Trying to Conceive

Hello, and welcome to this course on trying to conceive. My name is Eve and I'm a meditation and mindfulness teacher here at Headspace. And I'm also on my own journey trying to conceive. Now, there are many paths to conception. You might be doing this with your partner. You might have discovered that you need some assistance or you may have decided to do this journey on your own with a donor or even with a gestational surrogate. Wherever you are on your journey, my intention with this course is to provide a space in which the mind and body can feel calm, connected and at ease so that your journey to conception and to having a baby is as supportive and nourishing as possible. Deciding to have a baby can be very exciting but also daunting and a little bit scary. There are a lot of unknowns and a lot of things outside our control. Trying to get pregnant and to have a baby can be really hard for some folks. It can feel like your body is not doing what it should or what we expect of it, and it can be easy to blame oneself if it doesn't happen as fast as it might with others. So whilst this course is focused on trying to conceive it's not intended to treat any fertility issues, nor will I be providing any medical advice. So please do continue to see and speak with your doctor and other healthcare professionals. I'm going to speak about some of my own experiences and struggles in trying to conceive and I'll share insights and stories from many folks that I've spoken with. When it comes to conception there are many shared experiences, but at the same time everyone's situation will be unique to them. And something that I've learned on my own journey is that I'm not alone in experiencing some bumps in the road. It's actually quite common. And in researching this topic and leaning on some of my own experiences, three core themes arose repeatedly. So over the next 10 sessions we are going to explore managing stress, both internal and external stresses, dealing with disappointment and feeling let down, and cultivating compassion for ourselves and the people who are sharing and supporting the journey with us. We'll explore a series of meditation techniques that are focused on calming the mind and body, cultivating patience and acceptance, and visualizing and manifesting love and kindness for you and your body. Whether you are at the beginning of your journey or you've been trying for quite some time, my hope is that you will find this course supportive as you navigate the path to conception. For today we're going to focus on some practical tips to help make sure you get the most out of this course, including setting an intention. This can really be your reason for doing this for making the time for yourself and the journey you are on...