Chronic Pain

For the past two days I have taught classes for back pain, yesterday one of my students told me he had back pain most days, today he told me his pain was much better.
For many it is hard to think of yoga  as a healing art, but it is.  I don't teach it as a fitness, I teach classes for stress, pain, PTSD, anxiety, arthritis.....for many reasons, but not as fitness.
Though yoga can be a great fitness science, bringing strength, flexibility and balance into your life,  I love it because the process of breath, meditation and movement brings you inward.

You discover things about your self, strengths and weaknesses.....you take a journey of relaxation and peace, you begin to appreciate what your body can do, and you learn how valuable silence can be, and what true energy is.

Almost every one I know suffers from pain at some point in their lives, it's hard to accept that our bodies wear out, that all the abuse, wear and tear we put them through eventually catches up and we pay with pain.  It's not that yoga takes the pain away, though many times it does.......but it helps us deal and manage the pain better, to live our lives with more dignity, and greater mobility.

Many of us have a tendency to become angry with our bodies when they fail us, choosing to look at all that is wrong and failing to see what is right and good with ourselves.  The road to healing often starts with kindness to ourselves, sometimes, it involves a fight, most often
it takes some love and perseverance.....and laughter and a few tears.  Sometimes, healing is not in the picture, but even then yoga can be helpful, breathwork and meditation can be calming and centering.

The cold weather can be brutal for those with chronic pain, take care of yourselves tonight, stay warm,  do your breath work, and remain as mobile as you can, eat fresh healthy foods, drink pure clean water and every day, try to find the beauty around you.