Washington, Apr. 27 (ANI): A yoga instructor has claimed that the popular practice, which has long been praised for helping people improve their flexibility and core strength, can also be used to help women conceive.

Sherry Longbottom, a registered nurse and yoga instructor, has developed fertility yoga, which avoids poses that could strain the body instead, she favours simple gentle poses that help lessen anxiety, ABC News reported.

Longbottom said that the goal of their yoga is to get blood flow in the pelvic area.

While practicing fertility yoga is not exactly as beneficial as in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments or hormone therapy, she asserted that yoga can help women by helping them take a moment to relax and calm down.

She said that people today live in fight or flight mode, which goes completely against what people are trying to look for in creating a fertile environment.

Dr. James Goldfarb, the director of infertility and in-vitro fertilization at University Hospital Cleveland, said that he approves of patients trying safe alternative therapies like yoga or acupuncture as long as they feel better after a session.

While fertility treatments like IVF have helped millions of women conceive, he said these women often suffer from a tremendous amount of anxiety at the same time.

Longbottom said that the ability of the practice to help with an individual's mental health in addition to their physical health was one of the reason she wanted to start the fertility yoga class.

She added that mind, body and spirit are all tied together and once people address these areas, then they are taking care of their whole body. (ANI)

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Fertility yoga may help women conceive