sarah: everything is connected
The more we understand about our health and how everything’s connected, the more we’re able to be in tune in with our intimate self. your lust and desires are connected to so many other things than being in the mood.
That’s why we love getting into the deep regarding everything wellness and we absolutely loved this conversation with Sarah Hanline who is a a registered Chinese Medicine practitioner & Acupuncturist from New Zealand. We learned so much from this conversation and it triggered so many reflections on how we treat and understand our body. We won’t reveal too much but we do want to encourage you to follow Sarah’s Instagram Sana Wellness right here. Now, onto the chat…
Hello Sarah, could you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
I am a 30 year old woman from New Zealand, a registered Chinese Medicine practitioner & Acupuncturist, a 70’s lover, an empath & a feminist.
How do you define wellness?
Wellness is unique to each individual, for me it means being aware, being present and feeling balanced. It’s recognising when you need rest & when your body needs movement. When you need love, when you need to be alone & actioning it. Enforcing a healthy balance that suits ME—which changes as I change.
Do you think there’s a link between intimacy and wellness?
Yes! In such various ways too. I think it affects the quality of intimacy—are you in the present moment, or are you spaced out because you don’t feel like you? If your wellness is not balanced your intention behind intimacy can be for the wrong reasons, or you may not truly want to be intimate at all. I feel it reflects the intimate relationship you have with yourself, which projects onto others.
Your interest is in womxn’s health. What are the biggest challenges you are seeing within this field and how can we overcome them?
Heavy question! Firstly, I find there is a huge disconnect with ourselves; people will be experiencing health issues for years without realising it and we’ve sort of become numb to our own pain and discomfort. Through acupuncture, my biggest thrill is when I see a patient become aware of changes in their body & how it relates to their mood or their environment, allowing them to avoid triggers in future.
The biggest issue I see is the amount of patients being misdiagnosed. Often leading to a prescription of pain killers or anti-depressants, which only suppresses the problem or makes it worse. I feel it also creates a sense of self-doubt about your health, when you know your body better than anyone!
Which brings me to education. Many womxn don’t know what a healthy menstrual cycle looks like. Growing up in New Zealand, womxn’s health was very basic & old fashioned within education, as I imagine it is for many countries. The education system needs to be modernised, include multiple health modules from different cultures and provide young adults with the information they need to build a solid foundation to understand their bodies and mind. I’d hope with improving our education around sexual health, people would be able to seek the right care that suits them. They would then face less dismissal, shame and confusion around their own health and well being.
How do you see anxiety and stress manifest itself in people’s lives and how do these challenges impact our desires?
Physically, digestion switches off, inflammation pops up and a multitude of illnesses occur, creating a constant cycle. Mentally, the inability to express ourselves genuinely. Anxiety creates self doubt, insecurities, fear, it manipulates us to think negatively and withholds us from genuine connection. Stress scatters our energy, people become less focussed on the now, and their thoughts become clouded.
If you’re not feeling yourself, or you are not focussed on the now, how can you truly give into desires?
You’ve tapped into the incredible power of the female cycle before. How do you think the female cycle impacts how we feel sexually?
I guess I could say the quality and direction of energy is shifting through each phase of the cycle, but depending on the individual this varies greatly. Generally, when the yang energy is at its highest is often when one may feel more frisky, dominant & sexy. This falls around the ovulation phase. During the Luteal phase (endometrial lining is building up, right before bleeding) your energy needs to move freely to be able to move the blood smoothly. Now for some that have stagnated energy, emotions become heightened and the most commonly seen is frustration and irritation. Energetically speaking, orgasm is a great way to move that blocked energy, however we don’t often feel sexually aroused when we are irritable!
What are the topics you are most interested in at the moment within womxn health?
I would say menstrual health is always top of my interest. I want womxn to enjoy their menstruation & be able to use it as a tool to how their body is functioning. Conditions like Endometriosis are becoming increasingly common, acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is incredible at reducing those symptoms without a bag full of medication.
I am also very passionate about pregnancy care and support. There are so many complications that are often just put up with during pregnancy that acupuncture has incredible results with; back pain, nausea, breech, low energy levels, sleep, anxiety and stress—also ripening the cervix reducing labour time and promoting an efficient delivery. I mean, how incredible is that?
What are your three best tips for how we can care for our bodies and mind?
1. Be kinder to yourself. You’re aiming for balance not perfection. 2. Try to be mindful of when and how your body & mind function best. Forget about following someones ‘diet’ or routine, your body is unique to you-find your own. 3. Get acupuncture!
Thank you Sarah all your incredible knowledge. We learned so much from this chat.
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