In my own understanding and interpretation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I’ve come to view the womb as the cauldron of the earth. Just like in gardening, the soil or substrate needs to be warm enough in order for a seed to sprout (ever heard of seedling heat mats?). Similarly, it is important to keep the womb warm so that the fertilized egg may implant. This analogy isn’t something I intuitively knew, but only figured out after sessions with my TCM practitioner and reading books on the topic. And it makes a lot of sense.
When I experience bleeding, one of the main sensations is a cold that I feel very deep in the womb. To find relief from the discomfort, I like to rub my hands on my belly or hug something very warm like a heated bean bag. This taps into the concept of yin and yang. We can think of this cold in the womb as a lack of heat (yin) and rubbing or warming the area brings back vitality and energy (yang). Another piece of information I eventually discovered is this idea that blood is ‘warming,’ that is, it brings energy to where it circulates and nourishes it with Qi. When we’re bleeding, the energy, and therefore the warmth, is leaving the womb, which is why it feels cold.
I also have a cold-body constitution in general, which I’ve come to understand as poor blood circulation (I’m still trying to figure out my imbalances). I often feel cold in my extremities, I take longer to digest food (especially cold food, meaning either food at cold temperature like salads, or cold-inducing foods like seafood or bean sprouts), I don’t fall asleep easily and tend to have dark circles under my eyes, and I especially dislike windy days. And eating ice cream, in particular during the Luteal phase, would be the death of me at my next cycle. (If you have looked into IVF, you may have heard that ice cream is to be avoided at certain key moments.)
All that to say, I’ve recently implemented in my (almost) daily routine a practice of sun charging, which I now find so comforting that I wonder why I never thought of doing this a million years ago. The original inspiration comes from a Taoist practice that I read in the book Fertility Wisdom by Angela C. Wu (highly recommend), but I’ve made it my own by combining it with restorative yoga.
To do this, you will need to locate in your home an area where the sun enters directly through the window and hits the floor, meaning a South or West facing window. This can be tricky if you live in an apartment and your only window is North facing (speaking from past experience here) or if it’s that time of the year of grey-rainy-snowy days. If that is your situation, I offer the alternative of using an electric heating pad.
I prefer to be fully clothed and even wear socks (think of it as a restorative yoga class). You will need to set up a mat or blanket on the floor and be able to position yourself in savasana in such a way that you can expose your belly and back to the sun. It’s important to put on a timer, as you don’t necessarily want to nap here for two hours. This is meant to be a quick, re-energising practice.
Important note: only warm up the belly before ovulation to avoid increasing the temperature of the uterus during implantation. After ovulation, you can focus on warming the upper back & shoulders, or the feet.
Sun charging: Prepare your nest by unrolling a yoga mat and spreading a blanket over it. Lie down in savasana, exposing your womb area to the Sun. Keep your face in the shade and rest your head on a pillow if you wish. Take a few deep breaths as you allow the earth to hold you while you bathe in the warming rays. You can stay here for up to 10 minutes. Then carefully turn around and lie on your belly, resting your head on your arms, exposing your back to the Sun. Feel yourself reinvigorated as the Sun lends you his strength and vitality. Remain in this position for up to 10 minutes. If lying down is not an option, you can also take a seat in a chair or on the floor and let your back bask in the sunlight. Charging with a heating pad: Spread a blanket over your mat and lay the heating pad on top, making sure to follow safety precautions as per the manufacturer's instructions. Come into savasana with your back on the heating pad, allowing its warmth to radiate from underneath. See the Sun warming you in your mind's eye. You may take a few cleansing breaths, or simply allow your breath to go where it needs to go. Relax and remain here for about 8 minutes. Then, come into a prone position in order to warm the womb. Once again, allow the body to fully relax and enjoy this warmth for 8 minutes or so. As you end your practice, remember to turn off the heating pad and let it cool down before putting it away.
If you do not have a heating pad, you can experiment with a heated bean bag. Otherwise, as in more traditional restorative yoga, you can play with props to support your savasana, though I personally prefer to keep it sweet and simple. I also like to come back to the same area in my home everyday, even when I’m using a heating pad. It becomes a sacred container, charged with solar energy and my own. It makes me feel safe.