What is fertility visualization?
Visualization at its most basic is just the act of repeatedly envisioning or imagining something in your mind’s eye. You’re probably familiar with the idea of athletes using it to improve their performance, but it turns out that visualization can be a powerful tool in many areas of life, including fertility visualization.
Why does fertility visualization work?
It’s all about the connection between your mind and body. We don’t often realize how closely the two are connected—Western society hasn’t traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on it. But your mind and body are constantly communicating. Have you ever noticed how your posture changes depending on your mood? Do you ever get a knot in your shoulders when you’re tense, or butterflies in your stomach when you’re nervous? Those are all common examples of that relationship.
Fertility visualization taps into that connection and gives your mind a chance to show your body exactly what it would like to have happen. In addition, sitting calmly and visualizing has been shown to lower stress levels—something else that’s extremely valuable when trying to improve fertility.
General guidelines for fertility visualization:
1. Quiet
As with most other mind-body practices, you want to find a quiet place where you’ll be able to close your eyes and spend some undisturbed time in thought.
2. Detail
You want your mental image to be as detailed as possible, including as many of your five senses as possible. Think about colors, shapes and sizes, textures, sounds, and maybe even smell; whatever you can add so that your images are as specific as you can make them.
3. Repetition
Visualization is most effective when it is repeated over and over, so plan to make it a regular practice.
4. You’ve Got to Believe.
If you’re skeptical, your body will pick up on it—the mind-body connection is that strong. So do your best to leave your doubts at the door. Once you start visualization for fertility, I think you’ll find that any lingering doubt will be erased on its own as you discover what a nice practice it is.
And now…
3 Great Fertility Visualizations That Can Help You Boost Your Fertility
1. Visualize your ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus, all in perfect health and working as they’re supposed to.
This is a great visualization for the early part of your menstrual cycle, before you ovulate.
If you’re not familiar with the basic anatomy of these organs, here’s a diagram that will give you a rough sense of how they look.
Here are some questions you can answer to help you fill out your image:
What colors do you see?
What does your uterine lining look like? Is it thick, soft and welcoming for a fertilized egg?
Does everything look healthy? Does it smell healthy?
What in your image needs to be adjusted so that everything looks/feels/smells like it’s in good working order and able to ovulate properly and then accept a fertilized egg?
2. Visualize ovulation working smoothly and correctly.
This fertility visualization is perfect for the days leading up to ovulation.
If you’re not familiar with the steps of ovulation, head over to this page to have a quick read.
Then you’re ready to walk your own body through these steps. I recommend doing visualization #1 first so you’ve got a good image of your reproductive organs as a starting point.
3. Visualize yourself as you continue on your fertility journey: how would you like to feel?
This exercise is perfect for anytime during your cycle.
It’s no secret that fertility issues are a slog to get through. But there are ways you can help yourself have a “less bad” time, and this fertility visualization is one of them.
Here are some questions to guide you as you create your ideal image of yourself:
What does your posture look like? Are you hunched over and tense, or do you carry yourself straight and tall?
How do you feel about your body? Are you confident in its ability to conceive and carry a child or do you have doubts?
How do you feel about you? Are stuck in a cycle of self-doubt and negativity or are you optimistic that your life will be a good one no matter what happens on your fertility journey?
How are you feeling about other aspects of your life? Work? Family? Friends?
What are you doing in your image that makes you feel good? Bad?
What do you need to adjust in your image so you achieve your desired feeling? Colors, textures, lighting issues, sounds, smells, feelings, beliefs?
If you've enjoyed your visualization exercises and would like to talk about how else I can help you improve your fertility journey, send me a message and