Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Pain,Present and Choice

Yoga and chronic pain, many who suffer are surprised when our chronic pain specialist suggests that they visit my classes.  They are often surprised as well when I don't promise a magical solution to their pain.  I teach breath work, I teach meditation and gentle asanas that help you deal with pain and often the pain does goes away.  But not always...and then I teach what I taught today.

If you study all the major religions none of the texts promise a life free from pain, sadness, illness or death  here.  Life is a balance, there is good and bad, happy and sad, healthy and sick...I think our answer is to strive to get up every day and truly make the best of what we have been dealt.  We are all tested and there is nothing about life that is fair...we are born, we die and what we do, how we live in between deals with the choices that we make.  Choices can add to our life of pain or make our pain more bearable.  Choices can bring great joy or unbelievable heartache.  Choices can create or destroy.  All those choices come with responsibilities. 

Often my students want me to tell them that when they leave our facility that life will be wonderful.
All I can do is teach them how to use the tools that I use, tools that help us to understand we can't control life, we control how we react...and that is our power, how we react.  Life is not only one day at a time, but most days, one breath at a time.  It is always about those two questions, where are you...here.  What time is it.....now.  Getting through pain, especially chronic pain you have to understand the importance of the breath and being in the present.


4 comments:

  1. We can't control life, we can't control the weather. We can control eating and perhaps stress, but we miserably fail to do so. Overeating and Stress are the big Killers, the big generators of Chronic Pain.
    I'm not familiar with yoga, never done that. I understand, though, the importance of right breathing technique. I hope this and meditation can help those people that come to your classes.

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  2. A great lesson on how to live life by being aware of the consequences of our choices everyday. Thank you.
    Hugs, Julia

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  3. Oh yes, I do agree with you -- to get up every day and truly make the best of what we have been dealt. And always take one day at a time.

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