Charlotte Muller, fertility yoga expert, tells you all about this still little-known practice.
Daylily Paris is a brand of clean, sensorial, and effective skincare products, made in France and 100% compatible with pregnancy and breastfeeding. We are also committed to sharing valuable information for an informed and confident motherhood. 🧡
=== Adding product 1 ===
The Caresse Deodorant
=== Adding product 1 ===
The Washing Bubbles
=== Adding product 1 ===
- Can you introduce yourself?
- Can you explain to us what fertility yoga is?
- Why did you decide to become a fertility yoga teacher? How did you get there?
- Who is the practice of fertility yoga for?
- How are the classes structured?
- What would you say to someone skeptical about the effectiveness of fertility yoga? Are there any studies that attest to its effectiveness?
- What are the most common causes of infertility in women? How does fertility yoga help to combat them?
- Beyond fertility yoga, are there any lifestyle habits that can help boost fertility? If so, which ones?
- Where can people find you who want to learn more about fertility yoga?
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Charlotte Muller, and I'm a sports coach, yoga instructor, and massage therapist specializing in female hormones. A lawyer by training, I changed my life to better manage PCOS, a hormonal disorder I was diagnosed with at 27. In 2020, after months of debilitating abdominal pain, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis, a condition related to endometriosis. After years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, I was fortunate enough to conceive my daughter naturally; she's now four and a half years old. It was a long and winding road, but I'm convinced that all the practices I've developed—Fertility Yoga, Hormone Yoga, Endo Yoga, and hormonal massage—contributed to making this miracle pregnancy possible.
Can you explain to us what fertility yoga is?
It's important to clarify right away that Fertility Yoga is not a yoga that makes you pregnant! No yoga has that magical power. However, a Harvard University study has shown that practicing yoga, while working on the pelvis and adapting it to the woman's cycle, increases the chances of getting pregnant by 175%. Yoga should be more dynamic before ovulation and gentler after ovulation, even restorative as menstruation approaches. There's nothing esoteric about it, and you don't need to be an advanced yogi; it's a Hatha yoga foundation accessible to everyone, with postures chosen and targeted to correspond to the cyclical nature and female hormones.
Why did you decide to become a fertility yoga teacher? How did you get there?
After three failed in-vitro fertilizations, I wanted to take a break from hormonal treatments. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Being a very analytical person, I listened to my intuition and asked myself what I could do for myself—after having surrendered my body to medicine throughout the entire treatment process. I had responded very poorly to all the treatments, faced numerous complications and hospitalizations, and gained several kilos in the process. I did some research online and discovered this study on a special PCOS diet, promoted by the same center that had conducted the Fertility Yoga study. It was a revelation: no more running 10 to 20 km every week and mindlessly attending the same Vinyasa classes, which weren't suited to my cyclical nature!
Who is the practice of fertility yoga for?
Many women think I only teach women trying to conceive. In reality, as a certified personal trainer specializing in Adapted Physical Activity (APA), my classes are covered by health insurance when prescribed under the "Exercise on Prescription" program. This applies to women with debilitating endometriosis, overweight women, women suffering from depression—in short, anyone whose doctor recommends exercise on prescription. Furthermore, I also have many students I only see at certain points in their menstrual cycle. Those with irregular cycles attend my high-energy classes, while those with severe PMS, endometriosis, adenocarcinoma, or painful periods have become regulars at my gentler classes.
How are the classes structured?
I opened a studio in the 9th arrondissement of Paris in the fall of 2022, exclusively for women, offering yoga, including Fertility Yoga, which made my reputation, as well as Endo Yoga, Hormone Yoga, Hatha Femina, and "3P-Pilates," a new kind of Pilates with a focus on abs and pelvic floor strength. It's a shame to still be doing hyper-repressive abdominal exercises that aren't suited to women. Like the Fertility Yoga class, which is tailored to each woman's cycle, all classes are designed to help you better adapt to your body's hormones!
What would you say to someone skeptical about the effectiveness of fertility yoga? Are there any studies that attest to its effectiveness?
Numerous studies on Fertility Yoga have been conducted in the United States at Harvard and UCLA, in Italy at Florence, and in India. They all conclude that there was a significant decrease in stress levels and an increase in the number of pregnancies for the group in the studies who practiced this yoga, which is differentiated according to the woman's cycle, compared to the group that did not practice it.
What are the most common causes of infertility in women? How does fertility yoga help to combat them?
I'm always very careful not to replace doctors! You see all sorts of things on social media, and it deeply saddens me to see people calling themselves 'fertility coaches' when, upon closer inspection, there's no accreditation whatsoever. As for known conditions, PCOS is the leading cause of infertility. Endometriosis and adenomyosis can also impair fertility. There's also what's called 'idiopathic infertility,' where no underlying condition seems to explain the inability to conceive. Studies also show that the age of first pregnancy is constantly increasing, and unfortunately, fertility declines significantly after 30. Sometimes life is unfair, and a 30-year-old woman might have the ovarian reserve of a 45-year-old.
Beyond fertility yoga, are there any lifestyle habits that can help boost fertility? If so, which ones?
A healthy, nutrient-rich diet is obviously the foundation of good health. It's not helpful to overeat spinach thinking you're doing the right thing, because while it is indeed rich in folate (vitamin B9), it's also very acidic and difficult to digest (hello heartburn!). Generally, we should favor vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, and all antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods. Having a sensitive liver due to my PCOS hormonal imbalance, I personally don't consume cow's milk products and I avoid gluten and saturated fats to prevent bloating. I've already said goodbye to my flat stomach because of adenomyosis, so I do everything I can daily to avoid additional tension and weight in my abdomen. As for physical activity, I've stopped high-intensity cardio! Indoor cycling and running are out. As someone who used to jog a lot, after reading the irrefutable conclusions of a scientific study conducted on over 8,000 women over 10 years, I've made my choice: take it easy on the cardio! It showed a 50% decrease in ovulation (and consequently, hormonal imbalances), an increased risk of miscarriage, and a postponement of the first pregnancy/birth, which can be measured in years when women were doing hours of cardio every week. In short, for me, no more intense cardio, but strength training that tones and sculpts thoroughly! I can't wait to see the first participants flock to the 3P-Pilates classes in our future studio. Finally, for the wellness side of things, I already offer fertility massages: one developed by Renata Franca (the leading expert in lymphatic drainage) in collaboration with a gynecologist, and the other, which Oprah mentioned ten years ago on her blog and yet is still unknown in France, the Maya Arvigo massage.
Where can people find you who want to learn more about fertility yoga?
I share my lifestyle and tips for hormonal balance, whether through yoga practice or my daily diet, on my Instagram @CharlotteMullerYoga. All the latest news about my signature class and the future studio can be found on @FertilityYoga.Paris and @FertilityYoga.Uk, as I've also been teaching in London every Wednesday since September 2022. For those who prefer to practice remotely, live and on-demand, all my classes are available at www.fertilityyoga.tv
