Tag: infertility marriage

Heart Chakra Meditation for Deeper Connection

A gentle heart-centered meditation to practice with your partner to connect more deeply with one another

Happy delighted couple enjoying being together

Sit down comfortably with a cushion on the floor or a bed with your partner. Facing one another, look into each other’s eyes. Hold hands or let your palms touch. Take a few deep breathes in and out, relaxing into one another’s presence. Breathe into your heart space, connecting with the vibration of love.

Visualise loving energy pouring out from your heart and flowing into your partner’s as you keep breathing, in and out. Think of the ways in which you like to express your love for them, how happy this makes them feel and continue to send them loving energy for a few moments.

Now shift your attention to receiving the out pour of love from your partner’s heart space. Allow yourself to receive. Think of your favourite romantic memory or something that they did to make you feel loved and appreciated. Then set the intention to remain open to receiving, as well as receiving more of the same as you journey together.

 

Three Soulful Ways to Nurture Your Relationship While TTC

Do you ever crave groundings moment to just pause, to start over and to breathe fresh energy into your life and into your relationship with your spouse?

The various levels of stress and emotional turmoil that come with trying to conceive are likely to put strain on your relationship at one point or another. At such times, nurturing your connection could be the furthest thing from your mind, especially when feel that you’re doing your best to hold yourself together with not much energy to offer anyone else. However, it’s important to find a middle ground. Difficult though it may be to establish a healthy balance, I’ve learnt that it’s necessary to work at creating a supportive environment in which your love and marriage can continue to thrive despite the testing travails that you may be living through together. Keeping the doors to connection and communication open is vital part of that.

Couple relaxing with glass of warm wine on winter evening

What I’ve come to understand through my own journey is that both the state of my wellbeing and the stability of my marriage form the foundation of the family that my husband and I are trying to create. I constantly ask myself – What kind of foundation do I want my future babies to have? What kind of relationship model with we provide for our children? What steps do we both need to take in order to cultivate that? Approaching this sort of inquiry together allows you to understand how to keep cultivating a sense of wholeness and balance both within yourself and within your relationship as a couple.

Creating opportunities to reconnect with your partner and nurture your bond with one another is different for everyone. What does it look like for you? Simple ways to have care-free fun together, quiet moments for a gentle heart-to-heart, romantic dates or outings that you can both enjoy, a weekend trip to somewhere relaxing so that you and your partner can refuel your souls. Perhaps it’s an opportunity to be spontaneous, and remind yourselves what it’s like to let your hair down a little. It needn’t be a matter of grand gestures, and intimacy doesn’t always have to be sexual, it can be gentle, soulful and sensual. So, do whatever feels simple, authentic and meaningful for you. Whatever makes you both feel cared for, heard and supported. Investigate what reignites passion and will allow you to keep strengthening you bond.

The following are three ideas you can draw inspiration from:

Candlelight Breakfasts: Candlelight breakfasts are a beautiful morning ritual that brings a touch of romance to the ordinary and offers you the opportunity to be present, connect, communicate and nurture your relationship.

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The idea is to light candles at your little dining table and sit down to breakfast together for a slow and soulful start to your day. Set your intentions for the day or the week. Discuss what you’re grateful for, as well as your core desires, goals and visions. And then ask one another – How can I support you? Express how you are feeling, what you need to feel more supported and listen to what kind of support your partner needs from you.

This simple morning ritual can become a foundation that fosters togetherness so that you move through the rest of the day feeling more connected to one another and grounded in love.

Bedtime Poetry Sessions: Get a collection of love poetry. Choose one or two evenings that work best for you. When you go to bed on those nights, take turns to each read one of your favourite love poems to one another.

bedroom with bed and christmas garland at home

Share what you love about the poem. Discuss the themes, the lines that move you and emotions their words stir in you. Explore new poems together each week and remember to keep it light and love-filled. Not everyone is able to express what they feel, so poetry is a great way to share the things that you may be unable to say.

If poetry is not your thing, then substitute it with beautiful love songs that will help you connect deeper with one another. 

Sensual Massage: Massage can be a soothing and pleasurable sensual experience. It’s a great way to encourage intimacy. Set aside some quiet time to be together. Play gentle music. Light some candles. If you have an aromatherapy diffuser or oil burner, then scents like ylang ylang and rose are said to be aphrodisiac aromas that stimulate a seductive air. Have some warming sensual oils on hand, get comfortable and then take turns giving and receiving massages to one another. Take deep breaths, release your tension, enjoy the sensual touch and the chance to nurture a physical connection with your partner.

Therapist pouring massage oil at spa

Candlelight Breakfasts: A Morning Ritual to Nurture Your Relationship

W A X I N G   M O O N

Water your heart’s seeds with hope.

Nurture what you love.

How else will the important things flourish?

 

Morning rituals are so sacred. They set the tone for the rest of the day, which is exactly why I cherish our candlelight breakfasts.

Each morning, we light candles at our little dining table and sit down to breakfast together, a touch of romance to something ordinary. The thing I hold dearest in my heart is that this simple morning ritual has become a foundation that fosters togetherness so that we move through the rest of the day feeling more connected to one another and grounded in love.

Dealing with fertility issues and overcoming the devastation of miscarriages aren’t the easiest experiences to get to grips with. It comes with a lot of stress and emotional turmoil that can put strain on your marriage. So, in the face of our reality, my husband and I have had to consciously explore pathways for connection and look at how to create a supportive environment in which our love and marriage can continue to thrive despite challenges. Our candlelight breakfast is just one of the things we’ve incorporated into our daily lives to serve those intentions. It’s created the space for us to slow down and check in with one another before the day’s demands take hold.

As part of our morning ritual – between the usual fruit, smoothies, oats, muesli and tea – we do a gratitude practice together, counting our blessings and sharing what we are grateful for. We set our intentions for the week/the day, discussing our core desires, goals and visions. Something I consider very significant is that we make a point of asking the question – How can I support you? We didn’t always know how to ask for support or express our needs, especially in the early days. Learning to do so has taught us to take better care of ourselves and of each other. Keeping the lines of communication open is key in any relationship and knowing how to support each other (whether soothing one another’s pain, sharing chores, offering inspiration or celebrating joys and successes) helps to cement your bond.

This morning ritual offers us the opportunity to be present, connect, communicate and nurture our relationship. It’s been a daily practise for 7 months now, one that I still look forward to every day. I take comfort seeing my husband leave for work in a happy and grounded space and in knowing that I feel that way too. The dynamics of our lives will change when we eventually do have our babies. We won’t always have the same calmness, or the luxury of time. But when that changes, I have no doubt that we will continue to foster new pathways for connection and find our way back to one another.

I recognise that there are no perfect lives. No perfect relationships or marriages. But there are happy ones. Challenges always arise. It’s a natural part of life. The real test, however, is in how we choose to navigate our way through them. And the effect of those choices determines whether two people walk the path together in a healthy and supportive relationship or not. I’m so grateful that my partner in crime is a gentle, wise, loving and understanding soul who has made even the toughest paths so easy to walk together.

Do you feel supported? How to you nurture your relationship?