"As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you, no matter how ill or how despairing you may be feeling in a given moment. But if you hope to mobilize your inner capacities for growth and for healing and to take charge in your life on a new level, a certain kind of effort and energy on your part will be required." I see many clients in pain, wondering how things got so bad and feeling regret for what they had "done to their bodies." Life creates suffering in the body. If you are living in a body, you are suffering. Some people who have enjoyed life by being very active are now suffering. Others who have taken full-time office jobs also are suffering. There is no way around it. Don't fight the feeling of suffering, it only makes things worse. Accept it and if you dare, embrace it. Try to forgive yourself. It will help in the process of moving towards healing.
The key is to listen to what your body is telling you. Listen to its messages. I used to see my master bodywork teacher for sessions. Without solicitation he would say "You should quit your job. They don't care about you." He was right and I knew it. He also said "Keep riding your bike, it's keeping you healthy." But it still took me years to listen to him and to acknowledge what I knew in my own body. The consequences of not listening in some ways were catastrophic. We live in a world that considers your body last. So we end up in hospitals, urgent care, disabled, on pain medications and limping around, sometimes getting angry at doctors that can't away our pain with a magic bullet. That's not our fault, but we do have some choice. Often the choice seems like the extremes of financial security or pain in our bodies. But there is a middle path - listening to our body's messages and taking responsibility and action where we can. As we bring our awareness back to our bodies that are so often forgotten and put in last place of priority, we can slowly develop a new relationship. And its hard, I know, when the rest of the world demands that you forget your body and focus on your mind, work, family, and other obligations, but without your body much of your ability to live life will start to erode. At that point, you may start to feel at war with your body. Being at war with your body is not a healthy relationship but noticing you are at war with your body is a place from which healing can start. A new relationship with your body can start with this mindfulness practice:
Follow-up:
Namaste - the divine in me bows to the divine in you. Note: This is an original practice I developed for myself on my journey with Lyme and office-related injuries. It combines mindfulness, loving kindness practices, nonviolent communication, Hoʻoponopono, and positive thinking.
1 Comment
The last few weeks I've seen a number of clients that do a lot of core work, or by the nature of their daily activities, they use their core a lot. Many of them think they have a weak core, though the core muscles seem toned. There's few things that could be happening:
If you are doing core exercises (not under the care of a licensed healthcare professional) and are feeling more discomfort rather than less, it might be helpful to stop doing them and focus on flexibility and mobility for a while. Have a physical therapist evaluate whether you need the exercises and if they are being done correctly.. Here's one view of why you need to be able to move as well as stabilize your core. Qi gong, tai chi, and yoga can help you keep it that way. |
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