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Watch Whole Family Health fertility specialist, Christina Pistotnik and Alberta Reproductive Centre’s Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Ariadne Daniel on CTV Morning Live – speaking to Canadian Fertility Awareness Week 2023.

Listen to Dr. Ariadne Daniel from Alberta Reproductive Centre speak with Global Health Matters host, Su-Ling Goh about Canadian Fertility Awareness Week (CFAW), her new IVF clinic’s vision of Whole Person Fertility Care and our joint event offerings for CFAW’23.

We are grateful to Global Weekend Morning Live for having us on this morning to raise awareness for Canadian Fertility Awareness Week!

WFH’s Dr. Alda & ARC‘s Dr. Ariadne had the pleasure of speaking with CBC RadioActive Host Jessica Ng about Canadian Fertility Awareness Week and our collaborative events for supporting the 1 in 6 this year. What a pleasure and honour it was – we are very grateful to CBC Radio for hosting us!

Katonah Yoga is based upon the principles that yoga is designed to improve the function of the organs.
The practice creates space within the body, thus creating room for the organs to function well.

Chinese Medicine Organ Systems and Fertility

The primary organ systems related to fertility in Chinese Medicine are the Kidneys and the Heart, as well as the Liver. A yoga practice focused on improving functionality of these organ systems will improve chances of conception, as well as overall wellness and vitality.

Yoga for the Kidney System

To access the Kidneys, one must work with the lower body. Our two legs relate to the two Kidneys and
represent the root system of the body. Using tools and postures to access the lower parts of the body
will give space and comfort to the Kidneys, flush out any stagnation within them, and keep their energy
reserves flowing well. These include pigeon, bound angle, shoelace, and standing folds.

Yoga for the Heart System

Working with the Heart system means working within community. It relates to the articulation of the practice and needs held within the body. The Heart is meant to feel all emotions fully, but then is designed to let them move through and release these emotions as well. A practice focused on clarity of needs and communal guidance and support gives nourishment to the Heart system and brings joy to the
practitioner! Breathwork (pranayama) helps move stagnant energy out of the Heart.

Yoga for the Liver System

A happy Liver system is a well functioning with no stagnation or Heat held within. Guiding the
practice to include supported backbends and twists will open up the Liver’s capacity for movement and
expansion.

Katonah Yoga provides archetypal patterns and fits for a well-informed practice. A good practice holds
up and provides clear evidence of improvements and expansion within the body and mind.

Contact us for a free 15-minute discovery call to find out more about how we can support you on your fertility journey with individualized Katonah Yoga.

What is Katonah Yoga

Katonah Yoga is a formal technique that informs and reforms your yoga practice.

It’s about listening to the body through alignment & measures.

It is a specially designed technique that provides information and insight to your yoga
practice. It focuses on alignment and measures to ensure that you are working through formalized
movement and not falling back into habits that can lead to imbalances in the body.

The reason for moving away from a “feelings” based practice is to get out of your own way. Emotions are wonderful tools to guide and process life’s experiences, but can be biased and full of judgement. By shifting the focus onto the measures and fits within the body, knowing that the body cannot lie, one is better able to access information that is useful and measurable.

The 3 Principles of Katonah Yoga Technique

The Katonah Yoga technique revolves around three principles: all polarities are mediated by trinity; the universe has intelligence implied through pattern; and by virtue of repetition there is potential for
insight.

1. Polarity

First, polarities lie in all worldly things, and the beauty of polarity is when you put yourself in the
center there lies the opportunity to mediate and modulate your experiences.

2. Pattern

Second, pattern provides information about habits and tendencies to lean on strengths, while overlooking weaknesses.

Understanding pattern gives power to the practitioner because the Universe runs on pattern through
seasons, moon cycles, tides, and so much more. By understanding patterns, one can better learn how to align with Universal intelligence and become a more well-rounded human.

3. Practice & Repetition

Finally, the practice of yoga is just that: a practice. It brings about learning to manipulate time by repeating techniques to eventually master one’s own domain. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it makes sense. It guides the practitioner to continue to explore the Self and unravel any narrative threads that no longer serve, thus giving space to rewrite one’s story.

Katonah Yoga Instructor

Working with a Katonah Yoga instructor will provide outside information to help guide your yoga
practice. The instructor can observe where you like to go and where you don’t, and can reorient your
yoga practice with verbal cues and hands-on adjustments.

Many props are also used to help support the postures, provide better framework, and create good boundaries.

I love to incorporate one-on-one individualized Katonah Yoga practice into sessions. Contact us to book a combined yoga and acupuncture session or a free 15-minute discovery call if you have any questions about it!

When it comes to fertility treatment, the emphasis is often on the physical aspects of the process. But we see the Whole You and we realize that your emotional and mental well-being should not be overlooked.

Did you know that research shows the psychological impact of fertility struggles are similar to those associated with conditions like cancer and IVF?

We know that compassionate care & support can make all the difference – helping to create a more positive experience with better outcomes.

A huge multinational study reports that supportive & mental health service offerings have significant positive impacts on achieving pregnancy, because folks actually continue on their fertility treatment journey.

Our Whole Person Fertility Care plans are designed to reduce stress & calm the nervous system while also addressing specific fertility concerns.

We understand that every person’s journey is unique & we’re committed to providing individualized Whole Person Fertility Care that meets the heart of your specific situation.

We want to get to know you, understand your unique circumstances & develop a customized treatment plan for your individual needs.

We aim to be trauma-informed & to build relationships to create a safe, supportive & non-judgmental space for open communication.

We’re here for you & to meet you where you’re at.

In addition to acupuncture and herbs, we offer mindfulness programs, individualized yoga, nutrition, massage & other resources that help you navigate your pathway to parenthood.

We are here to walk every step of the way with you & we’re so honoured to be part of your journey!

Contact us to set up a free 15-minute Connection Call.

One of our fertility experts would love to connect to hear your story & explore how we can support you 💚

References:
PMID: 8142988
PMID: 34756644

beautiful photo from @nushu 

Stress: why & how is it bad for us?

We know that stress is bad for us, but exactly why and how is it bad for us?

A study published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. cites that chronic stress changes the activation of genes in immune cells at the bone marrow level. These cells are primed at the level of the gene, so they’re programmed to be even more defensive against external threats, and are even more inflammatory than normal.

Typically, our body’s immune system responds to pathogens with some inflammation. However, in the case of chronic stress, there is no pathogen and the process is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers an excessive level of inflammation. When this level of inflammation is present with no real protective or healing role, it actually becomes harmful.

What can we do to reverse impacts of inflammation?

So what can we do to both help manage our stress and reverse the negative impact that resulting inflammation has on our bodies?

My two personal favourite approaches are through acupuncture and mindfulness meditation, both effective in reducing stress and mitigating inflammation in the body.

Acupuncture

I don’t how many times first-time patients look at me dubiously as I reach for a fresh blister pack of acupuncture needles, reassuring them that acupuncture is very relaxing. It’s a little counter-intuitive that being pinned with tiny needles could be ahem… relaxing. But it really is! Despite any doubts, patients agree as some will joke about wishing they could stay in acupuncture all day when it comes time to take their needles out.

For the super skeptics, there is scientific evidence: one study shows that acupuncture decreases levels of Neuropeptide Y, a neurotransmitter secreted by the sympathetic nervous system in response to stress.

As for inflammation, when it is systemic, it can manifest physically in numerous different ways. Depending on each individual’s constitution, inflammation can present as poor digestion, pain, headaches, allergies, insomnia, asthma, pms, irregular menstruation, cramps, endometriosis, infertility, recurrent miscarriage …and that’s just to name a few.

According to Chinese Medicine, how these disorders manifest collectively maps out whether your body’s imbalance is due to deficiency, blockage, pathogenic heat, stickiness, or any combination of these. Once this pattern is determined, stimulation of specific acupuncture points can support your body to re-balance. This meta-analysis of studies speaks to the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment on various inflammatory disorders.

Mindfulness Meditation

The impacts of meditation on stress are more obvious, even if you’ve never tried it, chances are you’ve had some anecdotal exposure to the calming effects of meditation. Especially in today’s fast paced normal, there seems to be a naturally surging movement toward being ‘un-plugged’. People are looking for balance and one of the ways they are finding it is through the practice of being still and present.

A study published in the Journal of Behavioural Medicine in 2014 finds that a group of 174 adults dealing with stress-related problems, illness, anxiety and chronic pain practise mindfulness meditation for 8 weeks and experience symptom reduction as well as improved well-being.

But the positive effects of meditation don’t stop there. Research published in the Journal of Psychoneuroendicrinology in 2014 found that even 8 hours of mindfulness meditation triggers an anti-inflammatory response that is not observed when compared to a control group. Blood samples were taken from two different groups at the beginning and at the end of an 8 hour period. One group was comprised of 19 meditators, who practised mindfulness meditation. The second group was made up of 21 non-meditators who performed leisure activities (like reading and walking) for the same period of time. Despite similar baselines, they found significant down-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes in the meditation group.

So if you’re stressed out and feel like it’s starting to take a toll on your body, consider trying acupuncture and/or mindfulness.

Contact us for a free 15 minute consult to discover how we can help you.

Beginning Anew

In Vietnamese, we say, ” Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! “

The lunar year begins anew bringing Water Rabbit energy (or Water Cat energy in the Vietnamese zodiac).

I love lunar new year activities & how they carry meaning & intention for beginning anew. We often look at the new year with hope, making resolutions & promises for improvement.

As the new year is an opportunity to begin anew – so is every moment. Each present moment is like none before & it’s an opportunity to start fresh.

The Seeds Within Us

Everything within us can be viewed as a seed. In this way, we can see that our inner seeds of joy, peace, happiness, as well as depression, anger & jealousy, etc… all arise through being nourished in some way.

With all of these seeds within us, we see that some are bigger than others. Most of them are watered more often by habit energies.

What seeds within us have we been habitually watering & what other seeds are available for us to water instead?

If we see that our physical body, thoughts & emotions all exist through nutriment, perhaps we have more choice in what we nourish & how.  

Everything that we take in can be viewed as either nourishing or depleting. The foods we eat, the sense impressions we take in (sounds, sights, sensations through touch, smells). Even our motivations can be either nourishing or depleting. Stopping to become aware of the underlying motivations to our speech & actions, which can also arise from habit energy creates space for us to water a new seed of motivation.

Watering Seeds for the Lunar New Year

Here’s a practice to help you intentionally water seeds for the new year:

• Make a list of all of the things in your life that are currently nourishing to you.
  
  
• Make a list of all of the things in your life that are depleting to you.
  
  
• Make a concrete plan to remove the depleting activities & prioritize making time & space for that which is nourishing.

May we all begin anew beautifully in this new lunar year!

More Mindfulness

To learn more ways to bring mindfulness into your life & to support your fertility journey, check out @mindfulnessforfertility or mindfulnessforfertility.com

Our next online program begins Jan 30^th, we hope to see you then!

Mindful eating is an ancient Chinese medicine secret to optimal health & longevity. We believe that it’s a shame to eat healthy food if the body is unable to absorb nutrients properly.

Today’s scientists agree that if we’re able to slow down & be present with food, we can benefit more from what we eat.

Mindful eating is about appreciating food rather than restricting it. It involves being present with our food to decrease stress.

Mindful Eating Decreases Stress & Increases Absorption

Studies confirm that stress negatively affects our digestion by disrupting GI tract movement, absorption, inflammation & bacterial counts. Stress can also lead to many digestive disorders.

We live such fast-paced lives, eating becomes an auto-pilot activity. We tend to multi-task as we eat – while working or driving, surfing the internet, or checking for text messages. Our minds are busy doing one thing, while our bodies are doing another thing.

Research shows that avoiding distraction while eating increases the body’s absorptive capacity. Being present with the flavours & textures of our food rather than multi-tasking while eating allows the body to focus its attention on digesting.

Here are some mindful eating tips:  

• Be intentional – try to choose a location that is meant for eating when you eat.

• Simply eat. Avoid multi-tasking while you’re eating.

• Chew thoroughly. Make sure each bite is well-chewed before swallowing it. Aim for 25-30 bites.

• Place your fork or spoon down in between bites as you chew.

• Pay attention to the colour, texture, aroma & flavours of the first 5 bites of a meal.

• Try to feel grateful for your food. Studies have shown that feeling gratitude also decreases depression.

• Please enjoy your food!

Mindfulness Programs

Did you know that research shows mindfulness-based programs for fertility decrease emotional distress & increase resilience? We know what a roller coaster it can be.

Join us for our next Online Mindfulness for Fertility program beginning January 30^th  

Find more info and registration at mindfulnessforfertility.com

References

• PMID: 28900385
• PMID: 3582919
• PMID: 27786519
• PMID: 23809500