by Anastasia Strgar
I consider myself blessed that, in this day and age, I grew up with parents whose marriage is not only in tact, but on the majority of days, happy. It’s easy to give up on marriage these days because we’re surrounded by celebrities who dispose of relationships as easily as they dispose of shoes or people who have false expectations about marriage. However, I think if you look...
“Sex without foreplay is like song’s reff without intro.” — Toba Beta
I have been grappling with the statistic that the average amount of foreplay that couples engage in is between 1-4 minutes, as reported on a recent Dr. Oz segment.
I don’t doubt it because I have received my share of calls and emails from customers who have shared similar stories and then wondered why the lubricant didn’t...
by Elizabeth Spannuth
When I was going through my divorce about 6 years ago, I realized that I have had a guilt complex for a good portion of my life. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s always been there. I have felt guilty for saying no, guilty for saying yes and guilty for saying maybe. I don’t know why it took me so long to recognize it, but once I did I saw how it had influenced so many...
I believe in passionate marriages, even as more and more books come out in support of the idea that monogamy is nothing but a political structure; I beg to differ. Done right, making love to the same person for decades can be an exploration of depth and surprise that is literally mind blowing. I know this is not the norm in our culture but I also feel it is important to bear witness to the wonder...
“The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
The majority of relationships fail from our collective inability to make peace with each other. We watch our long-term investments of loving connection wither on the vine rather than take the courageous steps of seeking reconciliation. We are confounded by our egos into believing...
All couples deal with the painful process of initiation and mismatched desire in the course of their relationship. Listen as Dr. David Schnarch, author of Intimacy and Desire: Awaken the Passion in Your Relationship and The Passionate Marriage offers time tested wisdom to make your relationship the people growing mechanism that it is. Through insightful case studies and helpful exercises, Dr....
When I was in college and low on cash, a friend suggested that I look into being a phone sex operator to make extra money. At first I nervously laughed at the idea. Phone sex with strangers seemed outside of my comfort zone.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be….To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.” -Lao Tzu
There might not be another word in the English language that evokes as much opening, tenderness and possibility as release. On an emotional level, the ability to let go is the essence of what real intimacy is made from. Our human longing to hold onto those we love must mature if it is...
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is beyond the winning.” -Lao Tzu
I am committed to leaning into the art of receiving. It is new territory for me and ironically one of the things that seems to come most clear from this early stage of practice is how essential it is to let go. It is not by holding onto anything that...
“Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.” ~Kak Sri
I grew up in a broken family long before divorce was socially acceptable. I spent most of my early adult life trying to replace my missing family connections with friendships that would fill up the empty spaces left by the void of family. One of the aspects of family that I missed most as I grew up was how a family...
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” ~Mohandas K. Gandhi
“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time….” James Taylor’s voice crooned in my head. This is a chorus that I am thankful to hear over and over again. In fact the older I get, the more that this simple truth has meaning. There really is no where that we are getting to and no arriving at a destination that defines us....
by Elizabeth Spannuth
I have a friend that is going through a divorce and it is increasingly hard to watch. As per the usual cliché with this life altering event, love has turned to hate and things have degraded to the point that one side won’t even speak to the other. Fear of change, years of bottled resentment, and feelings of betrayal helped things to get to this point. Those are strong...
