My name is Charlotte Muller, I am a sports coach, yoga teacher & massage therapist specializing in female hormones. A lawyer by training, I changed my life to better cope with PCOS, a hormonal imbalance that was diagnosed to me at 27 years old. Last year, after months of writhing in abdominal pain, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis, a sister disease to endometriosis. After years of unsuccessful assisted reproduction, I was lucky enough to naturally have my little girl, now 2 and a half years old. The road has been long and winding but I am convinced that all the practice I developed of Fertility Yoga, Hormone Yoga, Endo Yoga and hormonal massages contributed to making this miracle pregnancy possible.
Can you explain to us what fertility yoga is?
It should be clarified right away that Fertility Yoga is not yoga that helps you get pregnant! No yoga has this magical power. On the other hand, a study from Harvard University highlighted that practicing yoga, while working 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, or even downright restorative as your period approaches. Nothing esoteric, no need to be an advanced yogi, it is a Hatha base accessible to all and whose postures are 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 3 unsuccessful in vitro fertilizations, I wanted to take a break from hormonal treatments. I was tired, physically and mentally. Being of a very Cartesian nature, I listened to myself and asked what I could do for myself – after having abandoned my body to medicine during all the treatments. I had responded very poorly to all the treatments, had faced numerous complications, hospitalizations and gained several kilos in the process. I did my research online and discovered this study on a special PCOS diet advocated by the same center that conducted the study on Fertility Yoga. It clicked: I finished jogging 10 to 20 km every week and did the same Vinyasa classes that were not suited to my cyclical nature!
Who is the practice of fertility yoga for?
Many women think that I only teach women who are trying to get pregnant. In reality, being a sports coach, graduated in APA (adapted physical activity), my courses are reimbursed by mutual insurance companies when it is the subject of a prescription for Sport on Prescription... women with disabling endometriosis, overweight women, depression, in short all those whose doctor recommends sport on prescription on the one hand. On the other hand, I also have many students whom I only see at certain times of their female cycle. Those with irregular cycles come to my dynamic classes and those with strong PMS, endo, adeno, painful periods have become followers of my gentle classes.
How do the lessons take place?
I am opening a new studio in the 9th arrondissement of Paris at the start of the school year, 100% feminine, including yoga including Fertility Yoga which has made my reputation but also Endo Yoga, Hormone Yoga, Hatha Femina and " 3P-Pilates » a new kind of pilates with a focus on abs & power perineum because it is a tragedy to still do hyperpressive abdominals not suitable for women. Like the Fertility Yoga class differentiated according to the woman's cycle, all classes will be recommended to 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 this effectiveness?
There are numerous studies on Fertility Yoga, carried out in the United States at Harvard but also UCLA, in Italy and Florence, India. They all conclude that there was a significant drop in the level of stress and an increase in the number of pregnancies for the group of studies that practiced this yoga differentiated according to the woman's cycle, compared to the non-practicing group.
What are the most common causes of infertility in women? How does fertility yoga help combat them?
I am always very careful not to take the place of doctors! We see everything on social networks and it deeply saddens me to see people who call themselves 'fertility coaches' when when we dig deeper there is no accreditation... As for known pathologies, PCOS is the leading cause of infertility. Endometriosis and adenomyosis can also impair fertility. There is also what is called “idiopathic infertility”, no pathology seems to explain the absence of pregnancy. Studies also show that the age of first pregnancy continues to increase and unfortunately fertility decreases significantly after age 30. Sometimes life is unfair and a 30 year old woman will have the ovarian reserve of a 45 year old woman.
Beyond fertility yoga, can certain lifestyle habits help boost fertility? If so why ?
A healthy, nutrient-rich diet is obviously the basis of health. It is not useful to overconsume spinach while thinking you are doing the right thing because although it is certainly rich in folate (vitamin B9), it is also very acidic and not easy to digest (hello heartburn... ). We generally favor vegetables, cruciferous vegetables and all anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory foods. Having a sensitive liver due to my PCOS hormonal imbalance, personally, I do not consume cow's milk and I avoid gluten and saturated fat to avoid bloating. I have already said goodbye to my flat stomach due to adenomyosis, so I do everything on a daily basis to avoid additional tension and weight in my abdomen. In terms of physical activity, I stopped high-intensity cardio! Exit indoor cycling and running. I, who jogged a lot, after reading the clear conclusions of a scientific study carried out on more than 8,000 women over 10 years, I chose my side: take it easy on the cardio! -50% ovulation (so many hormonal disturbances), increase in the number of miscarriages, and postponement of the first pregnancy/birth which is counted in years when women practiced hours of cardio sport each week. In short, for me no more intense cardio but strengthening that tones and sculpts thoroughly! I can't wait to see the first participants rush to the 3P-Pilates in our future studio. Finally, for the well-being side, I already offer fertility massages, one developed by Renata Franca (the high priestess of lymphatic drainage) in collaboration with a gynecologist and the other, which Oprah already spoke about ten years ago in her blog and yet unknown in France, the Maya Arvigo massage.
Where can people find you who want to know more about fertility yoga?
I share my lifestyle and my little tips for hormonal balance, whether through the practice of yoga or my daily diet on my Instagram @CharlotteMullerYoga. All the news about my signature course and the future studio can be found on @FertilityYoga.Paris and @FertilityYoga.Uk because I will also teach in London every Wednesday from September 2022 For those who wish to practice remotely, live and in replay, all my classes are accessible on www.fertilityyoga.tv
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