Chronic pain comes in many forms varying from osteoarthritis or autoimmune arthritis to fibromyalgia, or pain coming from issues with ones spine which can also be of different sources. Disc problems, spinal stenosis, malpositioned vertebrae, excessive curvatures of the spine, compressed nerves and so many more issues the list is too long to print but you get the point. Chronic pain comes in many many forms. The interesting thing about chronic pain is that the longer it is present, the better your brain becomes at reading those pain signals. You would think that perhaps, the longer you have a condition that you would get almost immune or numb to it but the opposite is actually the case, thereby further exacerbating the pain and suffering. It's almost as if your brain says, "oh yeah, I've done this before. Now I'm going to do it BIGGER & BETTER than before." The pain signals become exaggerated and over-read. This is not to say that the pain is not real. Not at all. It's simply a hyper- reactivity to what is happening in your body. So how can yoga therapy practices help? By retraining your brain using MINDFULNESS. In a nutshell, mindfulness is about being present. Present in a single moment. Present in your body or your breath or your mind. Non-judgementally. Often times when one suffers from a chronic painful condition, it can be very easy to become attached or focused on the pain and therefore identify with it. Almost becoming the pain itself. Through mindfulness techniques in meditation and yoga poses, yoga therapy can teach someone how to see their pain objectively and move past it. How NOT to identify with it and most importantly, to realize that they are more than just their condition. Just as we can teach ourselves to ride a bike, learn a foreign language, or to knit, we can also teach our brains a new way to process and perceive information. Our minds are the most powerful tool we have against dis-eases of the physical body and our mental body (depression, anxiety, addictive patterns of behavior). It takes practice and patience and CONSISTENCY. If you suffer from chronic pain and you're truly tired of the existence you've created for yourself and your body...... commit yourself to better living through yoga therapy. Yes, I said you've created your existence. Your pain or your diagnosis is a fact. It is an issue, but it does not have to be your existence. I do not profess to be able to cure anything except your attachment to your pain. Maybe you will be able to decrease or get off some meds. maybe not but if you feel better about each day, see your condition from a different perspective and are able to love yourself again, isn't that something? If you are willing to do some work, you can be living a happier, more positive life sooner than you think. Your mind (and body) are too powerful to waste. Look for a yoga therapist near you or contact me through the website!
Namaste.
