I am honored to dedicate my first Yin Travelers' Community blog to my dear friend Dianne. Throughout the years, I have witnessed her admirable courage facing chronic illness and debilitating pain without ever giving up. She is a lesson in true surrender, not to the illness, but to the gift of each moment. She used her illness to be an advocate and a true example in mindfulness, as she holds each moment in gratitude. She is also a shining example of the healing effects of yoga. You will be inspired as she shares the Secrets of Celia with you. Please share this blog with anyone who might be having the same symptoms.

Hello, my name is Dianne. I would like to share with you my journey with chronic illness.
For two years, I struggled with relentless and debilitating pain in my pelvic floor. I would later be told that the pain I was experiencing was equivalent to stage four bladder cancer.

Prior to diagnosis I would battle with the pain of this unknown condition. Doctors would freely hand out pain medication; that was all they could do.  The pain had no mercy. I became a prisoner in my own body and in my home. I began to isolate myself away from family and friends. I had to give up my cherished yoga practice.

Finally, after seeing countless doctors who could not diagnose my condition, I ended up at Eastern Virginia Medical School and discovered my condition had a name: Pelvic Floor Syndrome aggravated by Interstitial Cystitis. Pelvic Floor Syndrome is a disease experienced by many but unknown to most.

The Syndrome is a condition where the pelvic floor muscles tighten and spasm. Other organs are involved. It is a condition that affects one's relationships with friends, family and one's spouse. I felt great shame because intimacy with my husband suffered and waned. 90% of couples affected by PFS end up divorced and the suicide rate among sufferers is 50%. Addiction to opioids is another casualty of this chronic illness.

I had practiced yoga for many years before the pain made it impossible for me to continue. Encouragement from my doctor and husband to return to my practice led me back to my yoga mat. I thought I could start again with a gentle class. Unfortunately, the pain was still relentless. I was ready to give up yoga again when I ran into my teacher and friend Christine. I explained to her about my persistent pelvic pain and how yoga was not helping as much as I was hoping. She told me that she had started a new class called Yin Yoga and that she thought this was just what I needed. Yin Yoga consists of deep long-held stretches that open the hips, relax the pelvic floor muscles and get into the fascia. What did I have to lose? I was about to stop yoga completely because it didn't seem to help, I might as well try this Yin Yoga.

I showed up that Friday afternoon for Christine's Yin class. I have to admit I was skeptical at the onset of the practice. But as we slowly came into the long held poses, I could feel the spasms releasing. When we finally laid in relaxation, Christine came to me and recommended the butterfly pose to increase the benefits of the hip openers. I felt strangely relaxed and, amazingly pain free.  I didn't remember that last time I had felt free of pain. At the end of class, I approached Christine and told her that I felt as if my pelvis and hips were on a cloud.

This is when I knew I had found my way into healing: I had to take this Yin practice from class to my daily routine. Yin Yoga has now become my daily ritual. I can't live without it. I wondered why my doctors hadn't told me about it. I realized that the physicians just don't know so I had to tell them. I also had to educate my community of pelvic floor sufferers and my physicians on the incredible benefits of Yin Yoga. It became my mission to encourage my doctors to verbally recommend Yin Yoga. I became very active on social media in support groups for women like me and recommended Yin Yoga to them. They had no idea that this free, non chemical remedy existed.

There is hope. I have my personal Yin Yoga practice every morning and every time I flare up, but it's still important to take a class in order to reap the benefits of the energy of my classmates. I slowly weaned myself from the medication under my doctor's guidance. Most importantly, I realized I couldn't change my condition but I could change the way I handled it so I embraced it and made it my own friend of sorts. Her name is Celia.

You will find more info and support groups at www.ic-network.com and www.ichelp.org