The joy of letting go

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Sarah

For the past few years I have celebrated New Year’s Eve by deciding on a theme word or phrase for the next year. Aside from that first year of new beginnings which was more of a prayer after such a difficult 2013, I have felt God direct me to what word He has for me. 2015 was a year of gratitude—learning about a state of being rather than doing. And 2016 was a year of transformation—a word that sounded exciting until I realized how difficult the process of transformation is. So when I felt God giving me the impression that 2017 should be a year of joy I was pretty ecstatic. How can you go wrong with joy?

The definition of joy is “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires…a state of happiness.”* That sounds great, right? We could all use a little more joy in our lives. But what I’m learning is that a little more joy begins with a little less of everything else. In order to possess what you desire, you have to first let go of what you don’t desire. Continue reading →

Yoga for pelvic health retreat

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Sarah

A few months ago I had the opportunity to join a yoga for pelvic health workshop put on by Casie Danenhauer, PT, DPT and CYT, and it was amazing! Now Casie is teaming up with another pelvic floor physical therapist and yogi, Dustienne Miller, CYT, PT, MS, WCS, to put on a yoga for pelvic health retreat! I am really excited about this because I received such a benefit from the 2-hour workshop, but the value from a full weekend will be exponential.

Casie is sharing a series of interviews from women who participated in the retreat last year. One retreater, Jennie, shared this about the retreat: “It gave me time and inspiration to reflect on my inner desires and what my heart truly wanted. It also gave me the courage to overcome any fears blocking my path.” You can read more interviews on Casie’s blog and also reach out to her directly for more details through her website, CasieDPT.com.

Here are some of the important details about the retreat…

There are two retreats planned—one on each coast:

May 26-28, 2017 outside of San Luis Obispo, CA at Sagrada Wellness Center
October 27-29, 2017 outside of Boston, MA at Spirit Fire Wellness Center

Retreat costs at the Sagrada Wellness Center include all meals, full access to the yoga room, pool, jacuzzi, walking trails, and all retreat programming.

Pricing ranges $695-795, depending on your room choice

For more information on the retreat at the Spirit Fire Wellness Center you can email Casie at info@casiedpt.com or contact her through her website.

I hear that the spots are filling up fast, so definitely check this out very soon! I hope to see you there!

Do love

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Sarah

As February comes to a close, I wanted to share an amazing message of what love is from a couple who knew pain and hardship in ways most of us will never experience. Three years ago a woman named Carol shared this post about her husband in the midst of his four-year-long battle with leukemia. And while I realize pelvic pain isn’t leukemia, I think many of us who have experienced what painful sex can do to a marriage agree with her thoughts on love. You can read the full post on GodsGotThis.org, but here is an excerpt.

What is love without a little proof? What is love without inconvenience and without sacrifice? It’s hollow. It’s empty. It isn’t real. One thing is sure, we don’t need to test each other’s love. That’s a game that will backfire and destroy. Life does enough testing on its own. Medical challenges, financial struggles, circumstances and difficulties of all kinds happen. They really do happen. Sometimes it’s a slow boil over time and sometimes it comes suddenly out of the blue. Love isn’t always pretty, and it most certainly isn’t always convenient. It doesn’t always feel good, but it is always good. It always encourages and lifts up. It always makes us better people. Love can seem like an intangible, but it isn’t because love is something you do. We feel love and we say love, but it isn’t real until we do love. Continue reading →

Process of transformation

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Sarah

You may recall me sharing about my theme word for last year of transformation. Looking back at the beginning of 2016 to now, I honestly can’t say I see much evidence of change. I didn’t accomplish many of the goals I set out for and I haven’t even changed much in my habits. From an outside view my life looks pretty similar to what it did a year ago. Instead, the process of transformation has been taking place on the inside—in my thoughts and perspectives. I am starting to see things in a new light, considering new ideas, and realizing that my old ways may not be best. And isn’t that where change needs to start—in our hearts and minds? In this world of instant gratification that we live in, we forget that real change takes time.

I feel like last year served more as a preparation for what is to come. It makes me think of the story of a seed. Continue reading →

Truth about Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2016 by Sarah

Christmastime is full of a lot of happiness and good tidings, but it can also be stressful and add to the difficulties we face with pelvic pain. I think a lot of the stress is because we have distorted what Christmas is really all about. If we are honest, the underlying motivation to most of the shopping, decorating and other busyness is the opinions of others. truth about Christmas - when sex hurts there is hope We want to impress, and we certainly don’t want to disappoint. Think about it this way. If you took away all of the thoughts and opinions of others around you—friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors—how much less would you do this season? Would you put up fewer Christmas lights, spend less on gifts, or skip a few holiday parties? And would you spend more time on things that you enjoy, even if others think you are strange for enjoying them?

I recently came across a beautiful article on PropelWomen.org that struck a personal chord. It brought up a very real and personal struggle of mine, but it also brought me back to a precious truth about Christmas. A truth that gets so easily overlooked in the hustle and bustle of this season. I certainly know the Christmas story—Mary, Joseph and the baby in a manger—but I don’t often stop to consider the deeper meaning within the humble beginnings of Jesus’ life on earth. Here is an excerpt from that article:

We don’t want to be different, you and I. We work hard to hide our inadequacies, cover our disabilities, minimize our poverties. We want to display strength, beauty and talents. Not weaknesses, insufficiencies and lack. And so we hide the humble parts of ourselves and do our best to present only those things that make us proud. Continue reading →

Yoga for pelvic health

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Sarah

This month I had the opportunity to join a yoga workshop specially designed for pelvic health! The workshop was put on by Casie Danenhauer, DPT at Sarton Physical Therapy in Orange County (quick shout out to my favorite pelvic floor physical therapist, Julie Sarton!)

This yoga for pelvic health workshop was full of great information, including an overview of
basic pelvic anatomy (complete with a musculoskeletal model of the pelvic floor). And not yoga for pelvic health - when sex hurts there is hope only did we spend time in actual yoga practice, we received specific instruction on various poses that are good for pelvic health. Casie walked us through the details of how to do these poses correctly, and considering pelvic floor conditions such as hypertonic pelvic floor muscles (like me!) and hypotonic pelvic floor muscles (where the muscles are too weak). Continue reading →

Traveling with pelvic pain

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Sarah

Sitting in an airport waiting for my flight home, I got to thinking about how differently I travel these days. Traveling with pelvic pain can be difficult which leads some pelvic pain sufferers choosing not to travel at all. I am certainly more selective about my travel plans and have learned some ways to help reduce the pain that typically comes with traveling.

1. Pack the essentials

Travel light, or be prepared to ask for help. Continue reading →

When Sex Hurts There Is Hope

Sharing my journey to provide hope for others

Tag Archives: painful sex/dyspareunia