Circle+Bloom

Disclaimer: This post is one long shameless plug. I am not on the payroll of Circle+Bloom, I promise, I'm just really impressed with their products and customer service so far!

I've been hearing a lot about Circle+Bloom on various blogs lately, so I decided to check it out. I'm quite glad I did. I discovered that they have two PCOS programs, on for fertility and one for general health. Since we're not yet actually TTC, I decided to order both, so I could use the general program now and start on the fertility one as soon as we decide to TTC. (They don't advertise this, but if you order more than one program at once, you get a discount. Surprise bonus! ;-) I'm holding off on the pregnancy program because they may be updating it with more tracks soon . . . )

Almost as soon as I downloaded the two programs, I noticed something odd--the tracks in the general program had the same names as the special tracks in the fertility program. When I went on-line to e-mail C+B about this, I found an e-mail from the founder, Joanne, saying that the PCOS general program really is just the five special sessions from the fertility program and offering me a refund or exchange. Wow! Talk about customer service. I was quite impressed. I took the exchange for the Energy for Empowerment program, since it's tracks sounded like they would be a very helpful addition, and address some of my other issues beyond PCOS.

Then I started listening to the programs and was even more impressed. The scripts are specific enough that it is easy to follow along, but universal enough that I can form my own mental images of whatever is being described. I was especially excited about the sleep session in the Energy program, since I tend towards sleeplessness when I'm under emotional stress. It's great. It has me fast a sleep within about 5 minutes. (The admonition at the beginning of the track to try to stay awake is quite amusing. How am I supposed to stay awake when I am lying down, in the dark, after a long day, and someone's voice is guiding me into a state of deep relaxation? I guess I'll find out what the rest of the session is like the next time I have insomnia . . . )

My current plan is to use four of the special PCOS sessions and 3 of the Energy sessions on a rotating basis, one session a day for a week, then start at the beginning again. I'm planning to listen to these session in the late afternoon, so I'll be awake enough to actually benefit from them, then use the sleep session to put myself to sleep at night. Hopefully this way I won't memorize the sessions too quickly, and also I will be able to address multiple issues on a cyclical basis. I'm going to wait on the actual cycle day sessions until we are TTC, because I don't think I could handle picturing the beginning of a pregnancy when we're not actually trying . . .

All in all, I am pleased and impressed, and even if these programs offer me nothing more than a daily opportunity to rest and tune in with my body, they will have been worth the money. If they can also minimize my anxiety and improve my chances of carrying to term, so much the better!