Fertility yoga expert Kerry Hinds shares how slowing down and embracing feminine energy through restorative yoga can support fertility success. Kerry conceived naturally after walking away from IVF treatments in Germany, then built a thriving fertility yoga practice helping women worldwide.
Fertility-focused yoga and nervous system regulation
Key Insights
Actionable Advice
Kerry shares her personal fertility story of struggling with treatments in Germany, including language barriers and 2.5 years of failed IVF cycles. Her journey shifted when she and her husband decided to walk away from treatments, leading to natural conception within 6 weeks and a second child 9 months postpartum.
Kerry explains how surrender doesn't mean giving up desire but creating spaciousness around experiences. This shift allowed her body to exhale from the performance pressure and recalibrate naturally, demonstrating how trust and belief enable conception rather than force and control.
Kerry details how fertility yoga differs from mainstream yoga through its focus on nervous system regulation rather than physical achievement. Since the body always chooses survival over reproduction, reducing stress signals through restorative practices creates conditions where fertility can thrive.
Kerry transformed her personal fertility yoga experience into a thriving practice serving women worldwide. Major Boston fertility clinics now refer patients because they see measurable improvements in depression, anxiety, and IVF success rates through her evidence-based approach.
“there's been studies to support that, yes, doing a fertility based yoga practice does increase chances of successful IVF rounds and, as well as not using it for, intervention”
— Kerry Hinds▶ 20:17
Yes, studies show fertility-focused yoga decreases depression and anxiety while increasing IVF success rates. Major fertility clinics like Brigham and Women's and CCRM refer patients because they see measurable improvements in outcomes.
“our body will always choose survival over reproduction. Always. That's how it's set. It's set that way”
— Kerry Hinds▶ 25:49
Your body always chooses survival over reproduction. When you're constantly stressed, your body interprets this as danger and prevents conception as a protective mechanism since it's not safe to reproduce during perceived threats.
“when we're just, we're working hard, we're moving our bodies really quickly and sweating. That is all outward pouring prana. Like things are sweat is dripping off of you. The breath is leaving your body. Right? That is depleting, depleting to our bodies”
— Kerry Hinds▶ 24:16
Fertility yoga is restorative and focuses on nervous system regulation rather than physical achievement. Unlike hot power yoga that depletes energy through sweating and rapid breathing, fertility yoga conserves and nourishes energy needed for conception.
“it doesn't matter where you are. If you've never done yoga before, I've had many students come in. I've never done yoga. And they're, like, really nervous. And then, like, after the first class, they're like, oh my gosh. I don't even know why I was nervous. I feel so good”
— Kerry Hinds▶ 32:39
Absolutely. Fertility yoga is very accessible and doesn't require any prior yoga experience. You won't be doing handstands or pretzel poses - it's gentle, restorative movement with lots of props and modifications.
“I think it's a sense of spaciousness that came over. Like, there there was room. There was space around me. And and I talked to my students about this as well, but it's like their magic happens in space”
— Kerry Hinds▶ 11:37
Surrender creates spaciousness around your experience while maintaining desire. You can deeply want a baby while releasing attachment to specific outcomes or timelines, which actually removes resistance that may be blocking conception.
“we we don't know any different. So like, men have a different relationship with stress than women have. Right? Like it is, it is, it is the more masculine energy of doing and being and pushing and linear”
— Kerry Hinds▶ 27:13
We've been culturally conditioned to operate in masculine energy - pushing, forcing, and controlling outcomes. But reproduction is inherently feminine, requiring receptivity and trust rather than aggressive action.
Kerry Hinds' approach to beginning fertility yoga for conception support
Shift Your Mindset
Recognize that fertility yoga is completely different from hot power yoga. It's gentle, restorative, and focused on nervous system regulation rather than physical achievement.
Start with Restorative Poses
Use props and gentle movements to reconnect lovingly with your body. Focus on the pelvis and getting blood flow moving rather than intense stretching.
Practice Nervous System Regulation
Choose nourishing practices that conserve energy rather than depleting practices that cause sweating and rapid breathing.
Find Community Support
Join live fertility yoga classes to build community with other women on similar journeys - supporting others fills your soul and helps you keep going.
Surrendering doesn't mean giving up desire - you can want something deeply while releasing attachment to the outcome
Kerry conceived naturally within 6 weeks of walking away from IVF treatments in Germany, then had her second child 9 months postpartum from one encounter
Your body will always choose survival over reproduction - constant stress signals your body that it's not safe to conceive
Kerry had a student at 52 who got pregnant naturally after years of IVF failure through fertility yoga practice that regulated her nervous system
Western fertility culture operates in masculine energy - counting rounds as failures, agonizing over time, trying to do the most feminine thing like men
Rosanne notes how women try to conceive and carry life using masculine paradigms of force and control rather than feminine receptivity
Fertility yoga creates spaciousness where magic happens - you need space around experiences and thoughts to be receptive
Kerry describes how surrender created spaciousness in her body and mind that allowed natural conception after 2.5 years of failed treatments
Hot power yoga depletes fertility energy through outward flowing prana - sweat and rapid breath leave the body when you need to nourish and nurture instead
Kerry teaches restorative yoga specifically for fertility, noting that depleting practices work against the body's need for nourishment to conceive
Modern society is not conducive to fertility - chemicals in food, stress culture, and masculine energy create constant battles for fertility to shine through
Kerry notes that major Boston fertility clinics like Brigham and Women's and CCRM refer patients to her because they see decreased depression and anxiety, better decision-making, and increased IVF success rates
Women resist slowing down because we've been brainwashed to be little men in a patriarchal system that undervalues feminine energy
Kerry explains that reproduction falls in the feminine realm but we live in a masculine world where feminine qualities are devalued, creating disconnection from what we need for fertility
Fertility treatments cause disconnection from your body through constant poking and prodding - yoga helps rebuild a loving relationship with your physical self
Kerry offers specific programs for different fertility phases including frozen embryo transfer, pregnancy loss, and early pregnancy anxiety based on 8+ years teaching fertility yoga exclusively
Community and supporting others going through fertility struggles fills your soul and helps you keep going on your own journey
Kerry's live stream fertility yoga classes create community where women support each other, which she notes is often missing from fertility journeys and essential for healing
Getting to know your body through gentle movement helps you recognize where you hold tension - often in the same area as reproductive organs
Rosanne notes that many women report feeling nervousness in their pelvis and hips, the same area they're trying to use for conception
Surrendering doesn't mean giving up desire - you can want something deeply while releasing attachment to the outcome
▶ 8:00Your body will always choose survival over reproduction - constant stress signals your body that it's not safe to conceive
▶ 25:59Western fertility culture operates in masculine energy - counting rounds as failures, agonizing over time, trying to do the most feminine thing like men
▶ 10:35Fertility yoga creates spaciousness where magic happens - you need space around experiences and thoughts to be receptive
▶ 11:37Hot power yoga depletes fertility energy through outward flowing prana - sweat and rapid breath leave the body when you need to nourish and nurture instead
▶ 24:06Modern society is not conducive to fertility - chemicals in food, stress culture, and masculine energy create constant battles for fertility to shine through
▶ 25:18Women resist slowing down because we've been brainwashed to be little men in a patriarchal system that undervalues feminine energy
▶ 27:01Fertility treatments cause disconnection from your body through constant poking and prodding - yoga helps rebuild a loving relationship with your physical self
▶ 19:04Community and supporting others going through fertility struggles fills your soul and helps you keep going on your own journey
▶ 35:02Getting to know your body through gentle movement helps you recognize where you hold tension - often in the same area as reproductive organs
▶ 36:04“If you surrender your desire for a baby, you don't really want it”
CONSIDER: You can hold deep desire while releasing attachment to outcome - surrender creates the spaciousness for conception to occur naturally
“More intense exercise and pushing harder improves fertility”
CONSIDER: Hot power yoga depletes fertility energy through outward flowing prana when you need inward nourishment and nervous system regulation instead
“Stress doesn't significantly impact fertility outcomes”
CONSIDER: Your body always chooses survival over reproduction - constant stress signals danger and prevents conception as a protective mechanism
“our body will always choose survival over reproduction. Always. That's how it's set.”
“magic happens in space. Like we need to put some space around our experiences and our thoughts”
“we're trying to do the most feminine thing we can do as women - carry life, give birth to life like men”
“I can be happy without a baby. It doesn't mean I don't want, you know, would like to have another baby. I have a baby in my life, but I know I can be happy without it”
“women have been culturally, I don't wanna say brainwashed, but kind of like brainwashed to be little men”
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Conditions
Frameworks & Methods
Common Beliefs
Your subconscious programming creates hormonal signals that directly affect your endocrine and immune systems, influencing fertility without your conscious awareness
Dr. Kim D'Eramo explains how psychoneuroimmunology shows our beliefs and thoughts transmit neurologic signals to the immune and endocrine systems. She conceived naturally at almost 45 despite being told she had only a 13% chance of natural conception.
Fertility requires embracing feminine energy of receiving rather than masculine energy of achieving and controlling
Dr. D'Eramo conceived twice naturally, including at almost 45, after letting go of white-knuckling her way through fertility. Rosanne conceived naturally at 43 after 7 years of struggle when she stopped trying to out-medicate and out-diet her internal state.
Past treatment failures don't predict future success - your history is not your destiny
Dr. Kathy had AMH of 0.23, failed IUIs, miscarriage, and failed IVF that produced only one egg, yet conceived naturally at 37 and is now 34 weeks pregnant with her son.
High-achieving women are especially susceptible to the seduction of statistics and can get trapped in their analytical minds
Dr. Kathy, both a physician and lawyer, went down the 'rabbit hole' of AMH research and statistics, initially trusting science more than her body despite doctors having more faith in her than she had in herself.
