The AFA Blog

The Gift of the Present Moment

By Brenda Strong

I have a confession to make.  I have been stressed out lately.  Yes, even yoga teachers can let life circumstances get the best of them.

The Holidays can be a challenging time for most of us.  We all long for closeness of family, warmth and an intimacy that may resemble our favorite memories from childhood.  If our childhood memories of family don't fill us with warmth, we may seek out a fantasy of what we think family could be that it wasn't. Either way, the holidays can fill us with a mixture of feelings that may be difficult to navigate; and unfulfilled expectations can leave us feeling lonely, especially if the family we long for isn't created yet. 

For many of us going through reproductive difficulties, it may be a time filled with sadness, longing, isolation and stress.  How can we navigate through this time without having a nervous breakdown or going into a depression?  The key is found in a word that is tossed around the holidays a lot.  Presents.  But instead of the kind that are tied up neatly in a bow with beautiful paper, the kind I'm talking about is free and available to us at all times.  Presence.  It is learning to be present, that allows us to receive the greatest gifts in life, the ones that touch our hearts, give us hope and connect us to ourselves, our bodies and each other.

How does one become present?  It's simple.  The quickest way to become present is through our breath.  Simply observing the breath as it passes through us, and watching it, brings us fully into this moment. When we watch the breath and are present, the body does a miraculous thing.  It opens.  And when our bodies open, our monkey mind slows down and so does our heart rate, and we become aware. When we become present to what we are feeling, we give these sensations an opportunity to release their power over us.   When we are in the presence of pure awareness, there is an opportunity to release the baggage of the past and the fearful projections of the unknown future.  There is just NOW.  And inside now, there is nothing to resist or grasp at, there is just what is.  There is a simplicity of BEING.  From this short time of connecting to our breathing, we are able to de-stress the body, release anxiety and receive the gift of this moment.  As we do this, we can start to string those moments together, and before we know it, we are on the other side of our feelings peacefully.

So this Holiday Season, as you gather together your presents for others, don't forget to give yourself the gift of the PRESENT moment. 

Someone once said, “The past is history, the future a mystery, and the present moment is all we have...that is why it is called a 'gift'."

Just remember, to receive the gift of life all you have to do is take it one breath at a time...  :-)  

Na "mama" ste

Brenda Strong is a certified 500hr E-RYT who created the Strong Yoga4Fertility program to help women worldwide.  She is the first national spokesperson for The American Fertility Association as well as a member of the board of directors. Her day job is playing “Mary Alice Young” on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

East meets west and ivf success rates benefit

by Corey Whelan

For many men and women who are struggling to conceive a child, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including the practice of acupuncture, has proven to be a successful enhancement to western reproductive protocols.  Over the past decade, the number of  infertility specialists who have begun to acknowledge the potential benefits of acupuncture for patient care has grown considerably.

A wide host of studies demonstrate that acupuncture improves reproductive outcomes for most patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology; these include fewer ectopic pregnancies, lower miscarriage rates, and less multiple births.  However, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) does not agree.  Published highlights from the 62nd annual meeting of ASRM included excerpts from research conducted by Lehl and co-investigators as well as contradictory research conducted by lead investigator Paul Magarelli. Magarelli's findings indicate that "the modulation of reproductive and stress hormone levels with acupuncture is a possible explanation of infertility modifying effect."  However, the ASRM's position continues to be that "although acupuncture might improve IVF outcome, convincing evidence is not yet available".  Later findings also reported upon at ASRM's 2009 meeting,  and presented by Drs. James Smith and Arate Aelon indicated that CAM (complementary alternative medicine) did not increase pregnancy rates among IVF patients.

Despite competing studies, many within the field of assisted reproductive technology have embraced this 3,000 year old practice and the trend of East Meets West IVF clinics is becoming popular nationwide.

So how does acupuncture support traditional methods?  TCM has been shown to  help women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) ovulate without the support of drugs such as clomid.  For the endometriosis patient, acupuncture, in conjunction with herbal medicine, can often reduce the inflammatory environment, and thus the pain that earmarks this disorder.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a holistic approach to health, meaning that the whole person, not just the reproductive organs, are taken into account.  This includes psychological issues such as depression, and also the individual's lifestyle.  A single woman who has recently been laid off from work for example, might receive different treatment than a woman in a solid, financially secure situation..

TCM is intrinsically different from reproductive technology, and points to  the kidney as the internal organ responsible for the reproductive cycle, including growth, and also the aging process.  If kidney energy becomes depleted by poor diet or stress, one of the possible outcomes, according to the principles of TCM, is infertility.  

So will it work for you?  The concept of acupuncture will not appeal to every patient.  Given the number of infertility medications that are given via injection, you may feel that there are already enough needles in your life.  But if  you are currently considering adding acupuncture to your treatment protocol, discuss the concept with a physician that you trust, weigh the pros and cons, and make the decision that feels most approprate for you.  

Sources:

Lehl K, Pitzer L, Schoolcraft WB, Stevens JM. Elective acupuncture treatment pre and post embryo transfer: comparison of clinical pregnancy and implantation rates within age groups and in recipients of donor oocytes. Program and abstracts of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 62nd Annual Conference; October 21-25, 2006; New Orleans, Louisiana. Session P-556.

Magarelli PC, Cohen M, Cridennda DK. Proposed mechanism of action of acupuncture on IVF outcomes. Program and abstracts of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 62nd Annual Conference; October 21-25, 2006; New Orleans, Louisiana. Session P-118.

Adapted with permission from an earlier article published at www.examiner.com

AP Photo