Falling Pregnant Naturally- How Yoga & Holistic Medicine Can Help

Falling pregnant seems to be a huge struggle for many couples!

There are so many factors that might be holding you back from conceiving naturally, and when you think about it for the most part we spend so much time and energy trying to avoid falling pregnant and then we we're finally ready to start that journey to becoming a parent it might seem almost impossible.

There are so many things you can do and yoga and naturopathy can be such a great place to start. There are tools you can use to improve your hormones; to reduce or better manage stress; to help you find more energy.

In this video I interview my friend Kathy Grace, she has spent many years supporting couples who are trying to conceive. Having studied extensively and founded her own business which specialized in supporting women in particular through all the stages of having a family.

Interview Transcript

Krystle: Thank  you for making the time to catch up with me today. I really appreciate it. 

Kathy: Yeah, you're welcome. It's great to be here. Um, now your health journey 

Krystle: As a youngster your mum had a significant influence on you. Can you tell us a little bit about  that?  

Kathy: Yeah, sure. My mum was a bit of a Weirdo at the time. Like she was she's a bit, bit hippie, and was  doing things that people just thought were a little bit insane and was making us drinks of molasses, some  wheat germ, and lecithin, eggs and all sorts of crazy stuff.

Kathy: But what she taught me was to be able to take  some control for our health naturally. I always just grew up with that. We weren't kind of the family that  as soon as something went wrong, we ran to the doctor. She would try some natural things we were  taking vitamin C supplements and that was kind of what she taught me was to stay connected to what  was happening in my body.

Kathy: Even though she never did yoga. She never participated in yoga. Um, but she  had that kind of belief and mindset and I think she would've participated in yoga if it was available for her. 

How Much Influence Did You Past Have On Your Current Practice?

Krystle: She was a nurse?

Kathy: She was a nurse, which possibly was where she kind of took on that proactive idea. I think nurses are pretty amazing creatures, but dealt with a lot of mental health issues and decided when she had children that she couldn't do that anymore. It was just too hard for her to see that.

Kathy: So then she just had, four kids. I was her fourth. We used to eat some pretty weird stuff. We're very much on the healthy, healthy, you didn't find much sugar in our house. But I never knew any different, so it wasn't as weird other than when I got old enough to see what other kids ate.

The Journey To Being A Naturopath

Krystle: It’s amazing. How much of an influence that has on you. Cause hearing you say that, um, my mum was really, really very strict when I was young as well.

Krystle: There were no chocolates, there was no juice, it just had too much sugar. The thing at the time were roll-ups. So all of the cool kids at school had roll-ups and I was never allowed a roll-up.

Krystle: So, it's amazing how it influences your view on health and taking care of your health as well. So can you tell me a little bit about your studies because you have studied extensively, beyond the yoga teacher training that you've done, you're also a naturopath.

Krystle: So can you speak a little bit to that journey?

Naturopathy Started As A Solution To Better Health

Kathy: Yeah, so, I think I was year 11 at the time. My health wasn't great. I actually got quite sick with  Glandular fever. But I didn't know that at the time and we did go down the medical path.

Kathy: I went to  doctor after doctor, after doctor. I had intense pain in my body. I had inflammation happening all over  the place, and just absolute fatigue. And it was a naturopath that mum took me to that fixed me or at  least put me on my path to better health.

Kathy: And it was, it was a real eye opener for me. It was like, you  know, my mum suddenly wasn't this crazy hippy lady. She knew what she was doing because we've tried  all these medical parts, you know, I was at a point of getting  cortisone injections and all sorts of stuff. 

Kathy: But it was gently being nurtured and being encouraged to take care of my digestion, and really basic  naturopathic concepts that got me back on track. And it did take a good 12 months. It wasn't a quick fix,  but I did get back.

Kathy: And then after my HSC, I was a bit kind of lost and not sure what was happening next and after a year or so, I decided to study to be a naturopath and that was the best  decision I ever made. So, you know, I moved from Newcastle to Sydney, started studying.

Kathy: That was also  when I took up yoga. It was just kind of like these doors open and that was my path. That was the direction was heading and it was almost out of my control. 

The Journey To Becoming a Parent

Krystle: And so that continued on, over the years you did your study and then, eventually after having  some experience working for different companies, you went out and opened your own clinic and yoga  studio and a lot of your work and, and where you've sort of, really specialized, your energy and focused  on is the pre and post, conception care and really supporting couples to, try and start a family.

Krystle: And again,  that was sort of, am I right in saying that was sparked by your own journey to becoming a parent as well?  

Kathy: Absolutely. Yeah.  

Krystle: Can you tell us a little bit about sort of how you, how you found that direction in your practice?

How Has Naturopathy and Yoga Help You In Your Journey To Becoming a Parent?

Kathy: So after studying as a naturopath and then deciding to become a yoga teacher as well, which was  kind of the stage afterwards, I did, I went and worked for, I managed health food shops.

Kathy: I worked for a  number of different vitamin companies, and I eventually got working in one company where I got quite  high up in the ladder and it became quite an intense role. I loved it, loved every little bit of it, but, um,  you know, it was at the point of kind of working six days a week, full-on hours, craziness, craziness, um,  which obviously wasn't healthy.

Kathy: It was fun, but it wasn't healthy. And then my partner and I had decided,  well, for many years, we kind of had this plan that if I got pregnant, it would be okay, but it wasn't like  I'm getting pregnant plan.

Kathy: Um, but it never happened like for years, it just, we weren't doing anything  different. We weren't trying to avoid, you know, the fertile time we weren't.

Kathy: Um, but we weren't actively also going, Oh, you're fertile, let's go and do it, you know? But for a long time, and then we decided,  hang on a minute, I'm getting  older. We actually probably need to do something about this. 

It Hit Me In My 30s

Kathy: When I hit 30 actually? Um, so we probably been, not trying, trying for about four or five years at  that point, um, which was a long time and then when I hit 30, it was kinda like ok. Something needs to  happen here. This is not right. There's something not right.

Kathy: Uh, so we started first, I did go and see a  naturopath. I did start working on, you know, cleaning myself out and making myself healthier and doing  all of those things, and got really focused on when I was fertile.

Kathy: Got really focused on, we need to go and  have sex now, kind of thing, which is also probably not healthy, but probably where I was at at my time  of life. It was like, you know, it was all about the calendar, all about the clock. 

The Process Of Trying To Conceive A Child Felt Isolating

Kathy: Um, and then that didn't happen either. And so then we headed down the, you know, investigation and  then what's going on and the, and the path. And I ended up, you know, in an IVF clinic going, how did I  get here and how do I get off?

Kathy: Like it was just kind of on the path and there was no option to get off. It  was all very, you know, you do one cycle and then they start talking about the next cycle and it's all very  consuming.

Kathy: And I also found I was very isolated. I felt very much on my own, and that was where my  business idea came from was that women needed community.

Kathy: So yeah, my business, which initially started as conception health was primarily to help support women who were going through and having  fertility challenges, or women who were trying to conceive maybe just even naturally, but wanted a  space where they could come and be, and talk about that with other women that get it that are in it that  are doing it. 

Kathy: Um, and you know, being able to cry in a class if I needed to and being in a space that was supportive of that. So that's where my business came from.

Kathy: I also love and have always loved pregnant women. I just think they're amazing and beautiful. And even at times, if they don't feel amazing, beautiful. So the classes I started with were fertility classes and pregnancy classes, and that was how the business began.

Kathy: That's all I wanted to do. And so I was working with them naturopathic as well, for those that wanted to otherwise, it was just primarily yoga. and it was my community was my space.

How Did Your Practice Start?

Krystle: So through your own struggles and through trying to find your own way, you really found an  area that was in desperate need of that - of some support of a business that was going to be there to, to help  them through, what's a really challenging time. 

Kathy: Absolutely. And even the clinic that we're working with, you know, the doctor that was there, she  agreed, it's such an isolating time and she was happy to refer ladies to me for that support for that  network.

Kathy: You know, I think they now actually run classes in, the clinic itself, but, at the time she was  sending because people just don't have, if you haven't been on the journey, you don't necessarily  understand.

Kathy: And you can be the best friend in the world, but if you don't know that feeling of, you know,  injecting yourself with massive amounts of hormones and the hormones just being out of control, um,  you know, it's hard to explain that to somebody who hasn't been in it.

Kathy: I mean, they can have  compassion, they can have understanding, my mum was experiencing dementia at the time that I was  going through IVF. And so I couldn't even talk to her about it because I'd ring up and she'd say, Oh, how's  your baby, which is, you know, in hindsight I can go look, that's fine.

Kathy: Sometimes it was fine to handle,  but, um, that was kind of more of the isolation and why I felt a support network was needed of other  women going all that cycle wasn't successful. Hey, I get it. You know, I understand it.

We’re Living In A Time Where We Deal With Stress Everyday

Krystle: Cause we are living in a time now where, you know, things like leaving it to much later to start a family,  long term use of contraception, we're disconnected from our bodies as well.

Krystle: I think it's fair to say because  we're just on this hamster wheel of just needing to get stuff done and ticking all of the boxes and you  know, where we're working more hours and there's more pressure in, work environments, home  environments.

Krystle: So it's really difficult because now if you've studied health, if you know how the body  works, if your cortisol is elevated, your stress hormones are elevated in your body. Then that sends a  signal that, well, it's not safe to bring a baby into the world. It becomes harder to conceive.

Krystle: And I guess  my question to you is having spent so many years working in the field and supporting women, can you  speak to how, how useful yoga is and how useful, naturopathy is for helping with that side of things, the  stress side of things and helping to, I guess, provide you with the tools to better manage that?

Estrogen Is An Intuitive Hormone For Women

Kathy: All of what you just said is, it's all a combination of what is going on for women right now, the stress right now, and the cortisol, you know, playing havoc in the body, but it also means that women are reducing their estrogen levels, and estrogen is that intuitive hormone.

Kathy: It's the one that has us understand what's happening in our body and to be connected. And, you know, if you've got a baby knowing what's going on with that baby and the striving and the pushing and the continuation, um, is having us end up being lower estrogen.

Kathy: So less connected to our body to stopping and connecting is probably the first and most paramount thing I think women need to do, which is where yoga is just sensational. It forces you to feel what's happening in your body and stay connected.

How Yoga and Naturopathy Can Help

Kathy: You know, when you're on the mat, you have to be connected to your feet on the ground and you know,  your breath. So naturopathic medicine and yoga, I think, are very good at bringing us into seeing and  feeling what's going on in our body and learning about our cycles.

Kathy: And I don't just mean, hormonal  cycles, but you know, the cycle of life, the cycle, the time of life, the season, the, where are we at in our  world right now and giving us that opportunity to find something different.

Kathy: So managing the stress, it  needs to be dealt with, which is how naturopathic medicine can help you manage the stress. But we  also need to deal with what's causing the stress, which might be changing something in our life.

Kathy: And I  think that's what the opportunity yoga provides is it has us see things that we may not have otherwise  seen to be when we stop and we breathe and we go, Oh, wow. 

Understand Your Reasons For Getting Pregnant

Kathy: You know, I can feel that whatever it is that's happening in their life that might need some reflection and potentially some change, and fertility at the fertility time, I'm trying to conceive. That's so important. It's so important that they see that.

Kathy: Because sometimes we strive to get pregnant for all the wrong reasons. Um, you know, maybe it's too, because we feel like we have to, because everybody else is doing it.

Kathy: Or, you know, I've had women that have thought it would save their relationship, or whatever reason, but it's not necessarily a reason that's really in their heart, in their soul.

Kathy: And that kind of, okay, this is my time. This is my time to have a child, so connecting with that, as well as what I'm trying to say is like knowing the right reason to be moving forward for them.

Krystle: The mind is a very, very powerful thing. Right. And if there are, any blockages on a mental, emotional level that will, I really believe that will also, really impact someone’s ability or conceive.

Kathy: Oh, absolutely. Definitely like being is, you know, you're becoming a vessel for another soul. It's another soul's journey that you're creating inside of you, which is amazing. So your baby, your body needs to be ready for that. It needs to be ready for that mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually.

Kathy: Um, all of those areas need to be in tune for that baby to come in, I believe.

Krystle: It’s an interesting time because in my friendship groups. I know a lot of amazing women and who are all very accomplished, very intelligent, and a lot of them are freezing eggs.

Krystle: And they're going through this process of sperm donors because they haven't found their life partner yet. They really do want to be moms and there's a lot of assisted fertility happening now. It's also been really amazing to see the Statistics on, on it, you know, like the success rate of IVF, especially if you're sort of closer to 40 or over is only like 11%. It's really not great.

Krystle: The taxing process emotionally, mentally, financially on the relationship. You know, I want to scream from the rooftops this is the most important time to invest in yoga and your practice and, and health, I really do. I feel like it's the perfect compliment to helping people through that, that time.

Krystle: Can you speak a little bit to that?

Your Body Is a Vessel

Kathy: I agree with you. If we stopped for, you know, to me the ideal would be 12 months prior to getting pregnant and giving our bodies everything it needs, from movement and food and nutrition and love and nurturing and all of those things.

Kathy: I think we would have, probably a much higher birth rate, much higher chance you know, conception in the first place. But even if it's as little as three months, it's very important for couples, both men and women, to do that.

Kathy: But particularly the woman, because the woman is the vessel, she is, you know, she does nurture that child for nine months.

Krystle: Are you suggesting, you know, that we sort of cut back on, work pressures and things like that as much as possible and really invest in a routine that is focused on preparing for that pregnancy?

How Should Women Prepare Themselves for Pregnancy?

Kathy: Yes, absolutely, and it will be different for every woman. I don't believe that there's like one journey, path because every woman will have a different thing, that’s unique to her again.

Kathy: If I look at Ayurvedic medicine, you know, if you look at your dosha and you look at kind of what is out of balance, so for some women, they may be a very high pita energy and they need to be moving. They need that energy.

Kathy: They need that drive. They're sharp, they're fast, they're working, they're, you know, and that's really important for them, but if they're very high in vata and they're living a pita life and they're extreme and they're going, they're going, they're going, they're going to be excessively stressed and over the top, but not coping and exhausted.

Kathy: And so it's important to understand individuality as well and bring that into the picture, um, which comes back to either finding somebody who can help you with that, or getting back in tune with your own body and understanding what you need. Kathy: But yes, it may be reducing your workload. It may be that you actually need to eat more greens.

Kathy: Um, you know, it may be that you need to just sit and breathe and meditate for five minutes every day. Like it's completely individual, but I do believe that we need to focus on that. And it deserves that focus for about three months, because it's not only a journey to get pregnant.

Kathy: Like it's a journey to have a baby it's a journey to build a family, and often we only just look at that next step and forget that at the end of all of that, there's going to be a child and that child is going to have demands that need to be filled.

Kathy: And if we're not in the best place preconception, it's going to be challenging. We're going to be playing catch up the whole way.

Kathy: And that's not really fair on our child, I don't think, and definitely not fair on our own health.

Getting Ready To Start A Family

Krystle: Is there anything else you want to add to the discussion, anything else on yoga health or, you know, if someone were watching it and watching this and they're, in that stage of desperately trying for a family and, is there anything else that you would say

Kathy: It has to be one of the hardest thing that women couples go through trying to conceive and not conceiving is heartbreaking. It's gut wrenching, horrible.

Kathy: So getting the support around them that they need to go through that first and foremost, I think is the most important understanding being in tune with their bodies, connecting with what's happening.

Kathy: So that means to me, like really stopping and observing and noticing your cycle, stop, maybe planning your cycle and knowing when you're going to be menstruating. And for a lot of women not knowing when they're fertile is a challenge.

Kathy: Like they don't understand that to start to observe your body and notice those, you know, those key times when you are fertile. And if you don't know that stuff going and researching and finding out how you find out that stuff, but I guess something that only occurred to me probably later, um, maybe the last 10, 15 years or so is, um, not only knowing that, but then starting to work with that.

Make Your Monthly Cycles Guide Your Energy and How Yoga Helps

Kathy: So, you know, I'm, I now am a big believer that when you’re menstruating, it's not a time to go run a marathon. Like it's a time to slow down and connect and nurture. And, you know, I love the idea of the red tent. Like I just think that's beautiful.

Kathy: Um, and knowing the times of your month, when you've got the energy to go do stuff and be creative and push stuff, and, you know, we all have those, we go through those cycles. So starting to know those cycles, and they will be your friend.

Kathy: They'll be your friend through pregnancy. There'll be your friend once you've got your baby. So becoming aware of that and taking back, maybe some of that control that gets out of our hands when we're trying to conceive, it can feel very out of control, like somebody else's looking after it or managing it.

Kathy: Which again, I think is something that yoga can do for you. You can feel, you get control back in your own health.

How To Reach Kathy And Know More About Her Program

Krystle: Again, it comes back to that, the same theme of connecting, again and again, connecting to others who've perhaps, can hold the space for you, your community, connecting to your body, and what's happening in your body connecting to, you know, self and you know why you're going through this process.

Krystle: So it's the same theme coming up again and again, and, what a beautiful way to, I guess, sum it up, wrap it up, Kathy, thank you so much.

Krystle: So if people have any questions, or they are just seeking some more advice in relation to, preconception care or conception care and where can they find you?

Kathy: Yeah. So my website is kathygrace.com. There's a number of options there that they can work with me. I have some online programs that they can do and, they can also do a one on one sessions with me if they want to do a bit more in depth.

Kathy: Um, and my sessions generally kind of incorporate a bit of all of the things that I do, so they will be, you know, some naturopathic ideas on what to eat and, and some acrobatic ideas on maybe when to eat it and how to eat it.

Kathy: And, um, and then also there will always be movement and breath included in one, on one sessions. Um, and I'm happy to also just answer questions.

Kathy: So if somebody has got some questions send the contact form, they can send me some information, I'm happy to refer them or to us answer questions for them as well.

Krystle: I think it's such an important journey and it's something that, um, really you do require, I guess, people that have experienced, um, maybe even people that have gone through the process themselves, um, that have different tools that they can share and really help you through through that.

Krystle: So I think that you're in a perfect position to support a lot of, um, a lot of couples on this journey. So thank you so much, Kathy, for sharing. Thanks for you.

Kathy: That’s great. Thank you.

End of Transcript

Krystle Alves