How can I relax during dilation?

[mmbayles91]

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[Heather34]

Hi mmbayles. Happy New Year to you. It is very common to sometimes feel tense with dilating as well as intercourse and it is something that we’ve all experienced. The key is to find ways to really allow yourself to relax. I personally have found self-hypnosis to be very, very helpful. There is also a prior thread in which I asked the gals their relaxation methods used while dilating and prior to intercourse. Some good ideas, included:

Patient 1:
“Hi Heather, we enjoy watching a nice movie at home while I dilate. Once the movie is finished, we tune up to some soothing music and move one with our plans.”

Patient 2:
“Post-procedure, I find that taking a long shower, burning some lavender scented oil (in an oil burner with a tea candle on the bottom), and watching something funny helps me to relax while dilating.”

[mmbayles91]

Thank you, I have thought about picking up a yoga DVD to do before dilation, so hopefully that will help, I will let you know.

Mychelle

[Heather34]

I think yoga is a great idea for relaxation prior to dilating and I’d love to hear how you find it. I found a great article that discusses both yoga and meditation DVDs.

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-best-gaiam-yoga-meditation-dvds-relaxation-54300.html?cat=5

Excerpts from the article include:

“A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners

Are you concerned about fitting yoga into your schedule? I was, and I found that this DVD was the ideal way to get started. It offers 2 easy 20-minute programs, one designed to wake you up and one designed to help with relaxation at the end of the day.
The “A.M.” practice is led by famed instructor Rodney Yee. It’s hard to imagine a gentler way to ease into yoga: most of the 20 minutes are spent on your back or on your stomach! It begins with a brief meditation, then moves into a series of simple stretches and poses. I find it more relaxing than energizing. If you have trouble talking yourself into anything resembling exercise, this may be the yoga practice for you.
The “P.M.” practice is led by instructor Patricia Walden, whose soft voice is for me the essence of relaxation. The “P.M.” portion is definitely beginner-friendly, but much more challenging than Yee’s practice. It begins with meditation, leads you through a flow of active yoga poses, and ends with-ah!-relaxation pose. It’s great for loosening the back, neck, and shoulder muscles that tend to tense up when you sit at a desk all day; and it also stretches the hamstrings and calf muscles. If you’re a beginner, you’ll probably feel that you’ve done a surprisingly thorough workout in a short amount of time.
I’m not a morning person; I only do yoga in the late evening, a few hours before bedtime. I alternated between the “A.M.” and “P.M.” practices and found that both helped me get ready for sleep. Two years later, I still use these practices if I want nighttime relaxation without getting too involved in challenging activity.

Stress Relief Yoga for Beginners

This is another DVD that’s great when you want a brief but truly relaxing yoga practice. Don’t be put off by the cover description, which lists the total running time as just over an hour. The actual practice is about 20 minutes long; the rest of the content includes an interview with instructor Suzanne Deason and a section on using props. A highly regarded yoga teacher, Deason confidently leads the viewer through a flow of basic poses and stretches that nearly anyone can follow. Like A.M. and P.M. Yoga, Stress Relief Yoga continues to offer relaxation benefits even after you’ve moved on from the beginner stage. This isn’t a “workout”-it’s not meant to be. As the title implies, it’s a simple means of relaxation, one you’ll reach for again and again.”

[Janet Pacik]

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[mmbayles91]

I am ordering the A.M and P.M yoga as we speak, Thank you for the tip 🙂 I will keep you updated, hoping this works!!

[mmbayles91]

Oh, and just to add to this, it was only NINE DOLLARS. Wow, what a buy!!!

[Nakitalab]

mmbayles91 I too find myself tensing up while I’m dilating. It is totally on a subconcious level as I have no problem inserting the dilators and they are comfortable but before I know it my butt is totally clenched. So I breathe, and relax. Then after awhile without me eveng being concious of it I’m back to being clenched again. I think it is like what Dr. Pacik talks about with our minds. Our minds haven’t made the same progress that our bodies have. One thing is for sure….we will have tight butts. LOL

[Heather34]

Quote:

Quote from mmbayles91 on January 5, 2013, 22:28
I am ordering the A.M and P.M yoga as we speak, Thank you for the tip 🙂 I will keep you updated, hoping this works!!

Great. Once you watch, I’d love to hear what you think of it???

[mmbayles91]

Nakitalab, wow this is totally what I do… down to the T. It is so weird that mentally I have not progressed as much physically :/

[Dr. Pacik]

More tips:
A glass of wine for evening dilation. Music that lifts your soul. Using a vibrator. Dilating in a warm bathtub. Turning off electronics.
How about the rest of the dilating divas? More thoughts?

[Nakitalab]

mmbayles91, I believe it is because we had suffered for so long with vaginismus and and for me I equated that everything/anything that gets close to me meant extreme pain. My mind seems to go into a protection mode and that is why I think I think my body starts tensing up and my butt starts to clench. I have to train my mind to not expect pain and I’m happy to report that it is getting better all the time. I don’t feel anxious, now I just need to train my body not to be. LOL I even find myself during intercourse squinting anticipating pain and oh what a blessing as there never is any!

[Diana]

Staying away from any noise (TV, hubby, boyfriend, telephone…) helped me during the dilating stage. I used to go to my bedroom, close the door and my eyes and I used to imagine that I was just laying in some peaceful place. I was doing this during the last couple of hours of my day, after having dinner and sometimes, a half glass of wine.

[mmbayles91]

I’ve been having a little bit of burning sensation, but once it goes away I still notice I clench up, and I can’t stand it, but I can’t help it neither.. just bought a vibrator, and i’m terrified that the vibration is too harsh 🙁 … Just recieved my yoga DVD in the mail, and i’ll be starting it tomorrow, so I’ll let you know if that seems to help…

[Heather34]

Hi mmbayles. I really think this clenching up feeling will go away in time. I had leg lock in the beginning and with more and more time, this decreased and decreased to the point that it now doesn’t happen. I am very excited to hear how you find this new yoga DVD. :):):)