoga practitioners are female not just in America, but also in almost every country where yoga is practiced. Why? It’s one of the few physical activities that tells practitioners to relax and invites them to turn inwards rather than focusing on the outside world. Practicing yoga provides them the opportunity to embrace the good within themselves instead of pushing harder and harder to overcome any feeling of not being good enough. Studies have shown the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of regular yoga practice can help improve the quality of one’s life in general. It also plays an important role in empowering women and here’s a few reasons why…
1. Self-Realization
a. It lays the foundation of self-love, helps them define their core values, and discover what
they need to flourish. Allowing women to accept themselves completely the way they are
leaves them to feel empowered to grow as humans.
2. Self-Confidence
a. Exercise makes you feel comfortable and ultimately builds confidence but doing so
amongst a group of like minded strong women is a double bonus.
3. Personal Growth
a. Yoga encourages it’s practitioners to develop a regular practice regimen, which can help
you feel more grounded and stable. Regular practice gives the practitioner an opportunity to
identify potential areas of growth within themselves.
4. Self- Reliance
a. Yoga practitioners also have the added benefit of boosting feelings of contentment and
inner peace with regular practice. Within the foundations of yoga, practitioners learn to
accept everyday challenges and embrace happiness. Providing a place of stillness makes
ups and downs of life easier to manage.
5. Physical Strength
a. We are familiar with the physical benefits at this point which are strength, balance and
flexibility. Yoga does this by helping us discover and experience the capabilities and
limitations of ones own body.
6. Mind- Body Connection
a. One of my favorites is the deep understanding of the interplay of body and mind. It
reveals what the impact of thoughts and emotions have on the body and overall wellbeing.
If that isn’t enough to encourage us to step up our yoga game this year I don’t know what else will. Being able to ground yourself and find peace is something we should practice daily. I honestly love everything about yoga especially the connection you feel when surrounded by fellow sisters. However, since these past 2 years have kept us apart physically there are ways to connect virtually and join a community. I’ll leave a few ideas below:
Starbird- Lotus the flower so bomb
Hotencia Campbell- Ufulu Child
Tiana Hill
Jessica Young
Erica Rascon- Deeply Rooted Wellness & Yoga
Alright ya’ll last but not least I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t share some resources with you regarding protecting yourself and encouraging check-ups. I’ll leave some helpful links below.
Well folks that’s a wrap for this Movement Monday which has been all about the yoga movement for reproductive health. Check out the recommendations below and be back here tomorrow for What’s Brewing With You Tuesday! Be well and…
--Be Free
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