Anji Blog

I received this personal story a couple of weeks ago. What I really appreciate about what Catalina shared is that it explained how she took mind~body tools and used them to make deep changes within her mind, body, and spirit. She was in an incredibly painful place, and yet, she found a way to “feeling better” and received the outcome she desired.

Here is her first-person account:

“I’m Catalina, 37. I want to share my story in case you find it useful.

My husband and I tried for a couple years, and then decided to go the IVF route. After two failed attempts, the world was crushing on me. Having done yoga for eight years and breathing, I decided to ask the following questions:

How to let go?
Apart from the medical support, what do I need?

I found an acupuncturist who helped me from round two onwards. She introduced me to you; her name is Njemile Carol Jones. I started listening to the general meditation CD.

I started a yoga teacher training program to help me connect with my body and soul (and stop obsessing about kids). I also started meditating and faced the truth that I had to live in the present, value my life (which is by all accounts rich and happy), and don’t postpone happiness or tie happiness to being pregnant.

I took a trip far away, relaxed a lot with my husband. Upon arrival from the trip, we started round three of IVF. I was doing acupuncture, meditating, and listening to your IVF CDs. I would arrive from work, lie on the couch, and listen.

It was the worse cycle (medically speaking) very few eggs. I cried my eyes out but increased my mantras, my prayers, and I felt very connected to the divine. I remember at implantation chanting to Ganesh ( a Hindu god that removes obstacles).

On July 23, we heard we were pregnant and I was washed with a joy I’ve never felt before. Joy, caution, fear, and more joy. Tomorrow, I will be 29 weeks pregnant, I still wear a smile on my face, and I’m humbled that this process (IVF, not getting pregnant easily) taught me SO MUCH.

I thank you for the support your voice provides to me as I still listen to your pregnancy CDs. I try not to understand who or how one gets pregnant, and that some people don’t.

I’m infinitely and beyond words grateful.

Sincerely,

Catalina

I would invite each of you to ask the same questions that Catalina asked herself. How can I let go and in addition to medical support, what else do I need? Asking these questions can bring peace and resolution.

Jennifer Bloome is a Fertility Expert helping women energetically balance and heal their mind, body, and spirit to boost natural fertility. Jennifer is the creator of the internationally recognized Journey of the Heart series of guided meditations to support women in all stages of fertility treatment and pregnancy. For 3 no-charge guided meditations as well as information on teleclasses or individual sessions, please visit www.AnjiOnline.com.

What is the one mind~body~spirit change in your daily life that will make the biggest impact on your fertility?

When most people stumble across mind~body concepts for fertility for the first time, it’s because they are looking for some way to reduce the “stress” in their lives. They’ve heard that stress is hard on fertility.

In terms of fertility, reducing stress is important because when the stress response in the body gets triggered, you end up with a whole host of physical consequences, all of them hard on your fertility.

It’s easy to see the external stressors that create that sensation of stress: too many hours at work, difficult relationships, too many things to do for the time you have to do them in, and more.

The harder stress to spot is the internal stress. I spend the most time with my clients on these stressors. That internal critic we all have has been such a part of us for so long, it’s hard to see it for yourself.

This internal critic often has a lot to say, like:

“You need to be doing something.”
“You shouldn’t be wasting time.”
“What about that work project, when are you going to get THAT done.”
“You’re never really going to be able to do what you want to do.”
“This should be easier.”
“You’re never going to get this right.”

These thoughts become so insidious, so second nature that you no longer even really question their presence, they simply feel like truth.

And the stress inside your body soars.

Your mind doesn’t know the difference between a life-threatening situation being played out in your real life or in your mind. When you create all these harsh statements within your mind, your body reacts as if there is real life danger. The stress response gets triggered over and over and over again during the course of your day.

The biggest mind~body~spirit change you can make in your daily life that will impact your fertility is this: be kind within your mind. The rhyming nature of this is simply a bonus.

Make a commitment today to notice these thoughts as they come up. Then soften them, ease yourself away from them. Each time you do, you are stopping one more occurrence of the stress response. Your body and reproductive organs will begin to respond in some amazing ways.

Jennifer Bloome is a Fertility Expert helping women energetically balance and heal their mind, body, and spirit to boost natural fertility. Jennifer is the creator of the internationally recognized Journey of the Heart series of guided meditations to support women in all stages of fertility treatment and pregnancy. For 3 no-charge guided meditations as well as information on teleclasses or individual sessions, please visit www.AnjiOnline.com.

In this space between the years, between your heart’s desire and a baby in your arms, between choosing high tech treatments and alternative options, keep this close.

No matter what fertility treatment you seek, even if it’s because of completely blocked tubes or male factor issues, you hold immense power within your body that you can access to boost your fertility. This isn’t something you’re taught in high school biology. In fact, it’s often something that we accidently work against when we are trying so hard to achieve what we want.

The element associated with your second chakra, the energy center responsible for your fertility, is water. Think about this: if a river is dammed up with debris, what happens? The water overflows its banks and destroys the vegetation on the river banks and low lands. Trouble happens.

When your energy is dammed up, your body gets in trouble and can’t work the way it is supposed to. The energy of your second chakra gets dammed up when you push hard, when you are fearful, when you feel stressed all the time. But, also remember the power that is generated when a dammed river is allowed to flow again.

The easiest way to access your power is to take a breath. Feel into this moment and this moment only. Let your body flow. Let your energy flow. Let your emotions flow. Let your blood flow. Hear what your body has to say to you.

At this powerful time of the year, when you are feeling the shift from the old to the new, give yourself the gift of releasing all that keeps you out of this moment, all that keeps you stuck in one pattern of thought or one emotion.

Give yourself the gift of getting back into the flow.

May 2011 bring you all that you desire.

Jennifer Bloome is a Fertility Expert helping women energetically balance and heal their mind, body, and spirit to boost natural fertility. Jennifer is the creator of the internationally recognized Journey of the Heart series of guided meditations to support women in all stages of fertility treatment and pregnancy. For 3 no-charge guided meditations as well as information on teleclasses or individual sessions, please visit www.AnjiOnline.com.