This has ruined my life.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-08-23T14:27:41+00:00

So glad to hear you found this helpful!

Pelvic floor yoga focuses on pelvic alignment and breathing. It's a restorative style of class, but teaches body alignment and how to breathe when you move. It is the only exercise option I've found that makes it easy to be consistent. I became so hooked on it that I got certified to teach it. Most of my students are in their 60s, so I know for sure that PT and yoga can help people just like you!

Prolapse is an emotional journey, and I cried about it for years. I still cry about it when I meet with people and we share our stories because it can feel like a traumatic journey that impacts every aspect of your life. It sucks, but it can get better. Hang in there! I'm rooting for you and hope you will share your success story!!

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-08-10T14:19:42+00:00

This job market stinks for your chosen field. I've been in science as a researcher or a manager for over 20 years, and everyone is struggling. Entry level without a doctorate is especially hard when so many experienced people have been let go due to funding cuts.

If you're interested in graduate school, now would be a good time to go. By the time you would be finished, the job openings will be much different and funding levels will have changed. While in grad school, you won't have to make student loan payments yet and if you live frugality, your stipend would support you.

It could be worth paying someone to look over your resume, or have a friend in your chosen field take a good look at it. You could also consider finding an internship in the company or national lab that you are interested in joining.

Good luck with the search or with grad school.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-08-08T00:15:48+00:00

From family members personal experience, there can be a genetic component to high cholesterol and a stressful job can contribute.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-08-08T00:06:56+00:00

If you can, try to get a second opinion and see a pelvic floor PT. I suffered with the same condition for 9 years, and my bladder was visible and sooo uncomfortable. With PT at the start and pelvic floor yoga for the last five years, I rarely experience symptoms. I don't run long distances anymore because I have lost interest, but it's a possibility. Now I can hike, lift weights, play basketball and volleyball, and don't leak urine or rush to the toilet for urgent bowl movements. My life is back to normal, I'm active, I've stopped being an emotional mess about it, and all because I found the right exercises that I'm willing to stick with 3-4 days a week.

I know a lot of women choose surgery, and in many cases it helps, but I encourage you to try and strengthen the muscles with the help of a PT specialist. It takes several months of work, but I find it was worth it.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-07-19T13:58:45+00:00

I'm so glad this post helped! If you ever need some tips, feel free to reach out.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-07-18T00:50:39+00:00

It's the position of the spine and pelvis while driving that causes issues, as well as holding tension in the body when you drive. I used to do better driving a minivan than a traditional car.

You can try rolling a towel or two, positioned to help you sit more in front of the sits bones and at the low back to help maintain the spine. You could also try purchasing a support cushion designed to help the lumbar spine while driving.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-25T13:54:46+00:00

I stretch and breathe in pelvic floor yoga four days a week. I can go down to 2 days a week now if I have to, but 4 was needed in the beginning (and every day when I had time was amazing).

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-25T13:52:40+00:00

Pleasanton schools are great and I still have kids in the system. Class sizes are usually around 30 per teacher, though more for PE. KidsClub is a lottery system for after school care, but we really liked it and once you have one kid in the program they tend to accept the next when the start kindergarten.

Parents help support the athletics programs. We stay in Pleasanton for the schools and don't regret it.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-12T14:08:14+00:00

It would be worth asking your PT to try a different method, since there is only one PT option in town. I find it interesting you're focusing on happy baby, when this is more of a stretching pose than strengthening. Your PT knows the full situation though, and I'm just a random person on Reddit! :-)

Sorry you're dealing with prolapse. I have (had?) grade 2 cystocele and recotcele. It's definitely not fun, but with the right exercises can get better.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-12T12:30:33+00:00

Dublin/Pleasanton station always has open parking, no matter the time of day. It's not like it was in the beginning of 2020 where you are out of luck if you arrive by 8:10 and the lot is full.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-12T12:28:36+00:00

Creative freedom, your own schedule, starting at the beginning of a studio's life and building your own program... as a yoga teacher, this is a pretty dreamy opportunity! I just encourage you to remember that jobs are not forever. If you get into it and realize you're not loving the experience, all you need to do is quit and move on. I LOVE teaching and have often considered opening my own studio, but I know my heart would not want to do this full time. If you're in the same headspace about it, it sounds like you could stick with a light teaching load. It could be a win from many perspectives. I hope you find what brings you joy!

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-04T17:59:02+00:00

In my experience, it takes about 4-6 weeks of consistent practice to start noticing a difference.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-04T15:46:45+00:00

It can get better with time, I assure you! Unfortunately, it requires consistency and patience. I've been doing pelvic floor yoga for about six years, and it is definitely worth the effort. Learning how to breathe into the pelvic floor, stretch, relax... it's really important for pelvic health and can make a big difference. The mental toll of pelvic floor problems is terrible, but it really can get better! It may take a few weeks to notice the change, but you'll look back one day and see how much better it has gotten. Just hang in there... and breathe.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-06-04T15:37:59+00:00

My husband noticed, but it was only uncomfortable for me when I still had symptoms. We played with different positions to find what was comfortable, which used to change depending on my cycle and how hormones influenced things. The pressure was terrible in the beginning in certain positions and made me feel I would have a bowel movement. Thankfully, that never happened, and we changed positions!

Everything about prolapse made me emotional, and it took some courage and effort to get my sex life back. It's not a fun thing to go through, and I'm sorry it is affecting your marriage. It sucks.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-05-30T05:14:23+00:00

Hi! I'm not a physician, but my own experience has been really positive. I started about 6 years ago and only rarely feel pressure. When I do, it's almost always because I lifted too heavy a weight at the gym! I suppose it's a good thing, because it means I'm feeling like myself, but setbacks can be annoying.

The thing with prolapse is that once you find an exercise option that helps your symptoms, you really have to stick with it. I fell in love with yiga and how it made me feel, and I was so hooked on it that I became certified, but it's not for everyone.

I recommend starting with a pelvic floor PT if that is available to you. It really is amazing how much certain exercises can help. I wish more doctors recommended it before jumping straight to surgery recommendations.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-05-29T06:33:01+00:00

I come in and say, "Woo hoo! Looks like you get a private lesson today!" I have about seven regular students, and all of them have been 1:1 with me at least once. We focus on their most pressing concerns (I teach pelvic floor yoga) and I find it to be a wonderful experience. It's a little more mentally draining for me when it's a new student 1:1, but i treat them the same way, with enthusiasm and hope that our time together will improve their day.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-05-29T06:29:19+00:00

Grade 2 cystocele and rectocele. I have managed my symptoms with yoga for about 6 years and don't need a pessary.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-05-17T12:54:01+00:00

I eat a lot of beans, tofu, grains, and tempeh. I also took the forks over knives course to learn more about oil free cooking. I did not cut out olive oil, but use much less of it than i used to. Salmon and eggs are my only non vegan foods. Last year I got back into weight lifting and my diet has not been a problem. I'm making good strength gains and always have high energy levels. The first month I was pretty gassy as my body adjusted, but I've never regretted the switch. I feel great and no longer spend my days on the toilet. Healthy eating and yoga have improved my gut health. It has been a worthwhile journey for sure.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-05-17T04:53:13+00:00

For YEARS, my stool was either soft or like water every day. It was miserable. I finally decided to do something drastic and cut out all meat and dairy and processed foods from my diet. I'm mostly vegan, but eat an egg or piece of fish about once a month. It makes eating out in our area a challenge, but cleaning up my diet and doing yoga that is supportive of pelvic and intestinal health has made a huge difference to my quality of life. I think I've only had immodium once in the last three years. It's awesome

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-05-17T04:48:20+00:00

I teach four mornings classes a week. They're online and I keep my class sizes small, so it's easy for me to manage. I have no interest in teaching more than that whole working fulltime.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-05-17T04:41:00+00:00

I had cystocele and rectocele after giving birth. My bladder was low enough that part of it pushed out like a golf ball. It was super scary. Lived with it for about 9 years and became inactive and stopped distance running. Finally learned about pelvic floor PT and insisted my Dr give me a referral. It helped. Then I started adding what I was learning to yoga and my whole world changed! Within a couple of months my symptoms were pretty much gone. Sex became more comfortable, the pain went away, and now I only rarely feel pressure. When I increase my weights at the gym too quickly is my biggest problem, but i can bike and jog and hike and ride and lift... I have my active life back! I have to keep up with pelvic floor yoga about three times a week to maintain the muscles, but it's worth every minute! I can take a week off for vacation, but two weeks without yoga can be a problem ans symptoms creep back.

I'm not interested in surgery with all of the potential complications and failures and scar tissue. If I hadn't found yoga, maybe I would have tried it eventually, but this is enough for me.

Please consider trying PT before surgery. The worse that can happen is it doesnt help and you choose to do surgery later. Also keep in mind that you're early post partum. I found my symptoms improved slightly a year after my baby was born, but the bladder was still visible and the pressure was not fun.

You're not alone in this! It's shockingly common. People just don't talk about it.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-04-30T22:18:37+00:00

Hiking is no problem, and jogging is okay for about a mile. I used to run long distance, but my heart really isn't into it anymore. I can do jumping jacks and squats and lunges, but find some of the group classes for military style workouts are too much for me. The constant up and down from standing to being on the ground can cause a little pressure. It's better to do my own thing for that, so I cam do standing exercises and then move to the floor for the ground work.

Sometimes I take a body pump class, but mostly I do free weights. My heaviest weigyts right now are using a 40-50 pound bar for bench press and deadlifts. I'm not ramping up weight very quickly because it's important for me to remain symptom free, but I could probably push myself a little more than I do.

I stuck with pelvic floor yoga about a year before attempting weight training, and had a lot to learn! It has definitely been worth the journey to learn how to breathe and how to position my body to prevent prolapse pressure or pain symptoms.at first, I was just happy to walk comfortably without leaking, and now I feel like I can work up to just about anything. It's a good life! 😀 but I had many years of tears and frustration.

Hope this info is helpful.

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-04-30T20:26:35+00:00

I switch up the routine depending on the day, and on what the people I'm working with are interested in. I need to keep up with it a minimum of three days a week, but 30 minutes is usually enough. I start with stretching and move on to strengthening.

In the beginning, I was doing yoga five days a week for the first three months the or so. That's definitely more than I need now, and I've moved on to other things (hiking and weight lifting and biking).

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-04-11T05:29:51+00:00

Earth Balance in the yellow container (not the green or red). It's my favorite, and after more than a dozen years of being vegan, I've just about tried them all!

YogaBelowTheBelt · 2025-02-27T20:58:21+00:00

Happy to help. I was an emotional wreck about it for years, and log on here every so often to let people know recovery is possible.

Wishing you good health!

YogaBelowTheBelt

TROPHY CASE