Customer Reviews

Yoga 4 Fertility

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been doing Brenda Strong's "Yoga for Fertility" practice for about 3 months now. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for over 2 years, and although I'm not naive enough to think this will be the magic answer to our struggles, it's nice to know there is a yoga practice out there specifically geared towards women who are experiencing difficulty conceiving.

I found the poses to be easy to learn (I'm more of an aerobics person, not a yoga person), and they have increased my flexibility tenfold, which I never thought would happen. The breathing techniques really do relax you as you're doing the practice, and I feel like I'm doing something different and good for my body. Brenda Strong has a calm, soothing voice and explains the poses very well, which I think is important for a first-timer like myself.

The only thing that I was a bit put off from in this DVD is that at the very end of the practice, during the "surrender" portion, she suggests you turn off or pause for 5-10 minutes to fully relax. I feel like it sort of defeats the purpose to have to watch out for time, so I never surrender for that long! Other than that, I do this practice basically every day, and it is something I look forward to each morning.

I got this DVD not knowing quite what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised.

While the poses in this practice are nothing new to a yoga student (a lot of downward dogs, basic standing poses, squats, then basic forward bends like paschimottanasana, janu sirsasana; and some simple twists), the practice is energetic and flows well. The DVD is nicely produced with the instructor alone demonstrating poses, with voice-over cues. Brenda Strong's voice is very pleasant and she cues well with detailed instruction.

Thankfully, the sections of the DVD where she talks about fertility, yoga, breath, etc. can be skipped over when doing the practice, and she does not about these subjects during the actual asanas (I was concerned about this as to hear this doing practice would be distracting and get old). In fact, other than a few brief exercises involving energy work of some sort to the reproductive organs, I think this DVD is a nice practice for any yogini, not necessarily someone interested in enhancing fertility.

Not having practiced yoga in the past, I was pleasantly surprised that the poses presented here were easy to execute after only a few attempts. I now look forward to using this DVD to relax, especially before bedtime. It appears to help me sleep better, clear the sinuses (!), and increase flexibility. My running workouts (I am a half-marathoner) have even been enhanced since I began using this DVD. I am hoping that this practice will positively affect fertility by improving my overall health and well-being. I'm not pregnant yet, though!

I haven't used it much since I bought it but I found it easy to follow and extremely relaxing. I have never done yoga before using this DVD. The DVD taught me about a certain kind of breathing (can't remeber the name, something like oojiyee breath), but I can honestly say that I have never found a way to make myself so relaxed. Half of the time I followed the DVD, I quit half way through, got in bed and went to sleep because it made me so relaxed, which is exactly what I was looking for - a way to reduce stress.

The yoga routine in this DVD has a very high level of difficulty. You would already need to be a super-flexible yogini to be able to perform most of the moves. Brenda Strong very rarely suggests modifications, and she sounds critical of those who can't do the poses as perfectly as she can. For example, she will say "if your hamstrings are so inflexible that you can't so-and-so." They only show Brenda doing the poses, rather than a range of people. I much prefer the Monica Morrell video, because Monica seems to be more of an expert in this area, the poses are much more doable, and it shows a few different women doing the poses.

I tried to use this DVD at least 3 times a week when I first bought it. I have been practicing yoga for over a year; I wanted to add something else to my routine to increase my chances for conceiving. However, I found a couple of the poses to be so painful for me, that I became discouraged from doing the practice. As one other reviewer noted, there are no modifications for a novice. Not as relaxing as my weekly practice with an actual instructor... but I will try to stay with it.

Being a yoga teacher, I have utilized the postures and philosophy from this DVD with several yoga students who wanted to get pregnant, to wonderful success. In addition, I've purchased the DVD many times to proudly give as a gift to friends and most recently to my daughter-in-law. Brenda Strong's study of yoga for fertility, as well as her calm, encouraging words are a bounty for all.

Wonderful DVD! Used it for one month..and voila...Pregnant! Great for stress relief and your body feels amazing. Brenda has a great voice for narration and you feel really in tune with your body afterwards. Would recommend to anyone trying to concieve or...just getting started with Yoga.

I have 2 Yoga DVDs for fertility. The other one is "Bend, Breathe, and Conceive" with Anna Davis. I enjoy both and like to alternate them for variety and also to give my body a break. "Yoga 4 Fertility" with Brenda Strong does a lot of downward facing dog and forward bends. I find this somewhat strenuous on my shoulders and especially my neck so it's nice to do the other DVD on alternate days to give those parts of my body a rest. The workout is good though and focuses on stretching your waste and hips which is universally good for fertility. Brenda does a very good job of talking you through the exercises so you'll know what to do even if you're not able to look at the TV screen. There is no music, which personally is a relief because sometimes it can be cheesy and distracting. Instead, you hear sounds of nature and birds chirping. I find this DVD enjoyable and relaxing. The only minor criticism I have is that the relaxation at the end is abbreviated but Brenda suggests pausing the DVD for a few minutes.

I have used this fertility yoga dvd and enjoyed it. Not surprisingly Brenda Strong's voice is very soothing and warm. Some of the poses are a little difficult (even when I wasn't in the middle of a cycle) but overall, the background and her explanations of the poses are great.