FW 011 : Interview With Zahra Haji, The Yoga Goddess About Mind-body, Relationships And Yoga
Wow wow wow - I'm just so excited to bring you this interview with Zahra Haji, the Yoga Goddess where we talk about all things all things mind-body, relationships and how yoga can help with fertility. As I mention in the podcast, I just love the energy that Zahra has and the way she can help us all see our infertility in a different light and manage the process better. I also love the concept that our cycles can be broken up into four different times and that things like menstruation have names like 'The Wise Women' - it makes it sound SO much more glamorous than how we so often see it Zahra Haji - the yoga goddess Can you please tell us a little bit more about yoga and your style of yoga? Yoga has its roots in India, then called Indus Valley. No one really knows how far back exactly but it is estimated to be about 5000-10,000 years ago According to the ancient science of yoga, the human body has seven energy centres or chakras. Kundalini yoga (which is the yoga I'm trained in) is a physical and spiritual practice of moving energy up from the root chakra of the body for deep healing and inner transformation. This energy flow is key for a woman's fertility because the first three chakras house all the reproductive organs of the female body. Plus the kundalini energy itself is feminine in nature, and is often referred to as Mata Shakti, which is the feminine Mother energy of creation. Personally, I have practiced yoga for over 20 years. And while I have deep respect and love for both Hatha and Kundalini, the powerful healing I have witnessed with my clients through Kundalini yoga has been like no other. When guided by a fertility yoga expert, I believe working with the kundalini energy is the fastest way to heal reproductive health challenges. In the practice I share with my fertility clients, I give them a kriya (a set of prescribed postures) to optimise the functioning of the pituitary gland. The pituitary is the master gland of the endocrine system and is responsible for healthy hormonal and reproductive function. It regulates female reproductive hormones such as FSH (which matures the eggs in the ovaries), estrogen, progesterone, and even oxytocin in labour (which regulates pain). From a yogic perspective, the pituitary gland also regulates a woman's mental and emotional health and outlook on life, which as we know through the extensive mind-body research on fertility can change a woman's pregnancy rates by over 50% after an average of three years of infertility when she follows a proven mind-body practice designed for fertility. See the show notes at moderndaymissus.com