Yogis have known for thousands of years that opening the heart lightens the mood. The moment we find ourselves in a position where we stretch our arms out wide and gently arch our backs, we begin to feel our energy and mood rise. It is easier to take deeper breaths, improves our posture, and is a naturally joyful shape.
On the flip side, when we are depressed or tired, our natural posture is slumped and bent over, leading to neck and shoulder tension, shallow breathing, muscle pain, and fatigue.
Incorporating heart-opening yoga poses into your daily routine can counteract these effects, providing a natural boost to your energy, emotional well-being, and overall vitality.
How heart-opening yoga supports fertility
On a physiological level, heart opening shapes (gentle back bends) expand our chest, which makes it easier to take deeper and fuller breaths. This will enhance oxygen-rich blood to our muscles and cells, which is both energising and calming.
Reducing stress and balancing hormones
Modern life is full of deadlines and demands which can lead to overwhelm and put us in a state of chronic tension. Add in the pressure of trying for a baby, and anxiety reaches even dizzier heights.
Our body reacts to stress by producing more cortisol, and it does this at the expense of producing progesterone, a hormone which helps to keep us calm and regulate the menstrual cycle. This will have a negative effect on our fertility. In a report titled: The silent pandemic of stress: impact on menstrual cycle and ovulation, published in January 2025, the authors found that stress directly impacts irregular menstrual cycles and fertility issues. (1)
The good news is that heart openers energise us, but also help us to feel calmer. Deeper breaths will bring us into the parasympathetic nervous system (known as rest, digest, and nest), and this will reduce cortisol and increase our chances of conception.
The poses also invite the neck and shoulders to soften, easing tension and helping to unburden the mind and melt muscle tightness. With relaxed neck and shoulders, the neck will be more aligned with the spine, helping to free the mind and improve overall posture. For more tips, visit our article on how yoga can help release anxiety.
Boosting circulation to the reproductive system
Better posture, deeper diaphragmatic breathing, and a calm, relaxed state will all boost circulation of the blood and lymph to all organs of the body, including, of course, the reproductive system. Helping to aid the chances of conception.
In addition, gentle back bends help to lift and expand the rib cage and engage the pelvic floor, which encourages blood flow to the ovaries and uterus.
A study published in Fertility and Sterility by Chien, Li-Wei et al, found that an increased flow of blood to the reproductive system not only balances hormones but can also support ovarian function and endometrial thickness.
Uplifting mood and mindset
Heart openers invite connection to yourself, your unborn baby, and your partner, even to the world around you.
It’s a well-known saying that an open heart leads to an open mind. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is believed our heart houses our Shen (spirit). When we do gentle heart-opening movements, this can manifest love and compassion, to ourselves and others.
Sarah Manning, Thrive Journey’s yoga and Qi Gong teacher, says: “The path to parenthood can be rocky, and the heart is vulnerable to setbacks and disappointment. She adds that many of her students remark on how regular practice of poses such as Cobra (Bhjuangasana) helps them to feel more hopeful and positive about their fertility journey.”
“Over time and with repeated challenges, the heart can harden, and we can build a protective wall around it. This affects all our relationships, especially how you communicate with your own mind, body, and spirit.”
“This is particularly true after miscarriage, it takes time to overcome this and find your foundation and open up again to possibilities. Be gentle with yourself, physically open up the heart, and watch as the mind and emotions follow when they are ready.”
Sarah explains that if you believe in the spirit body, then your spirit reaches out to your potential baby’s spirit, making it welcoming and open.
A view echoed by Thrive Journey’s reproductive nurse and fertility expert, Marie Otsuka, who emphasises that fertility treatments can be overwhelming. She says, “The disappointments and uncertainties of the fertility journey are challenging for a couple. This is why they need heart-opening yoga – it helps them pause and focus on their breath, which is what they need at this challenging time.”
Discover even more benefits in our Thrive blog about heart-opening poses
Incorporating heart-opening yoga into your fertility Routine
Building a beginner-friendly sequence
Safety issues and tips: Heart openers can be challenging for anyone with lower back and/or neck and shoulder issues. Make sure you warm up before doing any of the movements and poses. If in doubt, seek advice from your General Practitioner (GP) or physiotherapist before embarking on this or any exercise regime.
Always move mindfully, carefully, and slowly. For fertility, opt for a slow-flow yoga routine or choose restful restorative or yin postures using props such as bolsters and blankets, as these will infuse a sense of calm and balance into your busy day.
After you have done a heart opener, finish with a gentle forward fold and spinal twist. See our daily mini routine below. Remember to listen to your body and go at your own pace.
Heart-opening yoga sequence: a mini routine
A heart-opening yoga routine doesn’t have to take up much time. Do a few gentle stretches when you wake, during your day, or even before you go to bed.
- Warming up: Start by sitting or standing tall, rotate your shoulders a few times, then lift your shoulders up towards your ears as you inhale and gently lower them on your exhale. Do this about 3-5 times.
- Heart opener: When your shoulders are relaxed, take an inhale as you slowly stretch your arms out to the side, in a wide T-shape, draw your fingertips back, and gently lift your gaze. You may also like to raise the arms a few centimetres and outwardly rotate the thumbs to create a deeper version of this stretch. If there is any tension in the neck and shoulders, lower the arms below shoulder height. Take about five breaths before releasing.
- Forward fold: On an exhale, wrap your arms around your body, crossing your left arm over your right, crossed at the elbows, and lower your chin towards your chest. Repeat – swapping your right arm over your left.
- Spinal twist: Finish with a gentle twist by taking your arms out wide with your fingertips touching (as if hugging a tree). On an inhale, take your left arm out to the side and behind you, following your fingertips with your gaze, so you enjoy a gentle twist. Exhale to the front and repeat to the other side. Repeat about 3-5 times.
Five heart-opening yoga poses to support fertility
This could be practiced as a 20-minute flow
- Cat-Cow Stretch – kneeling on all fours, (warms the spine and chest and nourishes the nervous system)
- Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) – lying on your belly, hands close to rib cage, gently peel up from the crown of your head, creating a gentle arc of the spine (strengthens spine and improves posture)
- Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)– push back to kneeling and place your hands at the top corners of the mat, rest your forehead lightly onto the mat (this helps to open the heart and releases tension in the thoracic (mid back).
- Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) – lie on your back with your knees bent and hip distance apart, raise your hips and squeeze your glutes. This shape opens your chest and hips, boosts blood flow to the pelvic area, and helps you relax, making it ideal for those trying to conceive.
- Reclining Butterfly (Supta Baddha Konasana) – lie down on your back with the soles of your feet together and your legs in a diamond shape, place your arms out to the side with the palms up, or rest one hand on your heart and the other on your navel. This shape encourages blood flow to the reproductive organs and is calming.
In this position, you can complete your practice with yoga nidra.
Embark on a transformative wellness journey with Thrive Journey! We offer a range of yoga nidras and guided relaxations for you to explore. Don’t forget to subscribe now to discover more fabulous wellness tips for women, or try our free beginner’s heart-opening yoga class on Thrive Journey.
Reference
- Saadedine, M., Berga, S. L., Faubion, S. S., & Shufelt, C. L. (2025). The silent pandemic of stress: impact on menstrual cycle and ovulation. Stress, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2025.2457767
- Assessment of uterine receptivity by the endometrial-subendometrial blood flow distribution pattern in women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. Chien, Li-Wei et al. Fertility and Sterility, Volume 78, Issue 2, 245 – 251 https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(02)03223-5/fulltext