[image courtesy of Canva.com]
One of the key practices for reducing our experience of pain is to identify how we can move in the face of pain. In Trauma Informed Personal Training (TIPT) with Joann you learn how to cultivate that inner body sense through mindful movement with self compassionate awareness.
When we are experiencing pain, physical or emotional; chronic or episodic; from an injury or otherwise, it can be hard to trust our bodies or ourselves with how to move and exercise appropriately. We might think taking it easy and resting is the only way to go.
However the pain research shows us that moving our bodies helps “turn down the volume” on our pain.
When we experience movement in the face of our pain that is nourishing, we recognize that we are not causing more harm to ourselves. When you stay active and capable of doing what you want to do (which may be a change in expectations from running a marathon next week to walking mindfully today) you interrupt stuck pain patterns.
I often hear students and clients exclaim, “Oh, my stupid foot!,” or “I hurt myself again, I’m always hurting myself!” or “I can’t be happy when I’m hurting.” I used to speak to myself like this, believing my thoughts, and falling into misery and self blame with each pain flare up.
The holistic approach of TIPT invites us to explore safety at all levels. When there is pain, the body is sending alarm signals that things are not safe.
And if we are thinking or speaking to ourselves with judgement and old habits of self deprecation and blame, we continue to ring that alarm bell in our brains…same bell for all pain!
To help quiet the alarm, we may need to work with the alarming thoughts. Turning our language around towards something more compassionate and understanding. We all have bodies that experience pain. We all have bodies that are impermanent. Our bodies age, break down, and decay, eventually back to the Earth where the cycles of life continue. In TIPT we explore new ways to talk to ourselves about the reality of a body that has its own complex and unique experiences, experiences that our mind’s may never fully understand!
With an avenue for safety in our thinking, we look for how to move safely. Because pain is a sign of protection, we might find ourselves over protecting and avoiding exercise and movement practices…which keeps us stuck in the pain cycle.
In TIPT we explore and identify movements that are safe and help us feel empowered in the face of our pain.
When we challenge the alarm system the right way, we prioritize our breathing, we exercise at the “edge” of our pain, called the “Goldilocks position,” and we find movements that are enjoyable and appropriately challenging. On the other hand, when we “push through” our pain we can actually make our systems more sensitive to stuck pain patterns!
If you are feeling stuck and immobilized with pain, here is a short template for getting moving:
- Practice long, slow, smooth breathing. Wherever you are, take a few moments to notice your natural breath. Is it short and shallow? Long and smooth? Notice the rhythm. Notice the parts of your body that move on your breath. Then invite your breathing to be long, slow, and smooth. Once your breathing has settled,
- Before you take that walk, yoga posture, or try to get off the floor, ask yourself:
- “Is this safe? Or really dangerous?” If you are certain a movement or activity is dangerous for you at the moment, honor that.
- If you are uncertain, try!
- Stay curious! Keep your breathing long, slow, and smooth, and see what’s possible!
If you could use more guidance and practice moving in the face of your pain, I’d love to hear from you! You can join me for a free Discovery Call to identify if TIPT with Joann would be a good fit for you!
Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.
May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you live your life with peace and ease!
